South Sudan: UN forced to suspend food aid after ‘unacceptable’ attacks on convoy

South Sudan: UN forced to suspend food aid after ‘unacceptable’ attacks on convoy

As fighting intensifies there between opposition forces and national troops, there are reports of airstrikes and daily civilian casualties. UN agencies warn that worsening insecurity is blocking lifesaving aid, while hunger projections deteriorate and cholera treatment centres struggle to cope with an influx of newly displaced people. The renewed violence comes as South Sudan’s 2018 […]

UN urges renewed solidarity eight years after forced exodus of Rohingya

UN urges renewed solidarity eight years after forced exodus of Rohingya

More than 700,000 of them fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after armed attacks by a militant group against Myanmar security forces sparked a brutal military crackdown that began on 25 August 2017. They joined thousands of others who had escaped earlier waves of violence and discrimination now living in refugee camps just across the border in […]

UNHCR urges Pakistan to stop forced returns of Afghan refugees

UNHCR urges Pakistan to stop forced returns of Afghan refugees

He expressed particular concern over the plight of women and girls sent back to Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule for four years. On 31 July, Pakistan confirmed that Afghan refugees would be deported under an ongoing ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’.  UNHCR has received reports of arrests and detention of Afghans across the country, […]

Gaza: ‘No one should ever be forced to risk their life to find food,’ says UN humanitarian agency

Gaza: ‘No one should ever be forced to risk their life to find food,’ says UN humanitarian agency

The months-long deprivation of most life-sustaining basic goods has led to a deepening of the crisis.  More than 100 people were killed, and hundreds of others injured, along food convoy routes and near Israeli-militarised distribution hubs in the past two days alone.   As one in three people currently going days without food, OCHA reiterated […]

On brink of famine, Gazans forced to scour dirt for food

On brink of famine, Gazans forced to scour dirt for food

Without fuel, many basic facilities cannot function, from water treatment plants to medical infrastructure. Meanwhile, Gazans now on the brink of famine have been reduced to taking desperate measures in their search for food, scouring the roads taken by aid convoys, UN aid worker Olga Cherevko told UN News. “While we were driving, I saw […]

Torture, threats and arbitrary arrests: UN warns of ‘serious abuses’ against Afghans forced to return

Torture, threats and arbitrary arrests: UN warns of ‘serious abuses’ against Afghans forced to return

These abuses include threats, cases of torture, mistreatment and arbitrary arrest and detention, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report said these violations were committed against Afghans “based on their profile” and targeted women, media workers and civil society […]

UN rights office sounds the alarm over forced displacement in the West Bank

UN rights office sounds the alarm over forced displacement in the West Bank

Israeli authorities have stepped up measures to transfer large numbers of people from long-standing Palestinian towns and communities, according to OHCHR’s office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. On 18 June, the High Planning Council in the Israeli Civil Administration issued a directive to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, […]

UNHCR forced to make deep cuts, despite rising needs worldwide

UNHCR forced to make deep cuts, despite rising needs worldwide

This will entail cutting just under half of all senior positions at the agency’s Geneva headquarters and regional bureaux.  Around 3,500 permanent staff posts have been discontinued, hundreds of temporary staff positions have been terminated, and some offices have been downsized or closed worldwide. According to the report, decisions on where to cut costs were […]

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans forced back into danger, says UNHCR

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans forced back into danger, says UNHCR

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), over 250,000 Afghans returned in April alone – among them, 96,000 who were forcibly deported. The agency voiced particular alarm over the fate of women and girls, who face increasing repression under Taliban rule. The large-scale returns are putting even greater pressure on already stretched humanitarian resources and […]