Myanmar: UN chief calls for urgent access as quake toll mounts
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the earthquake has “supercharged the suffering”. “Myanmar today is the scene of utter devastation and desperation,” he said. He emphasised that even before the disaster, the…
Sudan crisis: UN rights chief condemns extrajudicial killings in Khartoum
Citing credible reports of extrajudicial killings in several areas of the capital, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the victims were suspected of collaborating with rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters. “I urge the commanders of the…
UN envoy urges international support for West Africa and the Sahel
Leonardo Santos Simão highlighted the scale of the crisis affecting parts of the Sahel, where terrorist groups continue to wreak havoc, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin comprising Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Mr. Simão, who heads the UN Office…
DR Congo: Armed violence displaces thousands as cholera outbreak worsens
Intense clashes between local armed groups and M23 rebels were reported on Thursday in the town of Masisi Centre in North Kivu. Preliminary reports from partners on the ground indicate at least two civilian fatalities and multiple injuries, with several…
Myanmar quake: UN calls for urgent protection for vulnerable women and girls
As emergency aid trickles in, women and girls who were already vulnerable due to years of conflict, displacement and economic instability, now face even greater risks from gender-based violence and exploitation, according to a UN-led coalition responding to the crisis….
Sudan: Sexual violence used as weapon of terror against women and girls
It is nearly two years since the brutal war between the forces of the military government in Khartoum and the Rapid Support Forces militia erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Human rights abuses have been committed on…
DR Congo: Surging violence as armed groups target civilians in the east, Human Rights Council hears
The grim revelation emerged during a high-level discussion at the UN in Geneva on the human rights situation in DRC. The Council – the UN’s foremost human rights forum – also heard updates on allegations of ongoing abuses in South…
Myanmar earthquake latest: Entire communities flattened, aid teams say
Speaking to journalists from Yangon on Tuesday, Julia Rees, Deputy Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country described seeing massive needs rising by the hour, after a 7.7 magnitude quake. “Entire communities have been flattened,” she said,…
Sudan on brink of famine as fighting ravages Darfur, UN warns
Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that “the humanitarian and security situation in Sudan remains dire and is worsening.” He highlighted intense fighting around El Fasher, noting, “we are gravely alarmed by reports of intensified hostilities… including attacks in the past two…
Myanmar earthquake tragedy ‘compounds already dire crisis’
Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Marcoluigi Corsi expressed the UN’s profound sorry at the immense loss of life stemming from Friday’s 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude quakes with the death toll rising to around 2,000, according to the country’s military junta. “The…