War-weary Sudanese face new hardships as floods strike
According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), five gathering sites and reception centres in the provincial capital Kassala town and Gharb Kassala are among those impacted. More than 10,000 IDPs who fled fighting in neighbouring…
Security Council lifts arms embargo on Central African Republic forces
The arms embargo was established in 2013 against the backdrop of a brutal intercommunal conflict, when the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power leading to the mostly Christian militias fighting back. Civilians bore the brunt of the conflict, with several…
Venezuela: UN rights chief concerned about post-election tension and violence
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mr. Türk said he was “extremely concerned” about increasing tensions in the South American country. Voting took place on Sunday and incumbent President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner the following day, which has…
Kazakhstan tightens laws to combat trafficking of newborns
To fight against trafficking newborns, the new legislation facilitates the criminal prosecution for such crimes as kidnapping, illegal deprivation of liberty, human trafficking, involvement in prostitution and more. Approved ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, marked annually on…
UN official describes Gaza situation as ‘absolutely catastrophic’ amid severe shortages
Recently returned from the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via video link from Jordan (► play video). She said that UN teams…
Gaza: Fresh evacuation orders compound misery for enclave’s displaced
Evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military have impacted Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps, forcing families to relocate “again and again, knowing that safety is non-existent in the Gaza Strip”, said the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees, UNRWA, in a post on X. More…
Healthcare in Sudan ‘hanging by a thread,’ warns UN agency
In one particularly appalling attack, a hospital was struck last Friday alongside residential areas and a livestock market in North Darfur state that killed or injured at least 97 civilians. Attacks against medical facilities, personnel and supplies, which violate international…
Venezuela: Guterres calls for ‘complete transparency’ following disputed presidential election
Following hours of delays, incumbent Nicolás Maduro was formally declared winner of the disputed presidential election held on Sunday, securing a third term in office. “We have taken note of the announcement made by the electoral authorities as well as…
Torrential rains and floods in South Asia endanger millions of children, warns UNICEF
“We are only halfway through the monsoon season, yet the rainfall, damage and destruction have been devastating,” Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, said in a news release. In Nepal, 109 people, including children, have died due…
UN officials alarmed by civilian targeting amid renewed fighting in Myanmar
Fierce fighting broke out in early July in eastern Myanmar, collapsing a ceasefire between the military and a coalition of three ethnic armed groups that had banded together in October last year against the junta. Reports indicate that the ethnic…