The UN-designated human rights expert on Sudan has called for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with their allied militias, to take immediate steps to protect civilians in greater Khartoum amid escalating violence and alarming reports of summary executions.
People in Lebanon uprooted by Israeli airstrikes including in central Beirut have described being forced to flee “total destruction”, amid fresh reports of Hezbollah projectile attacks into Israel and close-quarter clashes along the UN-patrolled line of separation between the two countries.
Despite the significant peace and security challenges facing Africa, there are reasons to be hopeful, the head of the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU) told ambassadors at the Security Council on Wednesday, urging their continued focus on the continent.
A breakdown in law and order and a wider humanitarian emergency across Haiti have displaced more than 700,000 people – one in two of them children – the UN migration office, IOM, said on Wednesday.
Hours after Iran fired a reported 200 missiles at Israel in response to Israeli military incursions in southern Lebanon raising fears of a wider Middle East escalation, UN human rights chief Volker Türk insisted on Wednesday that “peace must prevail” in the Middle East, while UN Member States meeting in Geneva reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and beyond.
Ambassadors are due to meet at 10am local time in New York on Wednesday with the Middle East on the brink of all-out war following Iran’s decision to launch close to 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, while hours earlier on Tuesday Israeli forces launched “limited” incursions into southern Lebanon in addition to its widespread and deadly bombing campaign against Hezbollah militants – all against the backdrop of the nearly year-long war in Gaza. The UN Secretary-General is set to brief. App users can follow our live coverage here.
A former combatant fighting for the rights of her people on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines has been talking about how she has swapped her combat fatigues for jilbabs [outer garment] and her life in the jungle for a more peaceful rural community.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday issued an urgent call for countries to transform their care and support systems for older people, warning that current systems are not prepared to meet growing demand.
More than 215 people, including 35 children, have been killed and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Nepal, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
With war ramping up across the Middle East on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for the violence to end now.
Diplomats have been highlighting Security Council resolution 1701 in official meetings and in the corridors over the busy High-Level Week at UN Headquarters.
Africans and people of African descent who have encountered human rights violations by law enforcement officials never receive justice as authorities are not held accountable, experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said in a report issued on Tuesday.