“This is a huge blow to us…These people were shot,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. UN human rights chief Volker Türk issued a statement on Monday condemning the Israeli military’s attack, calling for an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the apparently systematic killings. ...
The clearly identified humanitarian workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, Palestinian Civil Defence and the UN had been despatched to collect injured people on 23 March in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, when they came under fire from Israeli forces who were advancing in the area, said the...
According to Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East, a six-month-old baby was among at least 13 children reported to have been killed. Clashes erupted on Friday between Syrian Caretaker Authority forces and soldiers loyal to the former Assad regime. According to widely reported eyewitness accounts much of...
Clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a rival armed group, EMBF, erupted last week in the remote northeastern region, leaving dozens dead, including former combatants, peace signatories, social leaders, and human rights defenders. Many victims were targeted individually, according to news reports, while thousands of civilians were displaced....
The Mission has called for an investigation to “ensure accountability, prevent recurrence and uphold victims’ rights”, noting that international law obliges military forces to take necessary precautions to prevent civilian harm, including distinguishing between civilians and combatants in operations. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, also expressed concern over reports that...
More than 60 per cent of these killings occurred in countries experiencing conflict – the highest percentage in over a decade. “Reliable information is vital in conflict situations to help affected populations and to enlighten the world,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “It is unacceptable that journalists pay with their lives for...
The dangers faced by journalists, including risks to their lives, are highlighted each year on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, which falls on November 2. This year, the International Day coincides with the biannual UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity,...
“The situation in Sudan is catastrophic. There is simply no other way to put it. Hunger disease and sexual violence are rampant. For the people of Sudan, this is a living nightmare,” warned Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The conflict, which erupted in April...
“Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilisation itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history and not its future,” said Tedros Adhanom-Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic, and a testament to the commitment of the people and Government of Egypt...
In an appeal for help, the World Food Programme, WFP, said that more than 27 million people’s lives from Lesotho to Zimbabwe have been devastated, leaving 21 million children malnourished. A record five countries have declared a national disaster because of the drought and requested international assistance: Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia,...
A new publication from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) presents “credible” reports that between 15 August 2021 and 30 June 2023, the country’s de facto authorities were responsible for 218 extrajudicial killings, 14 enforced disappearances, over 144 instances of torture and ill treatment, and 424 arbitrary arrests and detentions. ...
The “tragic killing” at the penal colony at Olenivka in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, under temporary Russian military control, occurred overnight on 28 July 2022. Many of the POWs were Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered at the stricken Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol. Appeal for...