This is the third large-scale combined strike in October against energy facilities in civilian areas, leading to significant power outages.

At least two other civilians were killed – and 23 injured, including six children – in Zaporizhzhia, which was reportedly hit by more than eight ballistic missiles and 20 drones.

A seven-year-old girl was among those killed in the central Vinnytsia region.

More than 700 keystrokes

Thursday’s strikes were among the largest since Russia’s invasion began in 2022, with 705 munitions reportedly deployed.

Danielle Belle, who heads the UN monitoring team, stressed that if the pattern of attacks continued it would have “dangerous consequences” for civilians during the harsh winter months.

Ms Belle reiterated that these disruptions would disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including older people, people with disabilities and families with young children.

Ukraine’s armed forces reportedly responded to long-range Russian attacks with their own drone and missile strikes.

Nuclear tests “cannot under any circumstances be authorized”, reiterates the UN

In response to a statement by the US president that his administration would resume testing nuclear weapons, the UN warned against proliferation on Thursday, calling for a moratorium to be maintained.

The risk of nuclear war is “already alarming”, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in response to a question at the regular midday press briefing in New York.

President Donald Trump said on social media that he had asked the Pentagon “to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal footing,” in response to Russia’s testing of new nuclear delivery systems and China’s deployment of new ballistic missile silos, according to media reports.

China has reportedly not carried out any nuclear weapons tests since 1996. The last confirmed test by Russia dates back to 1990.

Miscalculation and escalation

Mr. Haq said any nuclear activity that “could lead to miscalculations or escalation with catastrophic consequences must be avoided. We must not forget the disastrous legacy of more than 2,000 nuclear weapons tests that have been carried out over the past 80 years.”

He added that in the Secretary-General’s view, “under no circumstances can nuclear testing be authorized.”

Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said in a statement The treaty prohibits all nuclear explosions, while its agency “can and will detect any nuclear weapon test explosion anywhere on the planet and has successfully detected all six reported nuclear tests carried out this century.”

Mr. Floyd added that at this difficult moment, there was “an opportunity for world leaders to move forward and work together, as equals, towards the ratification of the CTBT and the common goal of a world without nuclear weapons testing.”

UN experts warn of human rights violations in Nicaragua, call for protection of exiled citizens

A group of independent human rights experts urge the international community to hold the Nicaraguan government accountable for serious rights violations and international crimes, as it presented its findings to the General Assembly for the first time.

Jan-Michael Simon, president of the Group, noted that Nicaragua once championed peace, freedom and democracy in Central America – but now faces allegations of dismantling the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Silencing dissent, at home and abroad

The experts’ report to the New York General Assembly describes a deliberate state policy to silence dissent and consolidate absolute power through violence, fear, and the systematic erosion of rights.

Some documented human rights violations, they say, constitute crimes against humanity.

The group also condemned the growing number of enforced disappearances, calling them an act of cruelty that torments both the victims and their families.

The independent experts also warned that the government had extended the repression abroad by stripping some exiles of their nationality – as a tool to punish dissidents.

Following the signing of the peace agreement in Colombia in 2016, more than 13,000 former FARC fighters laid down their arms in one year, returning nearly 9,000 weapons, 38,000 tons of explosives and millions of rounds of ammunition.

Mr Jenča noted that despite ongoing challenges, the implementation of the agreement has significantly improved security and trust between communities. Around 11,000 ex-combatants are now engaged in development projects and other implementation activities.

“They are building a new, peaceful and productive future – building sustainable homes, solving problems together and moving forward.“, he said UN News.

He also highlighted the first convictions handed down by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for crimes committed during the conflict, calling them a “crucial step towards accountability.”

Support and control

At a recent UN conference Security Council During the session, the United States questioned the Mission’s expanded mandate, saying it reflected “excessive political priorities” and pledged to “carefully consider” its continued support.

Mr Jenča responded that such assessments were “normal”, but stressed that the other 14 Council members had expressed clear support for the renewal of the Mission’s mandate, a vote scheduled for the end of this week.

On the ground, the Mission enjoys broad support from the Colombian government and across the political spectrum.

“I spoke with members of the opposition and representatives of the government – ​​all supported the continuation of the Mission, although some adjustments were suggested,” Mr Jenča said.

He acknowledged that maintaining operations would require additional funding and highlighted hopes for closer cooperation as Colombia joins the Security Council in 2026 as a non-permanent member.

A global example of peacebuilding

At a time when multilateralism is met with skepticism, Mr. Jenča said that the peace process in Colombia stands out as “a shining example of negotiation and collaboration”, benefiting not only the country but the whole world.

Looking ahead to the upcoming electoral period in Colombia, Mr. Jenča reaffirmed the Mission’s commitment to ensuring a safe and peaceful campaign.

“Our objective is to promote understanding between political actors and to guarantee an environment of peace, security and respect for human rights,” he concluded.

In December 2024, Bashar Al-Assad’s regime was toppled by a coalition of opposition groups, led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham militia, sparking a widespread wave of relief at the end of the decade-long civil war, signaling the return of more than a million Syrian refugees.

After being excluded from the country during the Assad years, the Independent international commission of inquiry on Syria – appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 to investigate and document human rights violations and abuses committed during the conflict – granted full access to the country by the transitional government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In August, the Commission published a report on the wave of violence that engulfed coastal and west-central Syria starting in January 2025, which revealed that acts that may amount to war crimes, including murder and torture, were committed.

Massacres in Latakia and beyond

An estimated 1,400 men, women and children were killed in massacres in Latakia, Tartus and Hama governorates, including by members of government security forces.

Updated Third Committee of the General Assembly – which focuses on human rights issues – on Thursday, Mr. Pinheiro said that investigators had carried out on-site visits to Latakia and Tartous in June this year, and more recently to Suweyda and its surroundings.

Mr. Pinheiro indicated that his team continues to receive reports of extrajudicial executions, torture and ill-treatment, and forced displacement of Alawite civilians in Damascus and the western governorates.

In Sweida, more than 30 villages in Druze-majority areas were completely depopulated, looted and burned, and Commission investigators met with numerous families and witnesses who recounted the brutal killings of loved ones taken from their homes.

The stage is set for further violence

There is growing distrust, he explained, between the Druze and Bedouin communities and the interim government, which must hold those responsible for the killings to account and ensure that such acts do not happen again.

“The Commission is deeply concerned that the stage will be set for further violence if prompt action is not taken.“, warned Mr. Pinheiro. “Rebuilding trust will require dedicated efforts towards dialogue, inclusion and justice for all victims.”

The UN-appointed independent rights expert has expressed growing concerns about violence and discrimination directed against women, citing multiple reports of women and girls abducted by unknown armed actors, some of whom were allegedly victims of sexual violence and forced marriages.

“In many cases, despite reporting their disappearance to local authorities, families report that no action has yet been taken to investigate or follow up. »

Mr. Pinheiro called on UN member states to halt Israel’s advance into southern Syria, which, he said, had seen civilians forcibly displaced and arbitrarily detained, as well as airstrikes that reportedly caused civilian casualties: “intervention by third states risks further inflaming the conflict and inflicting even greater suffering on the Syrian people.”

Noting recent steps taken by several states and the EU to ease sanctions against Syria, Mr. Pinheiro said such steps are welcome and urged member states to continue supporting the 2025 humanitarian appeal for the country, which is currently only 19 percent funded.

Briefing of ambassadors in the Security Counciltop UN relief official Tom Fletcher said “women and girls are being raped, people are being maimed and killed – with impunity,” adding: “We don’t hear the screams, but – as we sit here today – the horror continues.»

After overrunning the last major Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stronghold in Darfur, which had held out for more than 500 days, RSF fighters moved from house to house, he said, with “credible reports of widespread executions” as civilians tried to escape.

Nearly 500 patients and their companions are believed to have been killed at the Saudi maternity ward, one of several health facilities targeted by the fighting.

“Tens of thousands of terrified and hungry civilians have fled or are on the move,” Mr Fletcher said. “Those who are able to flee – the vast majority of women, children and the elderly – face extortion, rape and violence during this perilous journey.»

The horror spreads

Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee called the fall of El Fasher a “significant shift in security dynamics,” warning that the implications for Sudan and the region as a whole are “profound.”

Fighting has already intensified in the Kordofan region, where the RSF captured the strategic town of Bara last week.

RSF and SAF drone strikes, she explained, are now hitting new targets in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, West Darfur and Khartoum. “The territorial scope of the conflict is widening,” she warned.

“The risk of mass atrocities, ethnically motivated violence and further violations of international humanitarian law, including sexual violence, remains extremely high,» Pobee told the Council.

“Despite commitments made to protect civilians, the reality is that no one is safe in El Fasher. There is no safe passage for civilians to leave the city.”

The UN human rights office, OHCHRdocumented massacres, summary executions and ethnically motivated reprisals in El Fasher and Bara. In the latter country, at least 50 civilians have been killed in recent days, including five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers, Pobee said.

History of atrocities in Darfur

“What is happening in El Fasher is reminiscent of the horrors to which Darfur was subjected twenty years ago.“said Mr Fletcher, referring to the atrocities of the early 2000s which shocked the world and ultimately led to International Criminal Court indictments.

“But somehow we are seeing a very different global reaction today – a reaction of resignation,” he continued. “It’s also a crisis of apathy.”

“The Sudanese crisis is, at its core, a failure of protection and our responsibility to uphold international law,” Mr. Fletcher said. “Atrocities are committed in the brazen expectation of impunity… the world has failed an entire generation.»

Descent into total war

The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, when a long-simmering power struggle between the SAF and the RSF escalated into open war.

The RSF traces its roots to the Janjaweed militias accused of atrocities in Darfur 20 years ago, while the SAF represents the remnants of long-standing military rule in Khartoum.

The two forces once shared power after the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, but a dispute over the RSF’s integration into the national army triggered a nationwide collapse.

What began as a struggle for control of the state has since evolved into a brutal struggle marked by ethnic killings, urban siege warfare, mass displacement and starvation conditions in large parts of the country.

Regional overflow and humanitarian collapse

More than four million people have already fled to neighboring Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, straining humanitarian operations and deepening instability in already fragile border regions.

In Sudan, more than 24 million people – more than 40 percent of the population – suffer from food insecurity. Tawila, the main destination about 50 km away for those fleeing El Fasher, is already home to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by previous attacks.

“Our teams in Tawila are seeing traumatized people arriving with shocking signs of malnutrition,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Blood on the sand. Blood on your hands

Mr. Fletcher said the Council must act “with immediate and strong action” to end atrocities, ensure safe humanitarian access and end the flow of arms that fuel the war.

“I urge my colleagues to study the latest satellite images of El Fasher; blood on the sand“, he told the ambassadors. “And I urge my colleagues to to study the world’s continuing failure to put an end to this. Blood on your hands.”

Reports of mass atrocities in and around the newly captured Darfur town of El Fasher mark a new low point in Sudan’s brutal civil war and the Security Council is meeting in an emergency session Thursday morning in New York to address the rapidly deteriorating situation. Civilians face starvation and mass displacement as the UN continues to provide lifesaving aid across the country. Hospitals, schools and camps for displaced people are attacked, and entire neighborhoods have been emptied as families flee the RSF militias. Follow our in-depth live coverage; UN News app users can go here.