The staff member was arrested by security officers on December 15. MISS was in close contact with local authorities, seeking safe release. The Mission received confirmation of his death earlier this week.

“We are devastated by the loss of our colleague,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of UNMISS, said in a statement. statement.

“Such killings of United Nations personnel are unacceptable. We call for an immediate and thorough investigation to determine the circumstances of his detention and death and to ensure that justice is served for him and his family. The safety and security of UN personnel must always be respected.»

The Mission extended its deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the victim, describing him as a dedicated member of the United Nations team committed to serving the people of South Sudan.

Serving peace in the face of complex challenges

UNMISS was established in 2011, following the independence of South Sudan, with a mandate to protect civilians, monitor human rights and support peacebuilding and reconciliation, working closely with communities, government institutions and civil society.

With more than 17,000 civilians, police and soldiers deployed across the country, UNMISS operates in some of the most challenging environments, where insecurity and inter-communal violence continue to threaten lives and livelihoods.

Despite these risks, the Mission remains steadfast in its commitment to peace, protection and accountability.

UNMISS urged national and local authorities to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with international and national laws.

According to the last CPI report – global monitoring of malnutrition and food insecurity – no area of ​​Gaza is currently classified as being in famine (IPC Phase 5), following improved humanitarian and commercial access following the October 10 ceasefire.

However, almost the entire Gaza Strip remains in an emergency situation (IPC Phase 4), while hundreds of thousands of people continue to experience very high rates of acute malnutrition.

Between mid-October and the end of November, about 1.6 million people – or about 77 percent of the population analyzed – faced crisis-level famine (phase 3) or worse. This included more than 500,000 people in emergency (phase 4) and more than 100,000 people in disaster (phase 5), the report said.

“Dangerously fragile” gains

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the latest findings show progress, but warn that gains remain “fragile – and dangerous”.

“The famine has been pushed back. Many more people have access to the food they need to survive,” he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

He added, however, that 1.6 million people in Gaza – more than 75 percent of the population – “are expected to face extreme levels of acute food insecurity and critical risks of malnutrition”.

The IPC analysis projects that until mid-April 2026, around 571,000 people will remain in emergency conditions, while around 1,900 people are expected to continue to face catastrophic hunger. In a worst-case scenario – including a resumption of hostilities or a cessation of humanitarian and commercial flows – the entire Gaza Strip could once again face famine.

Malnutrition is a major concern

Malnutrition remains a major concern, particularly among children and pregnant and lactating women.

Nearly 101,000 children aged six to 59 months are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition by mid-October 2026, including more than 31,000 severe cases. It is also estimated that 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment.

Although food aid has increased, the report highlights that aid largely only meets basic survival needs. Health services, water and sanitation systems, housing and livelihoods remain severely damaged, leaving families vulnerable – particularly in winter.

A “truly lasting” ceasefire is needed

“Families are enduring unbearable situations,” Mr. Guterres said, describing children sleeping in flooded tents and buildings collapsing in heavy rain and wind.

He said humanitarian teams were preparing more than 1.5 million hot meals every day, reopening nutrition centers and restoring water and health services, but he warned that needs continued to grow faster than aid delivery.

“We need a truly lasting ceasefire,he said, calling for more crossings into Gaza, fewer restrictions on essential supplies, safe routes within the Strip, sustainable funding and unhindered humanitarian access.

The IPC report highlights that without sustained and expanded access, continued aid and the rebuilding of critical infrastructure, Gaza’s food security situation could rapidly deteriorate again, with long-term consequences for an already traumatized population.

“The Sudanese are not moving by choice, they are simply fleeing to find safety,” said Mohamed Refaat, IOM Head of mission in Sudan.

Speaking from Port Sudan to journalists in Geneva, he urged all member states and “all those who can provide support” to the Sudanese people to ensure their protection.

Violent bombing alert

The latest reports from the war-torn country indicate that paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) allies have bombed residential buildings in Dilling, South Kordofan, over the past 48 hours.

The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese army since April 2023 following a failed transition to civilian rule. On October 26, paramilitary forces invaded El Fasher – the regional capital of North Darfur – after a 500-day siege, triggering further mass displacements. Deep concerns remain for those still believed to be stuck inside the city and who have had to eat peanut shells and animal food to survive the ordeal.

“People are afraid”

“These displacements from Kordofan are not happening sporadically, they are happening because people are afraid,” said IOM’s Refaat. He noted that people were now fleeing Babanusa, Kadugli and El-Obeid.

Underscoring his deep concerns about vulnerable people on the move, the veteran humanitarian official noted that “only women and children” are arriving in the White Nile and Gedaref in the east.

Deep insecurity and violence persist across Sudan, increasing protection risks for civilians and hampering safe access for humanitarian assistance.

The situation is rapidly deteriorating in Kadugli, the capital of Southern Kordofan state, where there are growing concerns. six Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in drone attacks last Saturday. The UN peacekeepers were at a logistics base in the city, deployed with the UN force in Abyei, the disputed region on the border with South Sudan.

Hundreds of thousands of people in danger

“In the town of Kadugli, we estimate that there are about 90,000 to 100,000 people in that area who will be displaced if something happens, if the fighting continues, if they can leave the town,” Refaat said. He added that El-Obeid – the capital of North Kordofan – appeared to be only “a few steps away from being the next town attacked… we estimate that more than half a million people will already be affected”.

Returning to the crisis in El Fasher, the IOM official stressed that the UN agency’s movement monitoring matrix had recorded more than 109,000 people who had managed to flee the city and its surrounding villages since their fall at the end of October at the hands of the RSF.

“Many of them are still stuck in neighboring villages and cannot travel further due to logistical problems. [and] security concerns,” he said, fueling concerns among those trying to survive as essentials for survival have been “completely wiped out,” UN humanitarian teams warned a week ago.

Asked about the impact of severe cuts in funding for humanitarian work within the UN and beyond, the IOM chief of mission explained that the agency had lost $83 million in resources this year alone. This forced humanitarian teams to “massively” reduce their footprint, Refaat said.

“Because of these cuts, we have to choose which lives we can save and which support we have to stop. So we would go through places where we know people absolutely need people, but we would leave them and not be able to help them because we have to prioritize those who are absolutely dying.”