The National Disaster Management Authority also reported 978 injuries and destruction or damage of more than 2,400 houses, while more than 1,000 livestock were lost on Thursday, August 21.

Bad weather should continue in early September, which increases the risk of additional floods, landslides and harvest lossesAccording to the United Nations Bureau for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ochha).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hit the hardest

The northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has brought the weight of the disaster.

The authorities have declared the state of emergency in nine districts, including Buner, Shangla and Mansehra, after torrential rains between August 15 and 19 left 368 dead, 182 injured and damaged more than 1,300 houses. Nearly 100 schools have also been destroyed.

International charities have said that its teams had found a general devastation in Buner, where families reported houses and livelihoods swept in a few minutes by flood water torrents carrying rocks and debris.

Most affected children

THE The toll on children was particularly seriouswith displacement, loss of education and limited access to safe water Put their health and well-being at serious risks.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNJCEF), at least 21 children were among those killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since August 15.

Many schools have been destroyed or are now used as temporary shelters, more restricting access to education and safe spaces.

Urban floods in Karachi

In the Sindh province, the heavy rains of August 19 sparked urban floods in Karachi – the largest city in Pakistan – where at least six people were killed in wall collapses and electrocities. Precipitation reached up to 145 millimeters (approximately 5.75 inches) in certain parts of the city, flooding the roads and leaving many districts without electricity for hours.

Punjab province has also undergone many floods along the Industry and Chenab rivers, which has moved more than 2,300 families and damaged cash crops on thousands of acres.

Support scale

The federal and provincial authorities direct the response, having mobilized more than 2,000 people for rescue and evacuation. In coordination with the UN and the partners, they sent key rescue elements, including food, tents and medical supplies to affected areas.

OCHA said that he had deployed coordinators on the ground in the hardest districts and activated emergency mechanismsIncluding the release of funds from its regional humanitarian envelope for Pakistan – prioritizing vital assistance in health, water, food security and shelter.

For his part, Unicef sent essential drugs and hygiene kits to affected districts. Each kit includes soap, water containers and other hygiene supplies to help prevent disease epidemics.

Disturbing trend

Pakistan has endured devastating seasons of monsoon in recent years. In 2022, Unprecedented floods Killed more than 1,700 people, moved millions and caused around $ 40 billion in economic losses.

The erratic and intensified precipitation patterns, amplified by climate change, are worsen the country’s vulnerabilitythreatening lives, livelihoods and long -term recovery across South Asia.

His appeal comes one day after four other members of the court-two judges and two assistant prosecutors-were slapped with sanctions in the context of efforts to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the United States and Israel.

This follows the sanctions imposed earlier on four other judges and the CPI prosecutor. The measures imposed could include blocking of financial access to property or assets in the United States, as well as for travel prohibitions.

“Assault against the rule of law”

“” The incessant intensification of American reprisals against international institutions and their staff must cease »» said Mr. Türk.

“The sanction of judges and prosecutors at national, regional or international levels, to fulfill their mandate in accordance with international law standards, is An assault against the rule of law and corrodes justice. “”

The sanctions arise from an executive decree signed by US President Donald Trump in February in response to the publication of the Tribunal supported by the UN issuing arrest terms against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC also probe war crimes that would have been committed in Afghanistan by all parties during the years of conflict, including the United States, following the country’s allied invasion in October 2001.

Neither the United States nor Israel are part of the status of Rome, the treaty that established the ICC.

It is time for countries to intervene

Mr. Türk called for the withdrawal of sanctions against CPI staff and they targeting the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The independent expert, Francesca Albanese, receives his term from the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. For more details, read our story here.

“In the meantime, I call for states to take immediate measures to protect them all, in particular by taking measures to encourage companies operating in their jurisdiction not to implement the sanctions against these people,” said Türk.

“” States must intervene to defend the institutions they have created to maintain and defend human rights and the rule of law. Those who work to document, investigate and continue serious violations of international law should not have to work in fear. »»

On the International Criminal Court

The ICC investigates and tries individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Read our explanator here.

Some of the cases include situations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya.

In March 2023, the court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the context of alleged war crimes concerning the expulsion and “illegal transfer” of the children of occupied Ukraine.

The ICC was created in 2002 and is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands.

The sanctions target judges Kimberly Prost of Canada and Nicolas Guillou of France, as well as two assistant prosecutors: Nazhat Shameem Khan from Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang from Senegal.

This follows previous measures against four other judges and the CPI prosecutor.

Affront the victims

In a press release announcing the new cycle of sanctions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the ICC “was a national security threat which was an instrument for the United States and our close ally Israel.”

The not sustained courtyard denounced Sanctions as “a blatant attack on the independence of a impartial judicial institution”.

In addition, “they also constitute an affront against the parts of the courts of the court, the international order based on rules and, above all, millions of innocent victims around the world”.

Investigate serious crimes

The ICC is investigating the most serious crimes of concern for the international community, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and attack. Read our explanator here.

It is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, and was created within the framework of a 1998 treaty known as Rome status which entered into force four years later. The United States and Israel are not one of the 125 states that left for the treaty.

Last November, the ICC issued arrest mandates against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, with a former Hamas commander, as part of the Gaza conflict, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

There are also war crimes which allegedly committed Afghanistan Of all parties during the years of conflict, including the United States, following the country’s allied invasion in October 2001.

Strong and not discouraged

The court reiterated that he “Held firmly behind its personnel and the victims of unimaginable atrocities “and” will continue to fulfill its mandates, without discouraging, strictly with its legal framework adopted by the parts of the States and without any restriction, pressure or threat. “”

The ICC has called on “States of the States and all those who share the values ​​of humanity and the rule of law to provide firm support and coherent to the Court and its work carried out in the only interest of victims of international crimes”.

The UN highlighted the key role of the ICC in international criminal justice and expressed concern about the imposition of new sanctions.

“” The decision requires serious obstacles to the functioning of the prosecutor’s office And respect for all the situations that are currently in court, “said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, to journalists in New York.

“Judicial independence is a basic principle that must be respected and These types of measures undermine the foundation of international justice. »»

At the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, a small child, Maryam Abu Alba, cries in pain. “The neighbor’s house was bombed and their house was affected,” said her grandmother.

“One of his legs had to be amputated and the metal plates had to be inserted into the other, which was fractured. She suffers intense. “

Nowhere

In the same hospital, the young Mohammad Hassan looks at his highly bandaged left leg, and the stump where his foot was. “I was going to buy falafel,” he said. “On the way back, I looked up and I saw a rocket heading for me. I tried to run, but it was too fast. I found myself pinned to the wall, and my foot had been exploded. Then someone came to pick me up and took me to this hospital. ”

Gaza now has the largest number of children amputated per capita from all over the world.

Turned in search of food

In May, the GHF resumed the delivery of aid to Gaza, by bypassing the established roads and considerably reducing the number of distribution points to a handful of fortified hubs, a policy that was criticized by the UN and the NGO partners.

We were told that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had opened its doors to distribute the aid. When I arrived … I was struck by an explosive ball

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Monday describe Try to access these sites as “deadly prosecution”. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed or injured since May when looking for food.

When the GHF began its operations, Ibrahim Abdel Nabi was one of the many Palestinians who went to the hubs in the hope of finding desperately necessary arrangements for their families.

In his tent in a travel site in the Al-Mawasi coastal region of Khan Younis, Mr. Nabi, surrounded by his wife and children, explains how the trip ended with a disaster and injuries that changed their life.

“We were told that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had opened its doors to distribute help. When I arrived in the Al-Alam region, west of Rafah, I was struck by an explosive bullet on my leg. I was bleeding for about an hour and a half, and no one came to help me. They all tried to find food for their children. »»

Finally, a group of people came to his rescue and took him to the neighboring Red Cross hospital.

“I stayed there for about a month and a half, undergoing around 12 operations. I became malnourished and I lost a lot of blood. An infection, and more of my leg had to be amputated. ”

‘I made my prosthetic leg’

As Mr. Nabi was trying to recover, he knew that his family still needed food. Despite the pain, he decided to make a simple prosthesis of the materials he could find to allow him to get back on their feet and make new attempts to find food and water.

“The prosthesis hurts my leg,” he said. “This causes inflammation and increases pain. We do not have medical care or supplies, but I will use it, no matter how much it hurts. ”

While he is talking, Mr. Nabi’s wife begins to cry. “God wants it, we will live this experience,” she says.

Mr. Nabi gets up on crutches and heads for a neighboring tent, where his wife helps him put the raw prosthesis.

“Do not try,” she repeats again and again. “Take your time. Walk slowly. “

A grenade attack inside the Zalingei hospital in the state of Darfur, led Doctors Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend all its activities there yesterday.

MSF had previously led an emergency response to cholera in the medical establishment, providing vital treatment to 160 patients over the past two weeks.

“The rules of the war are clear that the wounded and the sick, the medical staff and the hospitals are protected at any time,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Wednesday during the regular briefing.

Don’t give up Sudan

In concert with the Sudanese Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Partners, the UN continues to work to extend access to vaccines to cholera across the country, including more than two million in a recent campaign in the states of Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Sennar.

Famine having been confirmed in parts of Sudan, the UN and its partners also strive to provide food aid wherever they can – but the in progress has threatened their ability to access certain places.

For the first time since the start of the conflict in April 2023, the World Food Program (Wfp) reached rural areas of the state of Darfur du Nord on August 14 and provided more than 50,000 people displaced in food.

August 19, Luca Renda, Sudan representative of the United Nations Development Program (Predict) in Sudan, rented The work of humanitarian workers who continue to provide vital assistance despite an extreme risk for their own security.

“Sudanese humanitarian workers continue to deliver. They cross front lines. They sail against insecurity and bureaucracy. They risk everything to reach people in need. They have not abandoned and we must not either. ”

International day honors victims of terrorism

Thursday August 21, marks the eighth commemoration of the International Day of Souvenir and Tribute to the victims of terrorism.

Although the violent scourge is condemned all over the world, the victims and the survivors of terrorism often feel that their voices are not heard and find it difficult to support their needs and rights, especially when few Member States have the resources to help them recover.

This year’s theme is United by Hope: collective action for victims of terrorismhighlighting the power of solidarity among the victims to transform pain into a goal and to lead a significant change.

By respecting the day, the United Nations Terrorism Office will organize a virtual event and a round table featuring five terrorism survivors of different regions.

“On this solemn day, we honor the victims and survivors of terrorism everywhere – welcoming their courage, recognizing their pain and reaffirming our lasting commitment to peace, justice and human rights, Secretary General António Guterressaid in a video message.

Mr. Guterres praised the launch of the not supported Network of victims of terrorism associationswho strives to empower the victims and amplify their voices.

“The victims of terrorism show the way: to support each other, to express themselves and to defend the rights of all those affected,” he continued, urging governments, civil society and the international community to “match their courage”.

Dr Congo: Mortal violence continues in the East

Violence continues in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the form of deadly attacks by the militia of the Allied Democratic Forces across the north of Kivu between August 9 and 16.

“Yesterday, shots were reported near the base of the United Nations Mission in Bayoo and also near the Ugandan Popular Defense Forces (UPDF) in Bule, in the province of Ituri,” said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric on Wednesday briefing in New York.

The United Nations mission, MonuscoActivated safety protocols and deployed patrols to secure the area and nearby sites hosting internal displaced people.

Peacekeeping efforts

In the meantime, MonuscoThe commander led a delegation to Komanda in the province of Ituri, to meet representatives of the community and honor the victims of a massacre perpetrated by the ADF in July, who killed hundreds of civilians.

From August 15 to 18, at the request of local communities, the United Nations peacekeepers also deployed a mobile operation base in Soleniama, Ituri, to support demobilization efforts, with the help of religious leaders.

“It is essential to immediately reach a ceasefire in Gaza”, ” The secretary general told journalists on the sidelines of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad9)“” And the unconditional release of all hostages and to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause.“”

About a million people still live in the city – the largest in Gaza – in the north of the enclave torn by the war. The Israeli army would have described it as a bastion of Hamas, the terrorist group whose murderous attacks in Israel and the hostage taking the war on October 7, 2023.

The UN chief also condemned the Israeli government’s decision to approve a project of expansion of colonization for a long time in the occupied West Bank.

“” The decision of the Israeli authorities to extend the construction of illegal regulations, which would divide the West Bank, must be reversed. Any construction of settlement is a violation of international law“, He insisted.

The rules would have permission of more than 3,000 houses, schools and a clinic, cutting East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured during the 1967 war of 1967 after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

Urban destruction

Meanwhile, in Gaza City, entire urban areas are “completely destroyed”, the UN understands, with new destruction in progress in the South and the Southeast, while military maneuvers continue.

Recent attacks have been particularly devastating in the city Az Zaytoun district, the United Nations Human Rights Office (Ohchr)) reported Wednesday.

Highlighting more than 50 attacks against residential buildings and whole blocks in Gaza City since August 8, Ohchr warned that its “Systematic destruction” had started.

Acute malnutrition

Meanwhile, the United Nations aid teams highlighted the catastrophic impact of accelerating the Israeli military operation, with Shapeless malnutrition in children from Gaza City at 28.5%Or more than one in four young people.

“Children continue to die from artificial famine”, ” UNRWA said in a statement, noting that it has projected more than 95,000 children aged six months to five years for malnutrition through the Gaza Strip since March 2025, after the ceasefire collapse.

While the ceasefire has always stood in early March And the emergency supplies have been allowed to enter Gaza in much larger quantities than today,, Malnutrition rates were six times lower than Gaza CityAt 4.5%, according to the United Nations Agency for Palestinians, UNRWA.

Through Gaza, acute malnutrition increased to almost 16% in mid-August, more than three times higher than the level of 5.2% recorded by the United Nations Agency in March, he said.

Vital services in danger

Today, the services provided by UNRWA in Gaza City are “at serious risks”, warned the agency, pointing tens of thousands of people who still live in its shelters and “many others” who remain in the surrounding regions.

There is a particular concern for the compound of the UNRWA field office – its largest logistics center in northern Gaza – because the operations of the United Nations Agency in the South have been “paralyzed” by travel and bombing orders.

To indicate the key role of UNRWA in the assistance and rescue provisions in Gaza, he noted that last month, he provided more than 100,000 medical consultations and projected 3,500 children for malnutrition to Gaza City.

UNRWA has also delivered drinking water to 220,000 people, domestic water at 250,000 and has eliminated hundreds of tonnes of waste.

Specialists in education and protection against the United Nations agency have reached thousands of others in temporary learning spaces or by offering advice, recreational activities and risk awareness training on the dangers of unplodified deadly weapons.

“While our colleagues, like the rest of the UN, are determined to stay and deliver, all these services are now in danger while military operations are intensifying,” said UNRWA.