The attacks, which took place between August 9 to 16, in the localities of the territories of Beni and Lubero, cost the lives of at least 52 civilians, including eight women and two children, but the soldiers of peace on the ground say that the number of deaths could very well increase.

“These attacks targeting civilians, which add to the atrocities committed in the night of July 26 to 27 in Komanda (territory of Ituri, Ituri), are intolerable and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights,” said Binto Keita, head of the United Nations Mission in the DRC, known as Monusco.

Call to armed groups

Violent attacks have been accompanied by kidnapping, looting and burning of houses, vehicles and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of goods belonging to the population already confronted with disastrous humanitarian conditions.

Monusco issued a declaration Calling for foreign armed groups, such as ADF, to lay arms unconditionally and to return to their country of origin.

The mission has also urged “the Congolese authorities to conduct in -depth investigations to identify those responsible for the massacre of civilians and translate them into justice”.

Stronger military presence

In response to this new wave of violence, the peacekeeping mission has strengthened its military presence and support for the Congolese authorities.

For example, on August 13 and 14 during Mayi-Moya incidents in northern Kivu, Monusco provided physical protection at 206 civilians, including 93 children and 70 women, who had taken refuge at the mission military base.

“Monusco remains fully determined to support the Congolese authorities and local communities to prevent new violence, protect civilians, reduce tensions and contribute to the stabilization of areas affected by armed conflicts,” he said.

Stéphane Dujarric answered the question of a journalist on the meeting held the day before between the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, his American counterpart Donald Trump and several European leaders in the White House.

He followed the talks last week between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska.

Commitment and dialogue

“It is very important that all those involved continue to remain actively engaged in what we want to see as an inclusive dialogue to support the important momentum that has been created to provide an immediate cease-fire and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he said.

Almost four years have passed since Russia launched its large -scale invasion of Ukraine and more than 13,000 civilians were killed, UN Human Rights Monitors In the country, reported.

Mr. Dujarric was asked if the secretary general had comment on the possibility of a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.

While noting that there are a lot of discussions on “dialogues or potential formats, the location”, it said: “It is obviously important that the parties which are directly involved in this conflict are able to speak directly”.

Asked what role the UN could play in this process, he declared that the World Organization will be “favorable and ready to participate in a role which could or may not be given to us according to the principles that the Secretary General has often reiterated”.

When he has been in a hurry if the United Nations Peace Soldiers could be deployed in Ukraine, Mr. Dujarric stressed that “any peacekeeping mission should go through the Security advice. »»

In the past 24 hours in Gaza, there have been more victims reports in the shots along the aid convoy routes, where desperate crowds of civilians are often waiting to take supplies at the back of the trucks.

Meanwhile, hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are also increasing. During the last 24 hours, air strikes and bombing occurred in five districts of Gaza City, with advanced tanks and troops.

UN officials and partners in Gaza warned on Monday that the Israeli offensive would cause additional mass movement and “would have a horrible impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, moved and deprived of the bases necessary for survival.”

In addition, the famine persists in the enclave because the supplies remain insufficient and inaccessible.

Restrictions on international NGOs

Ochha also indicated that new requirements for international non -governmental organizations (NGOs) prevent many humanitarian partners from bringing supplies to Gaza.

To guarantee registration and provide equipment, international NGOs must share sensitive personal information on Palestinian employees, often contrary to the national legislation of their country, which affects their ability to protect civilians.

Upcoming humanitarian work

The UN and its NGO partners have pointed out that their teams will remain in Gaza City to provide vital support, recalling the parties of their obligation to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and safeguards humanitarian infrastructure.

“Every day and every night, the humanitarian workers of Gaza are courageously endanger to keep others alive. At the same time, they also find it difficult to feed and feed their own family “,” said Spokesperson for the secretary general, Stéphane Dujarric, reporting on the situation in the context of World Humanitarian Day During Tuesday’s daily press briefing in New York.

“The world cannot look away during attacks on humanitarian workers and on the very people they are trying to help become a routine. »»

The humanitarian community welcomes the Israeli announcement that the tents and shelter equipment will be authorized in Gaza, aimed at using this ban on the ban to provide tents, shelters and other articles in the Gaza Strip. However, the UN and the partners said it was deeply disturbing that this lifting was in relation to an imminent offensive.

They called for a significant increase in private sector operations and a complete facilitation of deliveries of local and international humanitarian organizations, with supplies authorized to enter through all level passages.

The first eight months of 2025 show no sign of reversal of this disturbing trend, with 265 humanitarian workers killed on August 14, according to figures published on World Humanitarian Day.

Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets and operations violate international law and undergo the living lines that support millions of people trapped in war and disaster areas.

“Even an attack on a humanitarian colleague is an attack on us all and against the people we serve,” said Tom Fletcher, Head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs Coordination (Ochha), speaking in Geneva.

At New York headquarters, the United Nations organized a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the bombing of the United Nations SEIR SES office in Baghdad in 2003, which cost the lives of 22 people. Some of the survivors attended the event.

Protect humanitarian workers

“The humanitarian workers bear hope where there is despair,” said Fletcher during the commemoration ceremony of the humanitarian day for 2025 in Geneva.

“They bring humanity where there is inhumanity.”

However, humanitarian workers are attacked.

In 2024, most of the humanitarian workers killed were national staff serving their communities and were attacked in the exercise of their duties or at home.

Since October 2023, 520 humanitarian workers, mainly staff from the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWAwere killed in Gaza – the deadliest place for humanitarian workers for the second consecutive year.

OCHA has demanded that Member States protect civilians and humanitarian workers and hold responsible authors.

Despite the dangers, “humanitarian workers will not withdraw,” said Fletcher.

Humanitarian workers in the Middle East

Through the Middle East, civilians, including humanitarian workers, “are killed, injured and attacked in shocking numbers,” said the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinators in the Palestinian Territory (OPT), Syria, Yemen and Lebanon in a joint declaration This Tuesday.

Since August 2024, at least 446 humanitarian workers have been killed, injured, kidnapped or detained in these places. “The world fails humanitarian workers and the people they serve,” the statement said.

Renewing their appeal to respect for international humanitarian laws and human rights, the officials have called on the international community to “protect those who protect humanity”.

The CRSV crisis is deepened, reflecting the widening of the scope of war in the world. There were more than 4,600 cases of sexual violence linked to conflicts in 2024Marking an increase of 25% compared to 2023. And these data, Ms. Patten, underline, is a chronic sub-competition, only reflecting the cases verified by the UN.

In the midst of a general increase in the CRSV, sexual violence against children increased by 35% disturbing in the past year, with victims as young as a year.

The report extends over 21 situations of concern, with the greatest number of cases recorded in the Central African Republic, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia and South Sudan.

In addition, parties in a credible manner of having committed or authorized the CRSV, there are new announcements in the DRC, Libya and the Palestinian territory occupied.

This crisis has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, who constantly represent more than 90% of the verified cases, such as 92% this year.

Report trends

Apart from the figures, Ms. Patten explained many trends concerning the report.

Firstly, the women and girls displaced and refugees are exposed to increased risks of sexual violence, which inhibits their yield safely.

Food insecurity also increases the risk of sexual violence because belligerent parties restrict humanitarian access

In addition, armed groups use sexual violence to consolidate the control of territorial and natural resources and to encourage the recruitment of combatants.

In particular, the CRSV also persists in formal and informal detention establishments worldwide.

Finally, as funding reductions cause the United Nations peace activities, the capacity of the United Nations system to reach and support CRSV survivors has decreased considerably.

Forced to do more with less

While global military spending in just 24 hours exceeds what is allocated in one year to approach the CRSV and the needs continue to increase, Ms. Patten stressed that “the women’s first-line organizations go from sub-financed to not funded”.

Apart from the United Nations peacekeeping missions, which has reduced their capacities, funding reductions caused shelters for survivors, medical supplies for rape victims to be exhausted and clinics close in the world.

In major hot conflicts such as Sudan, Ukraine, Ethiopia and Gaza, where health systems have been decimated, “Humanitarian organizations forced to do more and more with less and less. “”

“If we are serious about peace, we must finance the institutions that make peace possible. If we are serious about security, we must reaffirm the rule of law and hold responsible for those who commit, order or tolerate serious violations, including the crime of atrocity of sexual violence linked to conflicts, “she urged.

Action plan

Ms. Patten said that her mandate was pursuing three lines of response: promoting compliance, improving the provision of services and strengthening guarantees against impunity.

In improving delivery, she pointed out that the inter-ages network entitled Action not against sexual violence in conflictsThat she chairs, was “really transforming” in her response by advocacy, strengthening knowledge and joint operations on the ground and has reached thousands of survivors in 18 conflict zones.

As the demand for services prevails over the supply of resources, “any inability to maintain investment, any turning back on established standards or any detangling of existing architecture, not only would betray the survivors, but would embrace the authors more,” concluded Ms. Patten.