Intensifying hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo involving the non-state armed group M23 have caused further mass displacement in the mineral-rich region, with fears that the regional capital Goma could come under attack, UN agencies warned on Friday.
DR Congo emergency: Next 24 hours are critical, warn UN agencies
Dead bodies lie in the streets, hospitals are overwhelmed and there has been an uptick in reports of sexual violence, rape and looting.
“Roads are blocked, ports are closed and those crossing Lake Kivu risk their lives in makeshift boats,” said Shelley Thakral, spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) – one of many UN agencies on the ground striving to provide assistance and protection wherever possible. “I spoke just moments ago to an activist In Goma and he told me, ‘We’re here, we’re hiding. We don’t know who will come to help us.’”
The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, echoed the humanitarian community’s deep concerns about the spiralling violence across the resource-rich region that has uprooted some 300,000 people from camps around Goma in a matter of days.
Aid targeted
“Our colleagues in the DRC report heavy, small arms fire and mortar fire across the city and the presence of many dead bodies in the streets,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke. “We have reports of rapes committed by fighters, looting of property, including of a humanitarian warehouse and humanitarian and health facilities being hit.”
The emergency has left hospitals in Goma reportedly overwhelmed by the influx of wounded people, electricity and water supplies “compromised” and internet services cut off on Monday. “Goma is still offline this morning,” Mr. Laerke told journalists in Geneva.
The development came amid urgent calls from the international community including the Security Council in New York, where ambassadors on Monday demanded an immediate halt to the M23 rebel offensive and called for the group to withdraw from territories it has seized.
The ambassadors reiterated their support for the UN peacekeeping force in the DR Congo, MONUSCO, and paid tribute to blue helmets who have lost their lives from South Africa, Malawi and Uruguay in recent days.
The Council also condemned the presence of “external forces” in eastern DRC – amid reports Rwandan troops are heavily involved in the offensive – and called for all parties to adhere to the ceasefire and return to diplomatic talks.
Years of crisis
Before the latest escalation in violence in eastern DRC’s Kivus, some 5.1 million people had already been displaced by years of insecurity in the mineral-rich region and forced to live in overcrowded camps with little food and no security.
UN agencies and partners continue to monitor the highly unstable situation which has forced WFP to temporarily pause food assistance activities in around Goma. “The airport and major access roads within the region have been cut off…Depending on the duration of violence, the supply of food into the city could be severely hampered,” said WFP’s Ms. Thakral.
“This is a huge test for Congolese trapped by fighting in Goma and surrounding areas…the next 24 hours will be critical as people start to run low on supplies and will need to see what they can find to survive.”
Disease fears
The highly mobile nature of the emergency has prompted additional fears that existing diseases may spread quickly among uprooted populations, although preventive measures were taken before the latest escalation, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said.
For the moment the immediate concern is to help victims of the violence.
“There are currently hundreds of people in hospital, most admitted with gunshot and shrapnel wounds, with secondary infections becoming a health risk,” said Dr Adelheid Marschang, Emergency Response Coordinator for the DRC.
She noted that before Goma airport closed on Saturday, WHO had sent critical medical supplies for trauma and emergency care, infection prevention, cholera and more.
The UN agency’s response to the crisis has also included providing tents for hospitals to cope with the increasing number of injured. It has medical hubs in North and South Kivu, in the cities of Goma and Bukavu to support health care needs in eastern DRC.
Last year the provinces of North and South Kivu reported high numbers of cholera, measles and malaria cases and deaths, Dr. Marschang said, warning of a “heightened risk for spillover of cholera” into neighbouring countries and provinces.
The area was also the epicentre of an outbreak of a new strain of mpox, declared a public health emergency of international concern in August 2024. Dr. Marschang warned that the new wave of displacement will make it increasingly hard to track and treat the disease.
Amid the lethal violence, hospitals and health workers themselves are in danger, the WHO official said, with “reports of health workers being shot at and patients including babies being caught in crossfire”.
“Attacks on healthcare violate the rules of war. Healthcare must be protected at all times,” she insisted.
Sexual violence alert
WHO and other UN agencies and partners said that they are especially worried about the increasing risk to women and girls from violence, including rape.
“Pregnant women are at risk, with very high maternal death rates, even before the violence escalated,” WHO said.
“Sadly, hospitals and health workers are in danger. We are hearing reports of health workers being shot at, and patients, including babies, being caught in the crossfire. WHO reminds everyone that attacks on healthcare violate the rules of war. Health care must be protected at all times.”
Echoing those concerns, WFP’s Ms. Thakral reported that mobile teams and mobile clinics are at work amid reports that women had been raped multiple times while searching for firewood or after leaving the perimeter of their camp.
Other reports indicated “an increase in rape along the pathways that some of the conflict partners are now taking into South Kivu,” she said, underscoring the agency’s efforts “to have some solutions to follow the populations as they move”.
Stay in control of your personal data. Happy Data Protection day 2025!
If someone asked you to answer 100 questions about your personal life to sell the answers, would you agree? Most likely not.
It can be difficult to keep in control over your personal data and to keep it safe. From online shopping and browsing to social media, with every click, share and login-in you leave behind a digital trail. The GDPR ensures that your data can only be used in ways you agree to and that you can access any information about yourself.
But do people actually know how to protect their data?
We asked passers-by on the streets of Brussels.
Happy Data Protection Day!
EU sends emergency energy assistance to Ireland following storm Éowyn
Following Ireland’s request for assistance relating to power outages caused by the record-breaking storm Éowyn, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated. The EU has immediately mobilised 13 power generators from the Commission’s own strategic reserve, rescEU, hosted in Poland. 4 power generators offered by Denmark via the Mechanism will also soon reach Ireland and help provide electricity on the ground.
The EU also activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service and has provided analytical support to the national authorities.
The EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre continues to closely monitor the situation and remains in constant contact with the national authorities, ensuring that additional assistance can be promptly channelled if needed.
EU Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, said: “Extreme weather events, like storm Éowyn, increasingly put Europe’s disaster resilience to the test. But they also demonstrate the growing strength of our joint preparedness and solidarity efforts. Our thoughts are with all those affected and with the first responders in Ireland who are doing their best to bring life back to normal. I thank Denmark for their prompt offer of assistance, and Poland for their excellent collaboration in hosting and delivering the rescEU power generators to Ireland. We are in this together.”
Stay in control of your personal data. Happy Data Protection day 2025!
If someone asked you to answer 100 questions about your personal life to sell the answers, would you agree? Most likely not.
It can be difficult to keep in control over your personal data and to keep it safe. From online shopping and browsing to social media, with every click, share and login-in you leave behind a digital trail. The GDPR ensures that your data can only be used in ways you agree to and that you can access any information about yourself.
But do people actually know how to protect their data? We asked passers-by on the streets of Brussels.
Happy Data Protection Day!
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Guterres calls on US to exempt development and humanitarian funds from aid ‘pause’
President Trump’s executive order a week ago called for all foreign aid to be re-evaluated to ensure that it complies which his new foreign policy priorities.
The immediate scope of the order was not clear but on Friday, according to news reports, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order putting any new funding on hold, pending review.
The State Department directive reportedly clarifies that funding for existing programmes is also suspended until it has been reviewed.
The only exceptions were reportedly for military assistance to Israel and Egypt and emergency food aid.
Concern over aid freeze
“The Secretary-General notes with concern the announcement of a pause in US foreign assistance,” said the statement issued on behalf of António Guterres by his Spokesperson.
“The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.
The statement added the Mr. Guterres was looking forward to engaging with the Trump administration on how “much needed development support” can be provided to citizens in the developing world who face the severest challenges.
“The United States is one of the largest aid providers and it is vital that we work constructively to jointly shape a strategic path forward,” the statement continued.
The US Government is the largest single donor of aid in the world, disbursing around $72 billion in assistance during 2023. It also reportedly provided more than 40 per cent of all humanitarian aid accounted for by the UN during 2024.
‘We have a duty to stand against intolerance’: UN human rights chief
Marking Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said the essence of commemorations was to acknowledge the past but they “must also examine the present and look to the future”.
‘Hateful rhetoric’ reverberating
Underlying the rise of hateful rhetoric, with rising antisemitism on the streets and online, the UN rights chief said that “discrimination and dehumanisation are winning out over solidarity and compassion; diversity is viewed as a threat rather than something to be treasured; and many leaders are undermining and weakening the rule of law”.
Reminding us that everyone has a “duty to stand against intolerance”, Mr. Türk shared his fear the world is “sleepwalking into a grim future where human rights and dignity are denied, stripped away or forgotten”.
Listen back to the story of Eva Lavi, the youngest survivor to be saved from the Nazis by the German industrialist Oskar Schindler:
Call to condemn antisemitism
In a powerful video-message, Mr. Türk urged the global community to remain vigilant in the face of rising intolerance and discrimination. The call comes as a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the lessons it teaches.
Echoing the words of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who famously said, “silence encourages the tormentor,” he emphasized the importance of speaking out against all forms of hatred, particularly antisemitism.
“We must condemn it in all its forms, alongside bigotry, intolerance, and hatred,” Mr. Türk advocated, urging people to take action.
Education is key
The central theme of this year’s Holocaust Remembrance is the ongoing battle for dignity and human rights.
In a call to expose disinformation and resist efforts to foster division, hatred and fear, Mr. Türk said that diversity must be celebrated, and Holocaust stories must be retold as a crucial safeguard against prejudice and racism.
“Holocaust education remains one of the best vaccines against dehumanization,” he added, calling for a just and dignified future for all.
Ceremony at UN Headquarters
On Monday, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, is due to deliver remarks to the General Assembly, at the annual ceremony of remembrance at UN Headquarters.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 11 AM New York time and will honour the victims, also paying tribute to the dwindling band of survivors, some of whom will share their testimonies along with invited speakers.
You can follow live here.
Foreign Affairs Council: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas after the meeting
Foreign Affairs Council: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas after the meeting
‘Hold fast to our common humanity’: UN marks 80 years since death camps were liberated
More than 15 months on from the 7 October terror attacks by Hamas in Israel, António Guterres said the UN will continue doing its “utmost to ensure it leads to the release of all hostages – since the beginning we have asked for the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages – and to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza”.
Every year on the day the concentration camps were liberated in 1945, the world unites to honor the memory of the six million Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators, a commemoration that also extends to the Roma and Sinti communities, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and all others who suffered from the systemic violence, torture, and genocide of the Nazi regime.
Lessons must never be forgotten
In the presence of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in the General Assembly Hall, the Secretary-General underscored the need for remembrance and emphasized that the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.
This year’s commemoration marks a milestone: 80 years since the Holocaust’s end, and 80 years of efforts to preserve the memory of its victims.
Underlying the courage of survivors in sharing their stories to ensuring that the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau and other concentration camps are never erased from history, Mr. Guterres added that the responsibility to ensure this history is never forgotten “belongs to every one of us”. “Remembrance is not only a moral act – remembrance is a call to action”, he said.
Combat hatred
As part of the United Nations’ ongoing efforts to combat hate speech, the commemoration highlighted the importance of educating future generations about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
Highlighting the acclaimed writer Primo Levi’s words – an Auschwitz survivor, who urged humanity to “carve the knowledge into our hearts” – Mr. Guterres called on everyone to “speak-up against hate”, stand-up for the human rights of all, and “make those rights a reality”.
Defend human rights
The UN is committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was established in the wake of the Holocaust. In 1948, nations around the world united to affirm the inherent dignity and equality of all people, a direct response to the horrors of Nazi ideology.
Reminding that the document is a “pure expression of our shared humanity”, the UN chief said that “in dark times it remains a shining light”.
“Today, our world is fractured and dangerous”, Mr. Guterres warned once more – “80 years since the Holocaust’s end, antisemitism is still with us – fuelled by the same lies and loathing that made the Nazi genocide possible. And it is rising.”
Efforts to combat the growing tide of Holocaust denial, discrimination, and hate are also central to the United Nations, which has recently launched an Action Plan on Antisemitism to enhance its efforts to educate, promote truth, and resist efforts to distort historical facts.
Calling for widespread condemnation of antisemitism “wherever and whenever it appears”, Mr. Guterres said that promoting education, combating lies and speaking the truth are key – and that in days of division, all must “hold fast to our common humanity”.
“We will never forget. And we will never waver in that fight”, the UN chief concluded, leaving the podium to the survivors who were there to share their memories.
Prayer for peace
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog told the commemoration that “it is time to acknowledge challenging our right to exist is not diplomacy, it is plain antisemitism.”
He said 80 years after the Holocaust, he stood in the General Assembly “with deep faith and hope. Our nation rose from the flames of the crematorium not to live forever by the sword, but to build, to repair, to add light, to heal.”
He added that he hoped peace agreements could be reached between Israel and its neighbours across the region “with all peoples of the Middle East, Israelis, Palestinians and all others”, living peacefully side by side.
On this historic day, we must commit to joining hands to defeat darkness and hatred and work together to ensure building of a shared future. This is the vow we must share. All of us. The family of nations – that what happened once will never happen again.”
Roma survivor
Dumitru Miclescu, Roma survivor of the Holocaust, flew from Budapest to participate at the ceremony in General Assembly Hall on Monday.
Dumitru Miclescu addresses the Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights ceremony in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
Supported by his niece Izabela Tiberiade, he told his story: “I am here not just for myself, but for all the Roma who suffered during the Holocaust and did not have the chance to be heard.”
A survivor of the terror camps in Transnistria, he was forced into trains and deported when he was just an eight-year-old boy in Romania, along with his family.
Building a world without racism
“I will never forget those moments when we were gathered into the trains. Many people died on the trains before we even arrived. Those who reached the concentration camps suffered even more: forced labor, starvation, disease, and constant terror. Death was a daily presence,” he said.
Acknowledging the lack of support for the few Roma who survived and returned home, Mr. Miclescu said that being at the UN was “an important step toward recognizing history” but there was still much to be done.
“Allow me to say to all the young people listening to my story: I ask you to learn about your history. I hope you will build a world without racism,” he concluded.
Never forget
Marianne Muller who was just a baby during the Holocaust, also took the podium to share her family’s story. Accompanied by her four children and grandchildren, she said: “they are my personal answer to Hitler”.
Stressing that antisemitism is rising all over the world, Ms. Muller called on the world to remember that the Holocaust and its horrors “all happened only 80 years ago.”
Marianne Muller addresses the Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights ceremony in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
‘Don’t be neutral towards human suffering’
At a ceremony in Geneva, Nazi death camp survivor Ivan Lefkovits shared harrowing testimony of his experiences on Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a timeless message for present and future generations: “Don’t be neutral, especially not towards human suffering.”
Recalling the murder of his father and brother, both victims of Hitler’s mission to wipe out Jews, 88-year-old Mr. Lefkovits noted that many European countries subscribed to the Nazi leader’s views.
Mr. Lefkovits was seven years old when he was sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in November 1944; he spent the last months of the war in Bergen-Belsen camp, where he almost died from starvation and thirst.
Today he urges younger generations to study history “not necessarily to learn, but to understand” why the Holocaust happened.
