“Now more than ever, two years on, the people of Sudan need your action,” Edem Wosornu of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said in a briefing to ambassadors on Wednesday.

“Nearly two years of relentless conflict in Sudan have inflicted immense suffering and turned parts of the country into a hellscape,” she added, listing some of the impacts.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left more than half the country, 24.6 million people, experiencing acute hunger.

Additionally, more than 12 million are now displaced, including 3.4 million who have fled across the border. Health services have collapsed, millions of children are out of school and relentless patterns of sexual violence have occurred.

Recent alarming developments

Ms. Wosornu focused on the latest alarming developments in North Darfur state, including the Zamzam displacement camp, and in Khartoum as well as the south of the country.

She said eight months after the Council adopted Resolution 2739 (2024), civilians in North Darfur remain under attack. The resolution demanded the RSF stop besieging the state capital, El Fasher.

Meanwhile, violence in and around Zamzam camp has further intensified. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of civilians are living there, where famine conditions have been confirmed. 

She said satellite imagery confirms the use of heavy weaponry in and around Zamzam in recent weeks, and the destruction of the main market facilities there. 

“Terrified civilians, including humanitarian workers, were unable to leave the area when the fighting was most intense. Many were killed, including at least two humanitarian workers,” she added.

The deteriorating security situation forced the medical humanitarian organization MSF – the main provider of health and nutrition services in Zamzam camp – to halt its operations there, while the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed suspension of the voucher-based food assistance system.

Famine conditions were confirmed in Zamzam last August and since then, WFP has managed to transport just one convoy of humanitarian supplies into the camp despite repeated attempts to deliver more.        

The UN agency warned that without immediate assistance, thousands could starve in the coming weeks. 

Fierce fighting elsewhere

Civilians also continue to be directly impacted by ongoing fierce fighting in parts of Khartoum, where the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified reports of summary executions of civilians in areas that have changed hands.

“We remain deeply concerned about the very serious risks faced by local responders and community volunteers, in Khartoum and elsewhere,” she said.

Ms. Wosornu noted that in southern Sudan, there are reports of fighting spreading into new areas in North Kordofan and South Kordofan states, increasing risks for civilians and further complicating movements of humanitarian personnel and supplies.

Shocking reports of further atrocities in White Nile state have also emerged, including a wave of attacks earlier this month reported to have killed scores of civilians.

Support humanitarian response

She recalled that last week saw the launch of the 2025 humanitarian response plans for Sudan and the region. Together they call for $6 billion to support nearly 25 million people in Sudan and up to five million others, mainly refugees, in neighbouring countries.

She said the international community, particularly Security Council members, must spare no effort to mitigate the crisis.

Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by presenting three “key asks”. 

“We call on the Security Council – and all Member States with influence – to take immediate action to ensure all actors comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians and the infrastructure and services they rely on,” she said. 

Her second request highlighted the importance of access, as “we need real implementation of the repeated commitments to facilitate and enable unhindered, unfettered humanitarian access to civilians in need.”

Finally, she highlighted the funding shortfall. 

“The scale of Sudan’s needs is unprecedented and requires an equally unprecedented mobilization of international support, including flexible funding,” she said. 

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at a regular news briefing in New York that aid trucks from Türkiye to Idlib via Bab Al-Hawa are continuing to get through with vital assistance to communities in need.

“Yesterday, 43 trucks carrying more than 1,000 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as blankets, solar lamps and other items provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) crossed the border,” he said.

Since the start of the year, nearly 400 trucks have crossed from Türkiye into Syria – five times the number recorded during the same period last year.

Rehabilitation efforts underway

Across Syria, humanitarian organizations are working to rebuild infrastructure and restore essential services.

In northwest Syria, 350 homes have been rehabilitated since last month, while in Damascus and surrounding rural areas, more than 700 people have received support to repair their damaged homes.

Over the past two weeks, three water stations in Latakia have been restored, providing much-needed access to clean water.

“We and our partners continue to provide this assistance as security, logistical and funding conditions permit,” Mr. Dujarric added.

Despite these efforts, “the toll of destruction remains overwhelming”, he added.

In Aleppo, 34 facilities in former frontline areas have sustained severe damage or complete destruction, requiring urgent rehabilitation to restore healthcare, education, and other essential services.

Hostilities continue

While humanitarian assistance is reaching many communities, the fighting continues to take a toll on civilians and restrict aid access in various regions.

“In eastern Aleppo – including in the vicinity of the Tishreen Dam and the Al-Khafsa water pumping station – and in the south of the country, hostilities have resulted in casualties, as well as restrictions in humanitarian access and movements of people,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Returns top a million

Meanwhile, more than one million displaced Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime in early December last year, according to a recent update from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The number includes approximately 292,150 Syrian refugees returning from neighbouring countries, including Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt as of 20 February. An additional 829,490 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have also returned to their places of origin.

UNHCR continues to monitor voluntary returns, offering legal counselling, as well as support with transportation, particularly in Jordan.

Inside Syria, the agency is delivering protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees moving home and IDPs, including early recovery interventions.

“In view of the cold winter months and continued electricity shortages, distributions of core relief items and warm winter clothing, as well as urgent shelter repairs, such as new windows and doors, continued to be priority interventions,” UNHCR said.

The campaign has been extended until Wednesday to ensure full coverage, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York, citing UN humanitarian coordinators.  

As of Monday, the third day of the campaign, some 548,000 children had been inoculated, or 93 per cent of the target population.

Aid efforts continue

Humanitarian partners have been working to expand aid distribution since the fragile ceasefire began last month.  

According to latest news reports, the Israeli Government is seeking to extend the first stage of the agreement, threatening to resume fighting without progress in talks this week on phase two.  

The World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered over 30,000 metric tonnes of food, with more than 60 community kitchens across the Strip distributing nearly 10 million meals.

Similarly, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has provided food parcels to two million people and flour to 1.3 million.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also delivered animal feed in northern Gaza for the first time since the ceasefire, benefiting livestock-owning families in Gaza City and Deir al Balah.

Efforts are also underway by partner organizations to repair and reopen schools that had been used as shelters for displaced families in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah.

Biting cold claims lives

Despite the steady flow of aid, children in Gaza continue to suffer.

The head of Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that six children died from the severe cold in recent days, bringing the total number of cold-related child deaths to 15, Mr. Dujarric said.

Ongoing military operations in the West Bank

In the West Bank the security situation remains volatile, with Israeli military operations in the north leading to further casualties, mass displacement and destruction of essential infrastructure.

A two-day military operation in Qabatiya, Jenin governorate, ended Monday, Mr. Dujarric said.

The operation involved bulldozers and exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians, as well as detentions, disruption to electricity lines, water lines, and school closures.

“We once again warn that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied, raising concerns over use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards,” Mr. Dujarric emphasised.

Since the end of January, a wave of extreme brutality has led to widespread loss of life and the displacement of over 6,000 people in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

“We are deeply alarmed and appalled by the unacceptable and inhumane intensity of violence in Haiti,” the Haiti Humanitarian Country Team, which is made up of UN agencies, national and international NGOs and donors, said in a statement.

Entire families were killed in their homes, while others, including children and babies, were shot dead as they tried to escape.

The killings follow a massacre last December, when an outbreak of violence in the commune of Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince led to the execution of more than 200 people by the Wharf Jérémie gang.

UN condemns attacks on civilian population

According to the UN, the daily life of many Haitians is marked by violence, fear, exhaustion, hunger, disease and an uncertain future. Women, girls and children are increasingly at risk, particularly that of sexual violence.

By the end of 2024, violence had claimed the lives of at least 5,600 Haitians and displaced more than a million.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any attack against the civilian population and infrastructure, in this case the one that targeted the hospital of the State University of Haiti on February 13. These acts violate human rights and deprive the most vulnerable of essential vital services,” said Humanitarian Coordinator Ulrika Richardson.

On the ground, the humanitarian community is showing its determination to continue providing life-saving assistance to millions of children, women and men in vulnerable situations.

Beyond immediate humanitarian assistance, the agencies are also committed to coordinating efforts with development and peacebuilding actors, so that these collective efforts contribute to sustainable solutions that build community resilience.

“The mobilization actions of the international community in favour of Haiti will continue in order to guarantee the necessary funding to meet urgent needs and restore the dignity of the affected people,” the Humanitarian Country Team stressed.

Humanitarian response plan: Over $900 million to save Haitians on the brink

An appeal for $908 million to help some 3.9 million Haitians facing food insecurity, in a country where basic services are nearing collapse, has been launched by the UN.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released the 2025 humanitarian response plan on 19 February, which focuses on addressing acute needs caused by recent events, including armed violence, forced displacement, epidemics, and the consequences of natural disasters.

The funding is earmarked to tackle Haiti’s profound challenges, including mobile teams to help humanitarians deliver aid, protection against sexual exploitation and abuse, and programmes aimed at supporting the country’s long-term development.