Images from the site of the strike show mangled metal roofing that used to provide cover for worshippers; it comes as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – or RSF – continue their push to take control of El Fasher, as they battle forces of the military government.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, issued a statement saying she was gravely alarmed by the strike in the besieged capital of North Darfur state.

Call for accountability

“International humanitarian law demands the protection of mosques and the civilians worshipping in them,” she said.

“It is also a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against buildings dedicated to religion. This attack, reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, must be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.”

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reiterated the longstanding call for “an immediate cessation of fire in and around El Fasher,” adding that humanitarian access access for “personnel and supplies must be facilitated in order for us to reach those in need.”

Civilian deaths mount

In a related development, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, warned that there’s been a sharp rise in civilian killings, including summary executions, along with growing ethnic violence in Sudan.

Several major offensives have been particularly deadly, including an April attack by the RSF on besieged El Fasher and elsewhere in North Darfur that left at least 527 dead, and airstrikes in March by the Sudanese Armed Forces on Tora market in North Darfur that killed at least 350 civilians, including 13 members of one family.

The situation in El Fasher is dire and worsening, said OHCHR’s Li Fung, who said reports continue of civilians being killed, abducted or subjected to sexual violence while fleeing the city.

“There are no safe exit routes out of the city, and civilians are trapped in a situation of impossible choices: stay in El Fasher, and risk bombardment, starvation, and atrocities if the RSF overrun the city; or flee, and face the risk of summary execution, sexual violence, and abduction.”

The Sudan war began in April 2023 when the peaceful transition to civilian rule broke down and fighting erupted between the former allies-turned deadly rivals.

Since then, not a single ceasefire has been acted on by either of the warring parties, noted UN partner, the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC.

Call for diplomacy in New York

It issued an appeal to world leaders preparing to gather at the UN in New York for the UN General Assembly starting next week to agree on ways to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, who are facing famine and a massive humanitarian disaster.

ICRC Regional Director for Africa Patrick Youssef urged “a coalition of States” to work on “alternatives or incentives” to warfare including the creation of safe humanitarian corridors.

In the last two years, more than 20 Sudanese Red Crescent workers have been killed, reflecting “the dire situation of humanitarians trying to cross every frontline in Sudan,” Mr. Youssef told journalists in Geneva.

The Secretary-General’s annual report, released on Thursday ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly’s yearly high-level session, offers a sobering yet resolute account of the Organization’s efforts in the face of mounting challenges.

Mr. Guterres highlighted the resilience of UN personnel, committed to delivering hope and help to those in need despite operating under difficult circumstances.  “The present report demonstrates that despite enormously trying times – indeed, precisely because of them – we can and must keep pushing for the better world that we know is within reach,” he said.

Together with partners, the UN coordinated a $50 billion appeal for the humanitarian needs of 198 million people. “In 2024, the United Nations helped to mobilize $25 billion of the $50 billion funding target, enabling life-saving humanitarian assistance to reach 116 million people in urgent need across 77 countries and territories.”

This enabled life-saving programmes in the Horn of Africa, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and regions affected by natural disasters like earthquakes in Vanuatu, drought in Southern and Eastern Africa and floods in South-East Asia.

At the same time, UN operations in 2024 came at a heartbreaking human cost. It was the deadliest year on record for UN staff and humanitarian workers, with 373 aid workers killed. The vast majority of those casualties were personnel from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), working in Gaza under extreme and dangerous conditions.

In launching the report, the Secretary-General paid tribute to their sacrifice, reaffirming the UN’s unwavering commitment to standing with the world’s most vulnerable.

Peace and security core to UN’s mission

Diplomacy for peace remained core to the Organization’s work amid escalating global challenges to peace and security. Despite rising threats, the UN’s diplomatic efforts continued to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians daily and advance peace processes.

During the political transition in Syria, the UN engaged stakeholders in line with Security Council resolution 2254 – which in 2015 endorsed a road map for a peace process in the country – to de-escalate violence protect civilians and prevent regional spillover. 

Meanwhile, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank and the broader region, the UN closely engaged all parties to end violence, enhance humanitarian access and sustain assistance to affected populations.

In Lebanon the UN supported de-escalation and a resumption of a cessation of hostilities in line with our mandate under Security Council resolution 1701, enabling people to return to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.

The UN also facilitated peace talks, supported state-building efforts and helped to protect civilians globally, including in the Sudan. The Organization’s efforts to help promote a peaceful coexistence in Abyei, saw a decline in intercommunal violence.

The Peacebuilding Fund allocated over $116 million to support national peace plans in 32 countries and territories, with a focus on gender equality. Partnerships with regional organizations, like the African Union, further bolstered conflict prevention.

A renewed vision for the future

The 2024 Summit of the Future marked a historic turning point for multilateralism. World leaders adopted the Pact for the Future, a landmark agreement to revitalize international cooperation and deliver solutions for people and planet.

The Pact calls for stronger diplomacy and conflict prevention, reforms to the global financial system, urgent climate action, and accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also commits to more representative and effective global governance, including reforms to the Security Council and greater voice for developing countries.

The Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations were adopted as annexes to the Pact, underscoring its breadth and ambition. The Compact advances a vision for a safe, open and inclusive digital future, committing Member States to close digital divides, promote universal digital public infrastructure, and strengthen governance of data and artificial intelligence.

The Declaration, meanwhile, represents the first global agreement to systematically account for the rights and interests of tomorrow’s citizens in today’s decisions, embedding foresight in policymaking and paving the way for long-term, sustainable action.

Together, these outcomes form the foundation of a generational renewal of multilateralism. As Secretary-General Guterres underscored: “By addressing the pressing issues of our time, the United Nations is paving the way for a more equitable and sustainable future, ensuring that digital technologies are harnessed for the benefit of all humanity.”

Participants gather for the opening of the Summit of the Future, with Youth Lead for the Future as the opening Action Day theme.

Human rights and sustainable development

The United Nations continues to be guided by the vision that human rights are a driving force for solutions to the many global challenges we face, and are the foundation for peace, justice and sustainable development. In 2024, the Organization advanced initiatives to eliminate violence against women and girls, empower rural and marginalized communities, and ensure women’s participation in peace and constitutional processes.

Human rights were also woven into responses to conflict, migration, climate change and digital governance, helping to strengthen protection, accountability and inclusion across the Organization’s work.

At the same time, sustainable development and climate action remained central. The UN supported 170 countries in implementing their nationally determined contributions to reduce emissions and provided targeted assistance for low-carbon transitions in developing States.

The Organization also pressed for reforms to the global financial system to close the widening SDG financing gap, ensuring that the most vulnerable countries have a fair chance to deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda.

A commitment to staff is a commitment to humanity

The Secretary-General highlighted the commitment of UN personnel working under extraordinary risk. He voiced alarm at the erosion of humanitarian norms, condemning deliberate attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools and aid workers, which undermine international law and the values of the UN Charter.

Despite record dangers, staff carried forward their mission with courage and resilience.

“The present report demonstrates that despite enormously trying times – indeed, precisely because of them – we can and must keep pushing for the better world that we know is within reach. We will renew our efforts to achieve peace, foster sustainable development and defend and uphold human rights, for all of humanity,” said Mr. Guterres.

Together, these strands embody the spirit of an Organization striving not only to confront today’s crises but to uphold rights, deliver development, and serve people everywhere with integrity and compassion.

They warned that foreign military action, political exclusion and dwindling resources threaten to undo fragile gains.

UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen – who announced that he will be stepping down from his role during the meeting – told ambassadors that interim authorities in Damascus have inherited “not just the ruins of shattered buildings, but the deeper wreckage of a battered social fabric, decayed institutions and a hollowed-out economy.”

He stressed that the success of Syria’s transition will depend on political stability, inclusivity and international support at a scale commensurate with the country’s needs.

“The international community must support Syria and robustly stand against foreign intervention,” he said. “But equally: the success of the transition will above all rest on the State acting as a State for all, not just in word but also in deed.”

Call to bar interlopers

Mr. Pedersen urged respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid ongoing external military action, including further reported Israeli strikes this month.

Any security concerns, he said, must be addressed through diplomacy, warning that mishandling them could leave Syria “indefinitely gridlocked, unable to heal or rebuild – and at worst, slipping into fresh waves of strife and external intervention.”

He pointed to the Druze-minority region of Sweida – where a ceasefire following brutal clashes has largely held since July – and welcomed a roadmap agreed last week by Syria, Jordan and the United States to address accountability, humanitarian access and reconciliation.

But he cautioned that fears within the Druze community must be addressed through dialogue and confidence-building.

He also highlighted reports of abuses in Damascus neighbourhoods and calls for accountability in Sweida – and along the coast following sectarian violence there.

“The Syrian public needs to see that abuses are both acknowledged and addressed in accordance with international standards,” he said.

Humanitarian emergency continues

Speaking alongside Mr. Pedersen, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher described Syria as “one of the largest humanitarian emergencies globally.”

More than 70 per cent of the population requires some form of aid, nine million are acutely food insecure seven million remain displaced inside the country and four million refugees abroad.

Despite these figures, he highlighted signs of progress. Thanks to more practical engagement with the interim authorities, aid is now reaching communities inaccessible a year ago.

“Movements that last year would have required lengthy navigation of frontlines are happening routinely,” Mr. Fletcher said, citing food assistance for one million people each month and subsidized bread for two million more.

Nearly 900,000 refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their communities since December, though many face destroyed housing, lack of jobs and insecurity.

Funding gaps remain

Funding gaps however threaten these gains, with the UN’s humanitarian appeal for Syria only 18 per cent funded. The shortfall has forced closures of hospitals, safe spaces for women and community centres.

“Just when organizations are seeking to expand their operations and have the opportunity to work more efficiently, they are instead forced to cut programmes, reduce support, lose staff,” Mr. Fletcher warned.

The UN Security Council meets to discuss the situation in Syria.

‘Unity is within reach’

Both officials warned that Syria’s fragile moment of progress could easily unravel.

“If this central challenge is mishandled, the consequences could be dire,” Mr. Pedersen cautioned. “But if met with genuine negotiation and bold compromise, unity is within reach and success against the odds is possible.”

Mr. Fletcher echoed that message, urging Member States to “preserve stability, fund the humanitarian response and enable Syrian-led recovery.”

“This time next year,” he added, “I want to report that we are substantially scaling down our emergency humanitarian operations in Syria – not because funding cuts have forced our hand, but because the international community has made the necessary investments in Syria’s future.”