It has now been 842 days since the conflict between the troops of the military government and their former allies who have become rivals in the paramilitary support forces broke out in Sudan, transforming the country into the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

Heavy fighting continues in the state of Darfur du Nord, with multiple civilian victims reported in recent days – especially during the clashes of the state capital, El Fasher, on August 1 and 2 – after previous violence between armed groups near the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, which currently welcome 25,000 residents.

Famine threat

One year after confirmation of famine in the Zamzam camp on the outskirts of El Fasher, the city remains besieged, without any delivery of food aid entering by the road, leaving residents of the regional capital in the face of famine.

Food prices such as sorghum and wheat are more than four times higher than elsewhere in the country, while many families are unable to afford even the most basic items.

“Limited cash assistance continues, but it is far from sufficient to meet growing needs,” said UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, during the daily briefing in New York.

The threat of continuous cholera

Meanwhile, cholera continues to spread in Darfur, with nearly 1,200 cases reported – around 300 children – in the locality of Tawila since the end of June.

In southern Darfur, the health authorities have reported more than 1,100 suspect cases and 64 deaths since the end of May, because “shortages of medical supplies, drinking water and sanitation seriously hinder humanitarian response,” said Mr. Haq.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) warns that the life of more than 640,000 under five presents an increased risk of violence, illness and hunger in the region.

Compound crisis

In the state of Blue Nile, Ed Damazine’s floods moved more than 100 people and destroyed at least 200 tents at the Al-Karama camp on August 1, further aggravating the challenges facing the people who fled their homes due to conflicts.

Meanwhile, in the state of Khartoum, the presence of fatal terrestrial mines in several places adds a new dangerous layer with threats already confronted daily by civilians.

As OCHA Operations DirectorEdem Wosornu, visit Sudan this week to assess the humanitarian situation, the agency called for sustained and widened humanitarian access as well as a greater international support for the most vulnerable.

Deputy Secretary General Miroslav Jenča informed a Security advice Meeting Tuesday called by Israel to discuss the fate of hostages that will always be held in the enclave ravaged by war.

This comes after Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have published images and videos of two emaciated hostages, Evaytar David and Rom Braslavsky, aroused indignation and condemnation.

“An affront to humanity itself”

“” Evaytar’s scenes being apparently forced to dig his own grave are appalling“He said.

“These images and their own stories of their treatment have all horrified us. They are an affront to humanity itself. “”

Mr. Jenča recognized the presence of Mr. David’s brother, Ilay, who participated in the meeting by videoconference, claiming that the UN recognizes “the pain and the deep difficulties endured by families and relatives of those who remain in captivity”.

He recalled that this week the Jewish community commemorated Tisha b’avA day of mourning and memory of the tragedies lasted throughout its history.

“I pay tribute to your courage and determination, and I share your dearest wish: for your brother, and all the hostages held in Gaza, to be immediately released and unconditionally,” he said.

A war crime

Currently, 50 hostages continue to be held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in horrible conditions and 28 are considered to be deceased, while the released hostages “have relayed painful stories of deprivation, ill -treatment and abuse”.

Since the start of the conflict, Hamas and other armed groups have circulated dozens of hostage videos, including statements made under stress and while suffering clearly, including the most recent images of the two men.

“International law is clear,” said Jenča. “” The hostage -taking is prohibited – it is a war crime. “”

He stressed that those deprived of their freedom were to be treated humanly and with dignity and authorized to be visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“They should never be subject to ill-treatment, abuse or humiliation, because they would also constitute violations of the relevant rules of international law,” he added, before reiterating the UN Secretary General António GuterresCall on Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

“Unbearable” Gaza situation

In the meantime, ” The situation in Gaza is horrible – it’s unbearable“, He continued, noting that” the Palestinians are subject to sordid and inhuman conditions on a daily basis. »»

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict, according to local health authorities.

“” Since the end of May, more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and more than 8,100 injured while trying to access food suppliesIncluding near militarized aid distribution sites, ”said Jenča.

“The dead and injuries continue to go up, day after day, endless for suffering.”

This happens then that Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, while the aid which is authorized to enter “is largely inadequate”.

“Hunger is everywhere”

He told the council that “hunger is everywhere in Gaza, visible on the faces of children and in the despair of parents who risk their lives to access the most basic supplies.”

Here, he echoes the conviction by the secretary general of the violence in progress in Gaza, including the shooting, the murder and the injury of the people trying to take food.

“International law is clear. Civilians must be respected, protected and never targeted or deliberately deprived of food or access to another rescue aid-this is a war crime, “he said.

“Israel must immediately allow and facilitate the rapid and unhindered passage of sufficient quantities of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, to avoid other suffering and loss of life.”

A “deeply alarming” potential military expansion

Jenča also discussed the latest reports concerning the possible decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend military operations throughout the Gaza Strip.

If this is true, they are “deeply alarming,” he said, as “This would risk the catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the life of the remaining hostages in Gaza. “”

He turned to international law again, which is clear that Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state.

He cited the advisory opinion of July 2024 by the International Court of Justice (Icj) who declared that Israel was forced to immediately stop all the new settlement activities, evacuate all the colonists of the occupied Palestinian territory and put an end to its illegal presence as quickly as possible.

No military solution

Mr. Jenča concluded his briefing by highlighting the position of the UN according to which the only way to end violence and humanitarian disaster in Gaza is by a complete and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and allowing the help of entering a large scale and without obstruction.

Civilians must also be guaranteed for sure and unhappy access to assistance.

He stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the wider Israel-Palestine conflict.

“We must establish political and security frameworks that can relieve the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, start recovery and early reconstruction, respond to the legitimate security concerns of Israelis and Palestinians and ensure the end of the Illegal occupation and occupation of Israel and Get a lasting two -state solution“He said.

This would mean “Israel and a fully, democratic, viable, viable and sovereign Palestinian state, of which Gaza is an integral part – living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the lines before 1967, with Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.”

It is a dark step for Sudan, the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. But with insufficient funding, lack of access to key regions and the intensification of violence, milestones like this have become the dark standard.

“” It is not hypothetical. It’s an imminent disaster“Said Sheldon Yett, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef)) representative in Sudan.

And it is a disaster that unduly affects women and children, many of whom have been moved several times and do not have access to the most basic services such as drinking water, food and protection.

“Each day, the conflict continues in Sudan, innocent lives are lost, the communities are torn and the trauma continues to haunt generations,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the UN designated expert on human rights in Sudan.

Emotional scar fabric

Children in Sudan are among the most affected by the crisis – 3.2 million children under the age of five should suffer from acute malnutrition over the next year.

During a recent trip Jebel Aulia, a locality in the state of Khartoum which is extremely risky of famine, Mr. Yett was horrified by what he saw.

“” Many children are reduced to the skin and bones“Said Mr. Yett.

However, these children do not only fight malnutrition – some of them have also been moved four or five times, and more than three quarters of Sudanese children are not educated.

“The emotional scar fabric is massive – children do not know where they are going … often feel like foreigners in their own country,” said Yett.

He spoke with a mother to Jebel Aulia whose daughter can be changed forever by violence.

“” Since the start of the war, my daughter has fallen into a state of silence, and I can feel her heart beat with fear“Said a mother.

A gender crisis

Around Sudan, while the crisis of spiral food insecurity, women and girls are the “most hungry face of the crisis”, according to the saving Nkurunziza, the United Nations representative in Sudan.

“With conditions now on thresholds close to famine in several regions of the country, it is not only a food crisis but a gender emergency caused by a failure of sensitive sex action,” said Nkurunziza at a Tuesday press briefing in Geneva.

A recent report In addition, the sexospecific nature of the crisis has returned to the house, revealing that households led by women in Sudan are three times more likely to feel severe insecurity than households led by men.

This is particularly worrying because the death, displacement or forced disappearance of men have left more and more women the only winners of the bread. In total, 75% of households led by women cannot meet basic food needs.

“” The data is unequivocal: households with female head slide more deeply in famineWith fewer adaptation mechanisms, less access to income and obstacles even more systemic than last year, ”says the report.

Nevertheless, Mr. Nkurunziza reminded the international community that women are not only victims but also agents of change in crisis circles.

The organizations led by women are on the front line, providing food in popular soups and supporting displaced families. And yet, they remain excluded from numerous decision -making processes and exposed to industrial risks.

An unchanged landscape of human rights

Food security and displacement are not the only challenges that Sudanese are faced. The situation of human rights is deteriorating rather, according to Mr. Nouicer who visited Sudan to meet the main government officials in July.

“I remain seriously concerned about the fact that civilians in Sudan continue to undergo generalized violations and abuses, in particular extrajudicial murders, sexual violence, forced trips and arbitrary detention,” he said.

He specifically highlighted the unique challenges that women, children and disabled people face when faced with movement and violence.

“The current war has devastated civil lives and transformed daily survival into a constant struggle.”

“Irreversible damage”

Mr. Yett said that during his last trip, he had seen the best and the worst of humanity – the devastating impact of violence and inaction coupled with the fully that peace and action could provide.

“” We are on the point of irreversible damage to a whole generation of childrenNot because we do not have the knowledge or tools to save them, but because we do not collectively manage to act with the urgency and on the scale that this crisis requires, “he said.

The first step is to guarantee access to the Sudan regions like Zamzam which have been cut off from the aid. With the approaching rainy season – and some routes already impassable – it only becomes more difficult.

Mr. Nouicer stressed that even if a ceasefire between rival soldiers at war has occurred, the level of devastation and abuse is so extreme that the future will require more than just peace.

“The path to follow requires more than ceases and peace talks. This requires a supported commitment to justice, responsibility and inclusive governance. »»

The Security Council will meet to discuss the increase in concerns in Israel and elsewhere on the disastrous conditions facing the hostages that remain in Gaza. He follows the release of recent videos from Hamas and other Palestinian activists showing emaciated captives, which the UN secretary general called “an unacceptable violation of human dignity”. A senior United Nations Political Affairs officials reiterated the “unbearable” conditions facing the Palestinians through the enclave ravaged by the war. Stay with UN News For live updates in coordination with the coverage of UN meetings. Application users can Follow the cover here.

“” The world wants and indeed needs a conventional plastic treaty because the crisis becomes uncontrollable – and people are frankly indignant“Said Inger Andersen, Dive Executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (Dive), the United Nations agency leading talks.

“We know that plastic is in our nature, in our oceans, and yes, Even in our body… What is certain is that no one wants to live with plastic pollution. »»

Uncontrollable

Unless an international agreement is inked, production and plastic waste should triple by 2060, causing significant damage – including our health – according to the UNEP.

Katrin Schneberger, head of the Swiss environment, echoes a legally binding treaty, insisting that plastic waste “stifle our lakes, harming wildlife and threatening human health. It is more than a simple environmental problem, it is a global challenge that requires urgent and collective action. “”

Addressing journalists on the sidelines of the negotiations of the treaty, Ms. Schneeberger stressed that there was “no call to a production ceiling” by the producing countries.

Compromise spirit?

“” Reaching a shared understanding that measures are necessary both on production and consumption can help unlock negotiations“She said as director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.

Supporters of an agreement compared it to the Paris climate agreement in terms of meaning. They also underlined the pressure which claims to be exerted against an agreement by Petrostats, whose crude oil and natural gas provide the constituent elements of the plastics.

“We will not recycle the crisis of plastic pollution: We need a systemic transformation to reach the transition to a circular economy“, Inger Andersen, executive director of the UNEP, insisted in the previous comments on the need for global regulations on plastics.

Virtuous circle

With 10 days of talks planned for the UN Treaty in Geneva, supporters of an agreement hope that the agreement will cover the complete life cycle of plastics, from design to production and elimination.

The treaty should “promote plastic circularity and prevent plastic leaks in the environment”, according to the text which now guides the negotiations carried out by the Intergovernmental negotiation committee (inc).

At 22 pages, the Document Inc Contains 32 projects of articles that will be discussed online. The text is designed to shape the future instrument and serves as a starting point for negotiations by countries in Geneva.

” A few [countries] will have to face the reduction, others will have to face mechanical recycling and others will treat alternatives, “said Andersen. »Let’s see how we can get there thanks to negotiations. I think there is a lot of good faith in the working group at the moment. “”

The talks led by UNEP followed a decision in 2022 by the member states to meet and develop a legally binding international instrument to put an end to the crisis of plastic pollution, including in the marine environment in the two years.

The scale of the problem is massive, with straws, cups and agitators, transporter bags and cosmetics containing single -use microbead microbeads found in our oceans and discharge sites.

In comments to journalists, Ms. Andersen recalled having turned Pakistan after deadly floods killed more than 1,000 people in 2022 and since debris and plastic were “a large part of the problem and that is why we are here, to find a solution while leaving no one behind and while ensuring that the economic wheels are constantly turning”.

Deactivation effect

The activists gathering on the sidelines of negotiations expressed their hopes for a treaty as ambitious as possible.

They included Shelan Saling, from California, who is the interim president of the Netwer Plastic Action Network (YPAN). “Plastic affects everything, from climate change, from health to fertility, including congenital malformations; It affects physical disorders, as well as invisible disabilities, ”she said UN News Monday.

Any treated in Geneva must be robust enough to meet the needs of all countries of the world whose approach differs concerning the design, production, waste and recycling of plastic. He will also have to resist the time test, said Andersen.