In a briefing on Monday, Mr. Lacroix told journalists in New York that some staff from the UN’s Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) was forced to seek shelter for a few hours due to the ongoing conflict.

He explained that this had “limited their ability to have the full level of information that they would have gotten if they had not been sheltering”, making it difficult to assess the fast-evolving situation.

Mr. Lacroix said that peacekeepers remain in their positions but noted that safety was “paramount” for non-essential personnel and their dependents, who have been relocated away from Goma.

He confirmed that MONUSCO personnel would continue to deliver on their mandate to the best of their ability, including protecting civilians and disarming combatants in accordance with international humanitarian law.

“The fate of the millions of civilians living in Goma or having been displaced is really the priority, along with the safety and security of UN personnel,” Mr. Lacroix said.

Humanitarian catastrophe

Bruno Lemarquis, UN Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC, briefed the press from the ground and painted a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis.

“What is unfolding in Goma is coming on top of already one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth, with close to 6.5 million displaced people in the country, including close to three million displaced people in North Kivu,” he said.

He described scenes of mass displacement and violence: “Civilians are taking the brunt of the escalating hostilities”, with heavy artillery fire “directed at the city centre” including a maternity hospital.

“For example, several shells struck the Charity Maternity Hospital in central Goma, killing and injuring civilians, including newborn and pregnant women,” he emphasised.

“[Hospitals] are struggling to manage the influx of wounded people,” he said, noting that basic services, including water, electricity and internet, are severely disrupted.

Mr. Lemarquis called for temporary humanitarian pauses to facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians and ensure aid delivery. “We must act now to prevent further loss of life and alleviate the suffering of the people of Goma,” he urged.

Rwanda’s role

Responding to questions about Rwanda’s involvement, Mr. Lacroix confirmed the presence of Rwandan troops supporting M23 in Goma, citing significant troop numbers.

He condemned the killing of peacekeepers, noting that three had died, including two from South Africa and one from Uruguay, with 12 others injured.

The Under-Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s call for all parties, including Rwanda, to respect the safety and security of UN personnel.

Regarding Rwanda’s role as a leading troop-contributing country to UN missions, Mr. Lacroix stated, “At this moment, we have to focus on the emergency, with saving as many lives as possible, and trying to bring about the cessation of hostilities.”

Diplomatic efforts

Mr Lacroix reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting regional peace initiatives, welcoming the East African Community’s plan for a summit on 28 January and an African Union Peace and Security Council session on Tuesday.

Both officials stressed the urgency of international engagement, with Mr. Lemarquis highlighting a recent $70 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support humanitarian efforts.

The press conference concluded with a stark message from Mr. Lacroix: “I urge the international community to intensify its engagement to prevent the bloodshed and to support the humanitarian response. We must act now.”

“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo…Any such attack on Goma risks catastrophic impacts on hundreds of thousands of civilians, putting them at heightened exposure to human rights violations and abuses,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR.

“The High Commissioner has flagged many times that sexual violence is a key component – a very horrific component – of this conflict,” Ms. Shamdasani added. “Armed groups abduct, hold captive and subject women and girls to sexual slavery and many of them have been killed after being raped.”

Since the UN peacekeeping Mission, MONUSCO, withdrew from South Kivu in June 2024, peacekeepers have defended key positions in North Kivu, including Goma and Sake, where clashes between the M23, the Congolese Armed Forces and many other armed groups have continued.

Hundreds of thousands newly displaced

Some 400,000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu since the beginning of this year alone, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Highlighting the humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold largely unseen by the outside world, UNHCR spokesperson Matt Saltmarsh reported that “bombs have fallen” on camps for people uprooted by the violence in South and North Kivu.

These attacks include one on 20 January, when explosions at Kitalaga site in South Kivu killed two children. 

On 21 January, five makeshift shelters were destroyed in Nzuolo, near Goma, while on Wednesday, Bushagara site – also near Goma – was “heavily impacted, causing panic and new waves of forced displacement”, Mr. Saltmarsh told journalists in Geneva.

He noted that heavy bombardments from clashes involving the M23 rebels forced families to flee various displacement sites on the periphery of Goma and try to seek safety within Goma: “UNHCR staff remain on the ground in Goma, assisting the displaced civilians wherever they can and wherever they get access,” he said. 

“But as you can understand, the access at the moment is extremely challenging.”

Guterres warning

The development came as the UN Secretary-General on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in eastern DRC and the “devastating toll” on civilians.

In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, António Guterres noted the Rwandan-backed rebels’ reported seizure of Sake, in South Kivu, “which increases the threat” to the regional capital Goma – all of which is “heightening the threat of a regional war”. Rwanda denies any direct involvement with M23 fighters.

“The Secretary-General calls on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and abide by the 31 July 2024 ceasefire agreement,” the UN chief’s statement continued.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s concerns, OHCHR spokesperson Ms. Shamdasani reiterated UN chief Volker Türk’s appeal “to all States with influence on the parties to impress on them the urgent need for an immediate cessation of hostilities”. 

M23 is well funded and “as the High Commissioner has said previously, any role played by Rwanda in supporting the M23 in North Kivu – and by any other country supporting armed groups active in the DRC – must end,” she insisted. “The people in the DRC are exhausted by violence, exhausted by conflict, exhausted by the horrors of their daily life. And this must not be allowed to worsen further.”

Stark options 

Asked to explain the dangers faced by those sheltering in camps, UNHCR’s Mr. Saltmarsh replied that their “options are stark and extremely limited…What you will receive in terms of aid is extremely limited – that depends very much on whether agencies like UNHCR and our partners in the UN and NGOs are able to access those sites. 

“If they are, we can bring in a minimum of assistance, otherwise, civilians will be in areas that are now occupied by the armed groups. We don’t have access to those areas, so it’s very difficult to for us to say what conditions are like there.”

South and North Kivu Provinces already host 4.6 million internally displaced people. UNHCR has warned that human rights violations, including looting, injuries, murders, kidnappings and arbitrary arrests of displaced people mistaken for rebels have escalated.

“Hospitals are nearing capacity with injured civilians,” Mr. Saltmarsh said. “Vulnerable women, children, and the elderly are living in overcrowded and precarious conditions with limited access to food, water, and essential services.”

The de facto rulers of much of the country, including the capital Sana’a, released the crew of a merchant ship who had been held for more than a year, earlier this week.

The move raised hopes that more than 60 staff from the UN, international organizations and diplomatic missions already being held by the Houthis over the past year, might be released.

Friday’s safety measure announced by Julien Harneis, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, comes as the organization faces mounting security challenges in its operations in the region.

The Houthis and the internationally-recognized Government have been fighting for control of the country in what has become a wider regional proxy war, for over a decade.

Security measure

“Yesterday, the de facto authorities in Sana’a detained additional UN personnel working in areas under their control,” Mr. Harneis said.

“To ensure the security and safety of all its staff, the United Nations has suspended all official movements into and within areas under the de facto authorities’ control…this measure will remain in place until further notice.”

Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq elaborated on the response later on Friday, highlighting the UN’s ongoing efforts: “Our officials in Yemen are actively engaging with senior representatives of the de facto authorities, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all UN personnel and partners.”

The detentions mark a troubling escalation for humanitarian operations in Yemen, where access and security remain critical concerns.

The UN continues to emphasise the importance of upholding the safety and neutrality of its personnel to ensure lifesaving aid reaches those in need.

Nearly 250 million children’s schooling disrupted by climate crises in 2024

At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has warned.

Heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts are among of the dangers that have made the global learning crisis worse, new UNICEF analysis has shown.

Coinciding with the International Day of Education, the UN agency released data showing that at least one in seven students had their schooling disrupted because of climate hazards in 2024.

Multiple closures

Of the 85 countries affected, 23 experienced multiple rounds of school closures and 74 per cent of all those affected students live in low and lower-middle-income countries.

South Asia was the most affected region in 2024 with 128 million students impacted by climate-related school disruptions. East Asia and the Pacific region followed, impacting 50 million students.

In 2024, heatwaves were the most significant climate hazard to affect schooling, concerning around 171 million students.

Nigeria humanitarian response plan aims to help 3.6 million people: OCHA

To Nigeria, where UN aid teams have launched a humanitarian appeal which again focuses on the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – the Bay states -where conflict, climate shocks and economic instability continue to blight communities’ wellbeing.

OCHA, the UN aid coordination office, said that the target this year is to reach 3.6 million people in the northeast with health services, food, water, sanitation and hygiene.

Nutrition for children is also part of the $910 million appeal, along with support for protection, education and other basic services.

Funding challenge

To absorb declining global funding, OCHA insisted that the Nigeria plan aims to make scarce resources go further, by supporting those delivering assistance locally more directly – and by shifting to cash and voucher assistance where possible.

A key part of the aid appeal includes prevention work to lessen the impact of floods and disease outbreaks.