BiH: Joint Statement by High Representative Kallas and Commissioner Kos on the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords
Syria at a crossroads: UN warns fragile transition needs global support
The UN on Monday hailed the determination of Syrians working to rebuild their country but cautioned that sustained international engagement is essential to keep the transition from the chaos of a year ago on track – amid ongoing security and humanitarian challenges.
“Syrians astonished the world by overcoming years of authoritarian rule – marking the first real chance in generations to reshape their country’s future after decades of conflict, unfathomable brutality and profound human suffering,” said UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi.
She said Syrians have shown “remarkable courage” over the past year despite hardship and uncertainty.
Justice and accountability
Significant progress has been made since the former government collapsed.
National commissions for Transitional Justice and for Missing Persons were established earlier this year, finally opening the way for accountability.
UN access for rights monitoring and judicial reform has improved, and international engagement with Syrian institutions has expanded.
Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria – which aims to support future prosecutions of crimes committed under the old regime – highlighted that the past year has seen progress in gathering and analysing evidence for future prosecutions.
He welcomed the creation of Syria’s new national justice bodies as “a significant and welcome development,” while noting that key questions remain about the scope of transitional justice.
“The opportunities before us today did not exist a year ago,” Mr. Petit said.
Rebuilding trust
During a Security Council visit to Syria last week, Council President and Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Žbogar said the body’s mission was centred on rebuilding “trust.”
“We came here to build trust – to build our trust in your efforts for a better future and to build your trust in the intentions of the Security Council and the United Nations,” he told reporters in Damascus, after meetings with Syrian leaders, civil society, religious figures and communities affected by recent violence.
He stressed that Syria’s path forward must remain “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned,” with the international community ready to support.
A woman holds the new Syrian flag outside UN Headquarters in New York. (April 2025)
Challenges remain
Yet serious challenges persist – renewed sectarian violence aimed at predominantly Alawite coastal areas, or Druze communities in Sweida and other governorates over recent months has triggered new displacement and deepened fears among Syrians still recovering from 14 years of war.
Millions also remain in deep humanitarian need, with many forced to spend another winter in tents or in damaged homes.
The UN Secretary-General, in a separate anniversary message, said that while humanitarian needs remain immense, progress has been made in restoring essential services, expanding access for aid and creating pathways for returns. He emphasized that the transition must lead to tangible improvements in daily life for Syrians.
Drone footage of the town of Latamneh in Hama, which was completely destroyed during the conflict. Mines and unexploded ordnance continue to litter the area, posing deadly risk for civilians, especially children.
A historic crossroads
Despite ongoing insecurity, UN officials underline that the country stands at a historic crossroads.
Mr. Petit described the first post-Assad year as “a milestone in a journey that will span years,” adding that justice “must be inclusive and grounded in meticulous evidence and due process.”
Ms. Rochdi echoed that message, saying the transition’s success depends on sustained commitment.
“Within this moment lies something truly remarkable: the chance to continue to rebuild fractured communities, and to forge a Syria in which every person can stand equal in dignity, opportunity and rights,” she said.
‘All we want for Sudan is peace’ say children fleeing violence
Only 16 at the time, she saw armed men attacking her village and killing people – her grandfather and uncle among them. Girls were raped or taken.
“Nahed managed to escape but said it was terrifying,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell who described Nahed’s story on Tuesday. “The chilling memories remain.”
Sudan is in the midst of the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, since the conflict erupted 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which now controls North Darfur’s devastated capital, El Fasher, after more than 500 days of siege.
Ms. Russell called for urgent action to safeguard children and essential services on Tuesday after visiting the country, where an estimated 10 million people have been displaced – half of them children.
‘Unrelenting violence’
During her visit to Kassala in the east of the country, Ms. Russell met women and teenage girls receiving psychosocial support and skills training at a UNICEF-supported centre.
Many fled violence and found care and safety at the centre, but similar services are extremely limited in Darfur and Kordofan states due to ongoing insecurity.
“Children in Sudan are living through unrelenting violence, hunger and fear,” stressed Ms. Russell. “Women and girls are bearing the brunt of the crisis, including horrific levels of sexual violence.”
Briefing journalists from Sudan on Tuesday, UN reproductive health agency (UNFPA) country representative Fabrizia Falcione said she met survivors from El Fasher who had lost everything, including a 17-year-old girl with a 40-day old child born out of rape.
None of the women she spoke to had received a single antenatal care consultation before giving birth.
“They told me that they preferred not to go to the hospital rather than risking their lives trying to reach it.”
We need toilets and bread
When Ms. Falcione asked displaced women what they needed the most, they answered toilets and bread. A way to earn a living came in third.
“No toilets anywhere near their tents, no lights in the camp at night,” said Ms. Falcione. “And these are pregnant women without men in their households.”
In North Darfur, fighting in and around El Fasher has forced more than 106,000 people to flee since late October, overwhelming reception sites and turning areas like Tawila into vast informal settlements.
Among other assistance measures, UNFPA is providing maternal care and psychosocial services for survivors of gender-based violence, while UNICEF is identifying and registering unaccompanied children, restoring access to safe water, and more.
Ms. Russell said everywhere she went during her visit to Sudan, children told her the same thing.
“‘All we want for Sudan is peace.’ The world must do better to deliver on that wish.”
Sudan: UN chief condemns deadly strikes on children’s nursery, hospital
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was appalled to learn that multiple drone strikes on 4 December had hit a children’s nursery and a hospital in Kalogi, where the injured were being treated.
Echoing those concerns, the head of UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Kalogi Rural Hospital had been targeted at least three times, killing 114 people including 63 children.
Blood bank call
Survivors from those strikes have been moved to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment “and urgent calls are being made for blood donations and other medical support”, Tedros noted in a statement posted on X.
“Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” Tedros added.
On the same day as those attacks, an aid convoy was also targeted in North Kordofan state. It had been transporting lifesaving supplies to North Darfur when it came under fire, seriously injuring the driver of a UN World Food Programme (WFP) truck.
“The Secretary-General deplores this further attack on humanitarian operations at a time of dire needs,” the statement continued.
Suffering on a huge scale
Aid agencies warn that the situation across Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught up in heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In the central Kordofan region in particular, dire conditions are worsening still as life-saving supplies run low, while famine conditions have been confirmed in South Kordofan’s state capital, Kadugli.
“As fighting intensifies, the horrific human rights violations and abuses reported in El Fasher in recent months, as well as reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, must not be repeated in the Kordofan region,” the UN chief’s Spokesperson insisted.
And amid reports of continued foreign involvement in the Sudan conflict, “the Secretary-General calls on all States with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their leverage to compel an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the arms flows” that are fuelling it, his Spokesperson’s statement added.
“The Secretary-General renews his call on the parties to agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and to resume talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process. The United Nations stands ready to support genuine steps to end the fighting in Sudan and chart a path towards a durable peace.”
UN rights chief’s plea
The development comes after the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, said that he feared “another wave of atrocities” in Sudan.
Since late October, hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands more have fled aerial strikes, shelling and summary executions, he said, amid mass civilian displacement involving more than 45,000 people fleeing violence and seeking safety in or near to Kordofan region.
“Safe passage for those fleeing the horror of famine, death and destruction is essential and a human rights imperative,” the High Commissioner’s office said.
In an appeal for “urgent diplomatic action” the WFP’s Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau insisted that greater attention was needed to prevent further atrocities and help reverse famine.
More than 30 million people in Sudan now need humanitarian assistance and more than nine million have been displaced inside the country since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the SAF and paramilitary RSF.
Clay houses with joyful songs: living heritage on the world stage
UNESCOIt is Intangible cultural heritage The program aims to keep alive the practices, knowledge and expressions that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity.
The largest series of inscriptions ever carried out has just been completed and the message was clear: living heritage survives when it is valued, practiced and transmitted.
Years of quiet work
In the New Delhi room, applause rang out like a wave as delegates leaned forward in their seats. Between relief and celebration, a few people smiled knowingly at each other – the kind of smile that comes after years of quiet work is finally recognized.
For communities from Yemen to Chile, from Ukraine to Panama, it was not a simple meeting. It was a time when songs, rituals, crafts and ways of life, often practiced away from the global spotlight, were spoken aloud on the world stage.
Representatives of the Panamanian delegation at the PCI session.
“This year has been extraordinary,” said Tim Curtis, UNESCO regional director in New Delhi. “We have just achieved the largest number of registrations ever: 67 elements from 78 countries.”
Hand-built houses, collective singing
Panama’s Irina Ruiz Figueroa promoted quincha houses, structures built collectively from natural materials, using knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
“These houses are not just buildings,” she said. “They are made by communities, with women and young people working side by side. Safeguarding this practice means ensuring that our communities themselves remain strong.”
Across the hall, joy quickly spread among the Yemeni delegation. Mohammed Jumeh, Yemen’s ambassador to UNESCO, had just learned that Hadrami Dan, a living tradition of music, poetry and gathering, had been inscribed.
“At a time when people expect only bad news from Yemen,” he said, “this recognition has brought happiness. The phones haven’t stopped ringing. People feel seen.”
For Tim Curtis, these moments capture the essence of what UNESCO calls intangible or living cultural heritage.
“It’s not about monuments or buildings,” he explained. “It’s about what people do. How they celebrate. How they express their identity.”
He stressed that living heritage should not be frozen: it is passed down from generation to generation, while continuing to adapt and retain its meaning for people today.
Forum of ICH NGOs held during the 20th Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee 2025.
Pride, resilience and survival
For Oleksandr Butsenko, a Ukrainian cultural expert, safeguarding heritage has become an even greater urgency.
“The war has made communities realize how vital this is,” he said. “We have added more than 80 items to our National Register in the last three years. People understand that heritage gives resilience, a sense of identity when everything else seems uncertain.”
This sense of belonging carried over into many conversations.
Doreen Ruth Amule, from Uganda, described intangible cultural heritage as something that “speaks directly to the human heart.”
“It’s about spirituality, environment, music, behavior – what makes us feel human and connected,” she said. “The process itself strengthens communities.
When recognition changes the future
The recognition, stressed Tim Curtis of UNESCO, is not just symbolic.
“When something is inscribed,” he said, “it gives pride and visibility. For some practices, it also unlocks support – funding, educational programs and renewed interest from young people.”
Chile’s Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Carolina Pérez Cortés, saw this impact with the inscription of the country’s traditional family circus.
Chilean delegation to the 2025 meeting of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee in New Delhi.
“This practice has been around for over 200 years,” she said. “Now it’s recognized not only by the state, but by the world. It reinforces our responsibility to support circus families and gives them the tools to continue.”
Similar hopes surround the ancient wine tradition of Cyprus’s Commandaria, newly inscribed after 6,000 years of history.
“This recognition can bring young people back to rural areas,” said Angela Nicolaou-Konnari, a Cypriot expert. “This makes heritage sustainable – economically and culturally.”
Tim Curtis highlighted this intergenerational connection as the real key to safeguarding.
“If young people don’t take it forward, the heritage disappears in one or two generations,” he said. “That’s why education and relevance are so important.”
Puppets are an integral part of intangible cultural heritage.
Heritage in a changing world
Urbanization, migration and climate change are taking a toll on many traditions. But Mr Curtis is clear: safeguarding cannot be imposed from above.
“These practices must remain under the control of communities,” he said. “Technology can help – social media, digital platforms – but only if practitioners decide how it is used. »
This philosophy is already taking shape on the ground.
Masirah Alenezi highlighted how traditional Bedouin weaving supports the dignity and livelihoods of refugee women in Kuwait and Egypt.
In Kuwait and Egypt, Masirah Alenezi described how traditional Bedouin weaving became a source of dignity and livelihood for refugee women.
In Norway, basket weaver Hege Iren Aasdal spoke about teaching teenagers how to harvest materials from nature before weaving them into everyday objects.
“It’s not just about the basket,” she said. “It’s about knowing your surroundings.”
From Indonesian textiles to Indian leather puppets, the stories have converged on one truth: living heritage survives when it is lived, taught and valued.
A celebration of humanity
No moment captured this idea more vividly than the inscription of Diwali. As India’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Vishal Sharma, said: “Till now, Diwali was a festival in India. From today, it is a festival for all humanity.”
“Heritage connects people. Culture is fundamental.” According to Tim Curtis, this is precisely why safeguarding is important: “We are human beings because we are cultural beings,” he said. In a world of rapid social change, it is necessary to deliberately recognize living traditions as worth protecting and worth passing on to children and grandchildren.
The art of making and playing Kobyz from Uzbekistan.
The detailed list of registrations is available here – interest:
China will host the next meeting of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee in 2026.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
Scientists close in on solving the mystery behind intense auroral storms
A University of Southampton study has revealed an intriguing new clue in the mystery of what triggers periods of very intense, brightly coloured activity during displays of both the southern and northern lights.
Auroral beads seen from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Known as ‘a magnetospheric substorm’, this awe-inspiring phenomena, which blankets the-night-sky in green and purple, is almost always preceded by what space scientists call ‘auroral beads’ – a necklace-like wave of multiple luminous points of light which eventually evolve into the storm.
Southampton scientists have now shown there is a link between these auroral beads and the intensity of low frequency radio waves above the aurora in the Earth’s magnetosphere – a vast area around our planet which is dominated by its magnetic field.
Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications .
“The aurora borealis and aurora australis are caused by charged particles from space colliding with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere,” explains physicist Dr Daniel Whiter of the University of Southampton. “Particles ejected from the Sun flow out through the solar system carrying the Sun’s magnetic field with them, and this ‘solar wind’ is the source of energy for the aurora.
“Auroral substorms are caused by the accumulation and then release of magnetic energy stored in Earth’s magnetosphere during its interaction with the solar wind flow. However, what exactly triggers this energy to suddenly unload in spectacular fashion isn’t fully understood.”
An international team of researchers, led by Southampton physicists, examined data gathered from ground based observatories, imaging satellites and radio antennae onboard spacecraft, including NASA’s ‘Polar’ spacecraft, the Japanese ‘Arase’ spacecraft, and cameras stationed in Lapland operated by the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
In particular the team concentrated on examining auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) – naturally occurring radio emissions produced in near-Earth space directly above the aurora.
The scientists found that prior to a substorm occurring there is a distinct signal in AKR activity almost exactly as the auroral beads become visible. This burst of radio wave emissions suddenly increases in strength at the onset of the substorm.
Investigated for the first time, this distinct radio signal gives important clues about the physical processes operating before and during substorm onset, producing signatures both in visible aurora and invisible radio emissions.
Lead author of the study, post-doctoral researcher Dr Siyuan Wu of the University of Southampton comments: “The fine, frequency-drifting structures seen in AKR provide direct evidence of the formation of small-scale electric potential structures along magnetic field lines connected to the auroral beads. Their periodicity and propagation speed show remarkable consistency across multiple datasets.
“Together, these results provide new evidence in the generation of auroral beads and the substorm triggering process.”
The scientists believe this could be a universal mechanism manifesting itself in not just the northern and southern lights of Earth, but also in the magnetosphere of certain other planets in our solar system, such as Saturn and Jupiter. They hope their research can now be built on to fully understand what triggers auroral substorms.
Source: University of Southampton
Scientists close in on solving the mystery behind intense auroral storms
A University of Southampton study has revealed an intriguing new clue in the mystery of what triggers periods of very intense, brightly coloured activity during displays of both the southern and northern lights.
Known as ‘a magnetospheric substorm’, this awe-inspiring phenomena, which blankets the-night-sky in green and purple, is almost always preceded by what space scientists call ‘auroral beads’ – a necklace-like wave of multiple luminous points of light which eventually evolve into the storm.
Southampton scientists have now shown there is a link between these auroral beads and the intensity of low frequency radio waves above the aurora in the Earth’s magnetosphere – a vast area around our planet which is dominated by its magnetic field.
Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications .
“The aurora borealis and aurora australis are caused by charged particles from space colliding with atoms and molecules in our atmosphere,” explains physicist Dr Daniel Whiter of the University of Southampton. “Particles ejected from the Sun flow out through the solar system carrying the Sun’s magnetic field with them, and this ‘solar wind’ is the source of energy for the aurora.
“Auroral substorms are caused by the accumulation and then release of magnetic energy stored in Earth’s magnetosphere during its interaction with the solar wind flow. However, what exactly triggers this energy to suddenly unload in spectacular fashion isn’t fully understood.”
An international team of researchers, led by Southampton physicists, examined data gathered from ground based observatories, imaging satellites and radio antennae onboard spacecraft, including NASA’s ‘Polar’ spacecraft, the Japanese ‘Arase’ spacecraft, and cameras stationed in Lapland operated by the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
In particular the team concentrated on examining auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) – naturally occurring radio emissions produced in near-Earth space directly above the aurora.
The scientists found that prior to a substorm occurring there is a distinct signal in AKR activity almost exactly as the auroral beads become visible. This burst of radio wave emissions suddenly increases in strength at the onset of the substorm.
Investigated for the first time, this distinct radio signal gives important clues about the physical processes operating before and during substorm onset, producing signatures both in visible aurora and invisible radio emissions.
Lead author of the study, post-doctoral researcher Dr Siyuan Wu of the University of Southampton comments: “The fine, frequency-drifting structures seen in AKR provide direct evidence of the formation of small-scale electric potential structures along magnetic field lines connected to the auroral beads. Their periodicity and propagation speed show remarkable consistency across multiple datasets.
“Together, these results provide new evidence in the generation of auroral beads and the substorm triggering process.”
The scientists believe this could be a universal mechanism manifesting itself in not just the northern and southern lights of Earth, but also in the magnetosphere of certain other planets in our solar system, such as Saturn and Jupiter. They hope their research can now be built on to fully understand what triggers auroral substorms.
Source: University of Southampton
UN seeks $1 billion for ‘first-responder fund’ in emergencies
Since 2006, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated nearly $10 billion in more than 110 countries through rapid and strategic financing that often arrives before other sources of support, saving countless lives in the process.
But with humanitarian needs rising as crises multiply, the “tank is running on empty – with millions of lives hanging in the balance,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, urging countries to reach the $1 billion target.
“In creating CERF 20 years ago, the international community made a simple promise: when disaster strikes, help will come,” he said. “Today, I ask you to renew that promise.”
Making a difference
The high-level pledging event was held a day after the UN launched its 2026 global humanitarian appeal, which calls for $23 billion to reach 87 million people in most desperate need across 50 countries.
“Within that wider effort, CERF is our flexible, first-responder fund,” the Secretary-General said.
“In many places, CERF has made the difference between life-saving help and no help at all.”
When humanitarian access opened in Gaza, CERF helped ensure fuel supplies to power hospitals, water systems and other critical services. The fund was there when full-scale war erupted in Ukraine in 2022, acting within hours.
Roughly $110 million alone has been allocated this year to neglected and underfunded emergencies, including in Afghanistan and Somalia, while Caribbean countries were provided with funds, evacuation support and essential supplies as Hurricane Melissa barrelled towards the region in October.
‘The warning lights are flashing’
CERF receives support from Member States, regional governments, international organizations, the private sector, individuals and other donors.
However, contributions fell sharply this year and are expected to be at the lowest level in a decade, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned.
“When we’re needed at full strength, the warning lights are flashing,” he said.
“It’s not just a funding gap; it’s an operational emergency. And if the CERF falters, then the world’s emergency service will falter, and the people who rely on us will suffer.”
A woman who fled violence in the eastern DR Congo receives post-natal care at a camp for displaced people.
Stepping up
Mr. Fletcher announced a $100 million allocation for the world’s most underfunded emergencies, which he said represents about a quarter of the projected income for 2025.
Ireland and the Philippines co-hosted the event, and both governments stressed the value of supporting the fund.
Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development, Neale Richmond, said the country will provide an additional €1 million in 2026, bringing the total contribution to €21.5 million.
While acknowledging that “financing is not the only solution” to address humanitarian crises as “real political solutions are needed”, he said these remain out of reach.
‘A moral obligation’
“In the meantime, we have a moral obligation to ensure that people caught in crises that don’t necessarily make the headlines, or indeed have never made the headlines, are not forgotten,” he said in a video message.
The Philippines has contributed roughly $1 million to CERF since its inception, beginning with donations of about $5,000 to $10,000 in the early days to roughly $250,000 this year. A further $200,000 will be given in 2026.
Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro recalled that CERF swiftly allocated nearly $6 million just days before Super Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall in November, in addition to providing critical assistance during previous disasters.
“By empowering United Nations agencies to deliver essential services like food, shelter and healthcare, CERF has been a beacon of hope for those affected,” she said in a video message.
What do singing and hiking have to do with human rights?
As part of this year’s campaign for Human Rights Day – Our Everyday Essentials – the UN’s human rights office (OHCHR) invited members of the public to write in what matters to them most.
With the help of artificial intelligence, UN News has analysed the most popular themes based on the responses received.
With answers ranging from “love”, to “education for all”, the results provide a fascinating illustration of how the historic Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) translates into real life.
Not lost in translation
Young children read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at a playground in 1950. (Archive)
Human Rights Day is observed annually on 10 December. On that date in 1948, the declaration was signed, laying out for the first time in 30 sections – or articles – a framework on fundamental human rights including protection from slavery and equality before the law.
It remains the most translated document in the world, available in 577 languages.
OHCHR asked: What essentials in your daily life feel most meaningful to you and that you wish everyone could have? Here is how this fundamental international covenant corresponds to the everyday, lived experience of some of the respondents.
Some responses have been translated into English from the original language.
Peace proves relative in Gaza with no let-up in deadly airstrikes
“The Security Council resolution is very clear about not calling anything a border or anything else, it is about a territory that needs to be respected in its entirety,” he said, referencing a resolution adopted by the Council on 17 November in support of a comprehensive plan to end the conflict.
“We call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and to ensure that we can indeed move to the next phase [of the peace plan],” the High Commissioner told journalists in Geneva. Gaza “remains a place of unimaginable suffering, loss and fear. While the bloodshed has reduced, it has not stopped,” he insisted.
Resolution 2803 (2025) received 13 votes in favour and none against, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining.
The text welcomed the Comprehensive Plan announced by President Trump on 29 September. The first phase of the 20-point plan led to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel days later.
Shifting ‘Yellow Line’
Most of the violence in the past week has been reported near the “Yellow Line” whose large painted concrete blocks have shifted in the past week, prompting “new waves” of displacement, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.
In a scheduled update, the agency cited data from the Gazan health authorities indicating that 360 Palestinians have been killed and 922 injured since the fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect in late October. An additional 617 bodies have been retrieved from under the rubble since then, too.
Echoing those concerns, Mr. Türk said that his Office had documented more than 350 attacks since the ceasefire began. The dead included seven women and 13 children.
“Attacks by Israel continue, including on individuals approaching the so-called Yellow Line, residential buildings and [internally displaced persons] IDP tents and shelters, as well as other civilian objects,” he told reporters.
In addition to the humanitarian emergency still unfolding in Gaza, the High Commissioner stressed how generalized psychological trauma affecting the enclave’s people is “the most serious mental health crisis that one can imagine…Basically everyone is traumatised and especially children.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference marking Human Rights Day, Mr. Türk also expressed deep concern at “unprecedented levels of attack by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians” and their land in the occupied West Bank.
“This is a time to intensify pressure and advocacy – not to sink into complacency”, he insisted.
A world of trouble
Turning to the long-running emergency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the High Commissioner expressed deep concern at overnight reports of thousands fleeing the South Kivu city of Uvira, amid clashes between M23 rebel fighters and DRC armed forces, backed by Wazalendo militia.
“This comes just days after the DRC and Rwanda reaffirmed their commitment to implement the June 2025 Washington Peace Agreement,” Mr. Türk said, warning that the risk of a broader regional confrontation was increasing.
The High Commissioner also issued a stark warning that war crimes and potential crimes against humanity may be happening in Sudan, where the war shows no signs of letting up.
The emergency erupted in April 2023 when a transition to civilian rule broke down and today the Sudanese Armed Forces continues to clash with paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Recently, the RSF overran the city of El Fasher after laying siege to it for 18 months, leading to widespread reports of grave rights abuses.
“From Darfur and the Kordofans to Khartoum and Omdurman and beyond, no Sudanese civilian has been left untouched by the cruel and senseless violence,” Mr. Türk said. “We are talking about thousands of people that have been killed. There were summary executions, there were people who were trying to leave us for sure, who were killed when they tried to leave…There were witness statements about rape and gang rape, including in front of family members…So yes, we are talking about very serious atrocity crimes. War crimes for sure. Potentially also crimes against humanity.”
Ukraine appeal
In Ukraine, the High Commissioner noted that civilian harm has risen sharply. Civilian casualties so far this year are 24 per cent higher than the same period last year, he said, largely owing to Russia’s increased use of powerful long-range weapons in large numbers and its continuing efforts “to capture further Ukrainian territory by armed force”.
Urgent steps need to be taken to alleviate suffering, Mr. Türk continued “including the return of transferred children [allegedly taken to Russia], the exchange of all prisoners of war, and the unconditional release of civilian detainees held by Russian authorities”.
War on drugs
Asked to comment on deadly strikes by the US military on alleged drug-smuggler boats in the Caribbean, the High Commissioner reiterated his position that these represented a violation of international law and human rights law and required “prompt, independent investigations”.
Reports indicate that more than 80 people have been killed in more than 20 attacks since September. On 2 September, two survivors of an initial strike were allegedly killed in a second attack.
Mr. Türk noted that as US lawmakers continue to call for further information about these strikes, “I hope that they will lead to a prompt, serious investigation that is independent so that we can get to the bottom of what has happened there.”
