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Five humanitarians killed in ‘horrendous’ attack on aid convoy in Sudan

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Five humanitarians killed in ‘horrendous’ attack on aid convoy in Sudan

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) condemned the attack on the joint humanitarian convoy and reminded the international community that under humanitarian law, aid must be able to move securely.  

“Aid convoys must be protected and parties have the obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need,” the two agencies said in a joint statement.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric reiterated this sentiment, saying that the United Nations condemns this “horrendous attack in the strongest possible terms.”  

‘Devastating’ attack  

The five aid workers killed were all Sudanese contractors working for WFP and UNICEF.

The convoy had travelled over 1,800 kilometres from the city of Port Sudan, located on the Red Sea coast, which has itself endured ongoing drone strikes.  

The 15 trucks were carrying vital nutritional supplies to North Darfur, a region in which hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people are at high risk of malnutrition and starvation. 

The agencies noted that all parties on the ground had been notified about the convoy and its movements. 

“They were 80 kilometres from El Fasher, parked on the side of the road, waiting for clearance, and they were attacked,” said Mr. Dujarric. 

This would have been the first convoy to reach El Fasher in over a year. In April, the city and the nearby Zamzam displacement camp were attacked, displacing hundreds of thousands, many of whom had already been displaced.  

The attack on the convoy comes amidst a two-year conflict which has ravaged Sudan, displacing over nine million people. Famine has been declared in multiple places, including in El Fasher, and many more regions remain at risk.   

Broader attacks on aid 

The attack on the convoy comes amidst other attacks on humanitarian operations and civilians and civilian infrastructure in Sudan.  

Last week, the WFP premises in El Fasher were bombed and damaged and an international hospital in Al Obeid also experienced a deadly drone strike. 

Civilian infrastructure around the country continues to be targeted, including electricity infrastructure in Khartoum. The damage of this infrastructure in the capital has worsened an already spreading cholera outbreak in the city.   

WFP and UNICEF reiterated that attacks on humanitarian activities and personnel are unacceptable and must stop immediately.  

“Attacks on humanitarian staff, aid, operations as well as civilians and civilian infrastructure in Sudan have continued for far too long with impunity,” they said.  

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‘Our worst held fears are being confirmed’: Dozens of bodies discovered in Libya mass graves

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‘Our worst held fears are being confirmed’: Dozens of bodies discovered in Libya mass graves

“Our worst held fears are being confirmed: dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,” Türk said.

The sites where bodies were discovered are run by the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA), an armed group tasked with increasing Government security in the capital, Tripoli.  They have long been suspected by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) – and independent rights experts – to be sites of torture and enforced disappearance.

Mr. Türk called for these sites to be sealed for forensic investigations to support accountability.

Libya has endured turmoil since the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi regime 15 years ago and the emergence of rival administrations in 2014: the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli and the Government of National Stability (GNS) based in Benghazi. 

The UN has supported many ultimately unsuccessful attempts to reunite the country and transition to democratic governance.

Over 80 bodies discovered

In May, the leader of the SSA – Abdul Ghani al-Kikli – was killed, triggering clashes between armed groups and state security forces. Protests also emerged, calling for an end to violence in Tripoli. Multiple civilians were killed and infrastructure – including hospitals – damaged. 

In the wake of this violence, 10 badly charred bodies were discovered at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighbourhood. 67 more bodies were discovered at hospitals in Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals, all in refrigerators and in various states of decay. 

The UN human rights office OHCHR also said that a burial site was discovered at the Tripoli Zoo, which is run by the SSA. 

The identities of the bodies are not known at this stage. 

Human rights abuses, at all levels

These were not the first mass graves discovered in Libya. In February, two mass graves were discovered in Jakharrah and Al-Kufra with 10 and 93 bodies respectively. Many of these bodies were migrants who are uniquely vulnerable to human trafficking, forced disappearance and killings.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded over 1,000 migrant deaths and disappearances in Libya in 2024 alone.

Mr. Türk expressed concern not only about the bodies discovered recently in Tripoli and the human rights abuses they confirm, but also about the force with which protests were met near the end of last month.

“We have received reports that these protests were themselves met with unnecessary force, raising serious concerns with respect to the guarantee of the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and assembly,” he said.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights also noted that images and videos of the bodies are circulating on social media, prompting him to call for preserving the dignity and privacy of victims.

Seal the sites, preserve the evidence

The Government of National Unity, the internationally-recognized administration based in Tripoli, announced the creation of two committees to investigate human rights abuses committed by State security forces, both in relation to the bodies and the protests.

While Türk noted this, he expressed concern that forensic authorities have not been allowed into the sites to examine and preserve related evidence.

He called on Libyan authorities to seal the recently discovered sites and promote immediate accountability efforts.

“Those responsible for these atrocious acts must be brought to justice without delay, in accordance with international standards,” he said.

Mr. Türk also urged all stakeholders to commit once more to transition attempts in order to move Libya towards an inclusive democracy once and for all, ending the “recurring cycle of transitional agreements.”

“The people of Libya have clearly expressed their demand for truth and justice, and their yearning for a peaceful and safe way of life with human rights and freedoms at the front and centre,” the High Commissioner added.  

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

The Commission has given the green light to 13 projects that will help it access raw materials located outside the EU. The projects will also boost local value creation in third countries. We need raw materials to build electric vehicles, batteries, high-performance magnets and much more. Source link

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

The Commission has given the green light to 13 projects that will help it access raw materials located outside the EU. The projects will also boost local value creation in third countries. We need raw materials to build electric vehicles, batteries, high-performance magnets and much more.

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New EU plan to ensure water security and quality for all

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

The Commission has presented a plan to support EU countries in managing water more efficiently. By implementing current EU water laws and actions, we can ensure water security and prepare for water-related disasters, locally and globally. Everyone needs access to secure, clean and affordable water. Source link

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New EU plan to ensure water security and quality for all

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EU will support raw materials projects outside the EU

The Commission has presented a plan to support EU countries in managing water more efficiently. By implementing current EU water laws and actions, we can ensure water security and prepare for water-related disasters, locally and globally. Everyone needs access to secure, clean and affordable water.

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World News in Brief: Aid for Syria, children under attack in Mozambique, rights-based climate action

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World News in Brief: Aid for Syria, children under attack in Mozambique, rights-based climate action

Despite limited resources, the UN and partners are reaching some 2.5 million people each month across the country. In May alone, more than one million people received assistance, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Cross-border aid has significantly increased this year. Since January, 1,185 humanitarian trucks have crossed from Türkiye into Syria – six times the number recorded during the same period last year. The uptick reflects growing needs and intensified delivery efforts.

Syria’s health system, however, remains under severe strain. Fewer than 60 per cent of hospitals and less than half of primary health centres are fully functional. Essential medicines are in short supply, treatment costs are beyond the reach of many families and overcrowded shelters continue to heighten the risk of disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance pose a deadly and ongoing threat to civilians. Since 8 December, 2024, more than 1,000 casualties have been reported – over 400 of them fatal and nearly 600 resulting in injuries – children accounting for over a third of the victims.

“The humanitarian community is calling for urgent support to expand risk education, professional clearance operations and assistance for survivors,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.

Funding shortfalls are compounding the crisis. The Syria Humanitarian Response Plan requires $2 billion by the end of June to support 8 million of the most vulnerable people. To date, it has received just $236 million – less than 12 per cent of the total needed.

Northern Mozambique has been mired in what has been described as a “triple crisis” – violence and insecurity, climate shocks, and post-electoral unrest. (file photo)

Children targeted by armed groups in northern Mozambique

Children also continue to bear the brunt of a worsening crisis in Mozambique, where over 1.3 million people have been displaced by violence, extreme weather shocks and post-electoral unrest.

These crises have also left 5.2 million in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The situation is particularly dire in the northern Cabo Delgado province, which has witnessed a spike in reports of abduction, forced recruitment and use of children by non-state armed groups.

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least three girls aged 12, 14 and 17 were killed in an attack last month, and eight other children abducted – highlighting the grave risks facing children in the conflict.

The agency expressed deep concern over such gross violations of children’s rights, stressing that “every child has the right to live in safety, free from violence and fear.”

UNICEF is working with partner agencies to assist impacted children and their families, support the safe return and reintegration of children abducted by non-state armed groups, and provide access to vital services such as health, protection, and education.

UN rights chief calls for bold climate action grounded in human rights

The UN’s top rights official warned on Tuesday that humanity’s survival is inseparable from the health of the planet.

Speaking at Oxford University, Volker Türk highlighted the need for a new kind of politics to tackle the climate crisis and rising global inequality, urging strong leadership to push for urgent, just and rights-based solutions.

“Not only have we created a false separation from nature, we are deluded enough to believe we can make nature bend to our will,” Mr. Türk said, criticizing the continued exploitation of fragile ecosystems.

The High Commissioner linked environmental degradation with systemic injustice, stating that the world’s richest one per cent are responsible for more carbon emissions than the poorest two-thirds. He stressed that those least responsible for the climate crisis are often the ones suffering its worst impacts.

He also expressed concern over the lack of adequate climate finance and called for reforms to international financial systems, noting growing support for a proposed fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty that would aim to end the expansion of new oil, coal and gas projects.

“Our rights call for all people, now and in the future, to live in safety, security and opportunity, on a healthy planet,” he said.

Mr. Türk concluded by urging governments, institutions and individuals to join a global movement for change, grounded in human rights, to address the climate emergency and build a more sustainable and equitable future.

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‘Bulgaria has now met all the necessary criteria for euro area membership’ – statement by the Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe

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‘Bulgaria has now met all the necessary criteria for euro area membership’ – statement by the Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe

Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe issued a statement on today’s positive assessment of Bulgaria’s fulfilment of the criteria for joining the euro in the Convergence Reports published by the European Commission and the European Central Bank.

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Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s destabilising activities

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Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s destabilising activities

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Haiti: WFP concerned over humanitarian situation as hurricane season begins

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Haiti: WFP concerned over humanitarian situation as hurricane season begins

With roughly half the population, 5.7 million people, facing some sort of emergency level of hunger, Haiti is one of five countries in the world with catastrophic levels of hunger.  

“Despite all the violence, displacement and collapse”, WFP remains in Haiti, Lola Castro, Regional Director in Latin America and the Caribbean, said during a briefing on Tuesday, having recently returned from the country. 

More than one million people in Haiti are displaced due to ongoing gang violence and insecurity.

As the hostilities are disrupting the food systems and supply chains in the capital Port-au-Prince, WFP is facing a “quite dramatic” situation, Ms. Castro said. 

Displaced population 

Displaced populations, notably in and around Port-au-Prince, are faced with a “very problematic” situation, she said, as hostilities have recently uprooted around 14,000 people from the commune of Kenscoff.  

“Kenscoff is a commune where people used to come and sell their food,” she said, and the same people are now relying on food assistance after their houses were burned and their livelihoods “destroyed.” 

Gender-based violence  

With 6,000 cases of gender-based violence having been reported this year, the situation of women and girls in Port-au-Prince is dramatic, according to Ms. Castro.  

The city is probably “one of the most dangerous places in the world” for women and girls. “We need to provide them support to assure that they become less vulnerable and are not exposed to all this violence,” she said.  

Dwindling aid stocks  

The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti calls for just over $908 million but is only eight per cent funded. Ms. Castro said WFP alone needs $46.4 million over the next six months to sustain its emergency response and address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition. 

The hurricane season began on 1 June and runs through the end of November. She warned that at this moment when half of all Haitians are already going hungry, a single storm could push millions into a humanitarian catastrophe. 

While in past years, WFP had humanitarian stocks ready in the country and could assist between a quarter to half a million people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, “this year, we start the hurricane season with an empty warehouse,” she said.  

Unless resources are made available, the agency will have no capacity to respond—there are no contingency supplies, no logistical buffer, and no lifeline for the most vulnerable. 

“We cannot forget the people of Haiti,” Ms. Castro said, calling on the humanitarian community to provide urgent support.  

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