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U.N. briefing: escalating violence across Sudan, Chad, South Sudan and DRC strains humanitarian response
Summary
The U.N. reported intensifying drone attacks in Sudan, a surge of refugees into eastern Chad, airstrikes and displacement in South Sudan, growing armed clashes and sexual‑violence reports in eastern DRC, and a Libyan video alleged to show a detained MP tortured—UNSMIL is seeking forensic verification.
The U.N. spokesperson said United Nations humanitarian colleagues are “deeply concerned” by intensifying drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, where the airport area, a fuel storage facility and a power transformer were reportedly struck early in the morning. He said flights of the U.N. humanitarian air service to and from Port Sudan remain on hold and that prolonged power outages linked to drone attacks have disrupted civilian life in other states.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that a month‑long blackout in Northern State prevented farmers from operating electric water pumps and contributed to destruction of more than 84 square kilometres of crops; targeted damage to power infrastructure in River Nile State disrupted water supplies.
The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is “gravely concerned” by a rapidly increasing number of Sudanese refugees crossing into eastern Chad. The briefing said nearly 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have arrived in the past two weeks and that refugees reported more than 10,000 people still en route. A UNHCR rapid protection assessment cited that 76% of newly arrived refugees experienced serious protection incidents, including extortion, theft and sexual violence. The U.N. said Chad already hosts about 1,300,000 refugees, including 794,000 arrivals from Sudan since the conflict began more than two years ago. Only 20% of the $409,000,000 required to respond to the refugee crisis in Chad has been funded.
In South Sudan, the U.N. peacekeeping mission reported continued air strikes in Panyangak (New Phangak) county in Jonglei State and said the attacks contravene the revitalized peace agreement; the mission called for prioritizing civilian protection and an immediate ceasefire.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the U.N. said armed violence in South and North Kivu is displacing thousands. Humanitarian partners estimate more than 19,000 people displaced in Bunyakiri (Kalehe) territory since April 23 and more than 30,000 newly displaced in Lubero territory in North Kivu since May 2. Local sources reported sexual violence, including the abduction and rape of four girls between April 29 and May 4, bringing documented cases in the area to at least 13 since February 2025. The U.N. and partners have launched operations to provide food and cash assistance to nearly 15,000 displaced people in collective centres in Goma and Sake.
On Libya, the U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said a video circulating on social media purportedly showing House of Representatives member Ibrahim al‑Dersi detained and chained with visible signs of torture is under review; the mission has requested U.N. digital forensic experts to assess authenticity and urged Libyan authorities to support an independent investigation.
Why it matters: Multiple concurrent crises across the region are straining humanitarian capacity and funding. Refugee inflows into Chad, large internal displacements in the DRC and continued hostilities in Sudan and South Sudan heighten protection risks, including reports of sexual violence and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
