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UN briefs on multiple humanitarian crises: detainees, eastern Congo violence, Sudan and Myanmar
Summary
At the United Nations briefing, officials summarized worsening situations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Myanmar, highlighted that at least 52 UN personnel were detained worldwide and warned of rising child mortality risks tied to donor funding cuts.
The United Nations on Wednesday provided a global humanitarian and protection update, citing growing civilian harm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), continuing violence in Sudan, rising needs in Myanmar and concerns about detained UN personnel worldwide.
UN spokesperson Steph said the office is "alarmed by the growing toll" of violence in Ituri province, eastern DRC, where armed group attacks on a displacement site in Irumu territory killed six displaced people and injured others, according to local civil society contacts. The briefing said clashes have displaced civilians and largely suspended relief operations in affected areas.
On the number of UN personnel detained, the spokesperson said "101 personnel from the United Nations were arrested or detained last year alone. In total, at least 52 of our colleagues are still in detention around the world" and that 23 of those detainees are in Yemen. The spokesperson said the rights of UN staff must be fully respected and that the UN calls for their immediate release and safe return.
Turning to Sudan, the briefing described "dozens of casualties" reported in Darfur after air strikes hit a market about 40 kilometers northwest of Al Fashir and said humanitarian partners reported disruptions to health services exacerbated by recent donor funding cuts. The spokesperson said nearly half of reported attacks on health-care facilities in Sudan last month took place in Darfur, and that many facilities in that region have only one to two months of supplies left.
The spokesperson also noted continuing hostilities in parts of North and South Kivu and reported recent abductions and sexual violence in Kalehe territory in South Kivu, which local civil society sources characterized as part of a larger pattern of rights violations.
On Myanmar, the briefing summarized reports of intensified air strikes and drone attacks in Magway and Mandalay regions, and noted that more than a third of the population — nearly 20,000,000 people — need assistance while about 3,500,000 are internally displaced.
The UN also highlighted regional developments: the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lebanese Armed Forces renewing support for humanitarian and demining work through the end of 2026; Angola said it would step down from a mediation role between Rwanda and the DRC; and an East African Community and SADC summit appointed a panel of facilitators on the DRC situation.
On child mortality, the UN interagency group for child mortality estimation warned that recent donor funding cuts are risking decades of progress. The group said that while child deaths dropped historically below five million in 2022, cuts to donor support are disrupting health services, vaccination programs and essential supplies in crisis-affected and debt-burdened countries.
Why it matters: The briefing grouped multiple crises that pose both immediate protection threats to civilians and medium-term risks from funding shortfalls that could reverse health gains for children worldwide.
The spokesperson said the UN and partners are "doing all we can" to meet needs despite access constraints, funding shortfalls and insecurity, and urged increased donor support and respect for humanitarian access and protection obligations under international humanitarian law.
Provenance: The summary pulls together separate country updates and the spokesperson's statement on detained UN personnel that were presented sequentially in the briefing transcript.
