U.N. spokesperson urges cease-fire in Sudan as agency briefs on mass displacement, aid deliveries to Gaza, DRC and Syria

A United Nations spokesperson on Feb. 14 summarized a briefing by the U.N. secretary-general and humanitarian agencies, saying the secretary-general urged an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan and warned there is “no military solution” to that conflict.

The spokesperson said the office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) and partners reported increased attacks by Rapid Support Forces on the Zamzam displacement camp near El Fasher in North Darfur, including use of heavy weapons and destruction of the camp’s main market. The spokesperson said humanitarian partners estimate the camp hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced people and that World Food Programme partners are working to deliver food and nutrition assistance to about 300,000 displaced people in and around Zamzam. The spokesperson said the U.N. and partners will launch the 2025 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan in Geneva.

The U.N. briefing covered intense population movement and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The spokesperson said large numbers of people are fleeing fighting in South Kivu, with many seeking safety in Bukavu; partners reported food deliveries to roughly 12,000 people on Idjwi Island and distributions to more than 40,000 people in Kalehe, about 65 kilometers north of Bukavu. In North Kivu, humanitarian partners said unexploded ordnance and vandalism of displacement sites remain major threats in and around Goma, and health facilities and water supplies have been disrupted. The U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSCO increased patrols and opened two temporary operational bases in Lodja and Ar in Jugu territory after an attack in Ituri that the mission said killed more than 80 civilians.

On Gaza, the World Food Programme reported reaching more than 860,000 people with food parcels, hot meals, bread and cash assistance; the spokesperson said more than 19,000 metric tons of WFP food have entered Gaza. Nutrition packs were distributed to approximately 85,000 people (including children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women). WFP and cash partners provided multipurpose cash assistance to about 230,000 people; WFP has provided cash assistance to more than 90,000 people in the last two weeks, the spokesperson said. Partners are expanding distribution points in North Gaza; the World Health Organization delivered 5,000 liters of fuel to Al Adwa Aouda Hospital in North Gaza governorate and distributed 100,000 liters of fuel to hospitals in Gaza City, the spokesperson added.

In Syria, the spokesperson said 77 U.N. trucks carrying roughly 1,600 metric tons of food and other supplies crossed from Türkiye into Idlib over the preceding two days, and that nearly 200 U.N. trucks have crossed from Türkiye since the start of the year. U.N. teams completed assessment missions in parts of Aleppo and Hama governorates that showed extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure and limited health services for returnees, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson also relayed that U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and the U.N. humanitarian coordinator (named in the transcript as Tom Fletcher) will launch the Sudan appeal in Geneva.

The briefing touched on other security concerns: the spokesperson said the secretary-general had raised concerns at African Union meetings and bilaterals about Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and relayed U.N. condemnation of recent incidents in Abyei in which U.N. personnel were reportedly attacked. Journalists at the briefing asked about a reported drone attack near Chernobyl; the spokesperson said the U.N. agreed with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assessment that such an attack increased the risk of a severe nuclear incident and that “this kind of attack is not in anybody’s interest.”

The spokesperson closed noting several member states paid dues to the U.N. regular budget and that the secretary-general would deliver remarks at the African Union summit the following day.