UN spokesperson summarizes secretary-general warnings on Sudan escalation and global humanitarian crises
October 27, 2025 | United Nations, Federal
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At a United Nations press briefing, the UN spokesperson (identified in the transcript as "Steph") summarized Secretary‑General remarks and flagged multiple urgent situations worldwide, saying the capture of Al Foshar by Rapid Support Forces marked "a terrible escalation" and urging the international community to "speak clearly to all countries interfering in the war and providing weapons".
The spokesperson said the secretary‑general, speaking after events in Malaysia, also denounced continuing bloodshed in Myanmar and warned that under current conditions "any elections in Myanmar risks further exclusion and instability." The briefing noted the secretary‑general's call for leaders meeting ahead of COP30 to agree a plan to limit warming to 1.5°C and to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.
On Lebanon, the spokesperson reported an incident along the Blue Line in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade "in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol" and an Israeli tank subsequently fired a shot at peacekeepers in Kafr Kila; she said "no one was injured" and called "any action that may endanger the safety and security of peacekeepers" "completely unacceptable and must cease, immediately." The briefing added that UNIFIL commanders are in contact with the Israel Defense Forces to protest the incident.
The briefing gave the latest humanitarian figures for Gaza since the ceasefire: more than 470,000 recorded movements of people toward the north; over a weekend more than 300 truckloads of aid entered, mostly via the Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem crossing, carrying wheat flour, canned food, rice, medical supplies, shelter items, and winter clothing. The UN Office for Project Services distributed about 329,000 liters of diesel to support health, food security and telecommunications operations. Partners are operating about 170 community kitchens and 15 UN‑supported bakeries; community kitchens and shelters across hundreds of sites are distributing bread and hot meals. The spokesperson warned that destroyed structures and unexploded ordnance pose a "very grave risk" and that humanitarians have recorded about 150 explosive‑ordnance incidents since Oct. 7, 2023, causing casualties.
The spokesperson also reported OCHA data from the West Bank that since the olive harvest began on Oct. 9 there have been more than 85 reported Israeli settler attacks on farmers and their land, resulting in injuries and the vandalism of over 3,000 trees across roughly 50 villages.
Responding to a question about Yemen, the spokesperson said de facto authorities in Sanaa have arbitrarily detained another UN colleague, bringing the recent total to at least 59 UN staff detained by Houthi authorities, and that Houthi security members entered several UN offices and confiscated IT and communications equipment.
On Ukraine, the spokesperson said attacks over the weekend and that morning caused dozens of civilian casualties across Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia; evacuations from frontline communities continue. Since May the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund has released $13 million for Kharkiv to assist people near the front lines, reaching about 76,000 residents with cash, shelter, health and water‑sanitation assistance.
The spokesperson noted multilateral developments: 72 signatories had joined the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, and during the weekend a joint declaration between Cambodia and Thailand was welcomed as consolidating a July ceasefire. She also flagged an anticipatory action response for Hurricane Melissa: in Cuba the anticipatory action framework was activated and a $4,000,000 allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund was released to preposition food and essential supplies in eastern provinces.
The briefing closed with an appeal from the secretary‑general for signatures on the cybercrime convention to be translated into action and a reminder of an evening exhibit marking the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The spokesperson took reporters' questions on UN security staffing, contacts between UNIFIL and Israeli officials, reports of Israeli operations affecting Palestinians, Sudan casualty reporting, the reported withdrawal of PKK fighters, and the appointment of a UN committee to follow human rights concerns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The briefing transcript does not record formal decisions or votes; the statements are the UN's public summary of the secretary‑general's positions and recent operational figures.
The spokesperson said the secretary‑general, speaking after events in Malaysia, also denounced continuing bloodshed in Myanmar and warned that under current conditions "any elections in Myanmar risks further exclusion and instability." The briefing noted the secretary‑general's call for leaders meeting ahead of COP30 to agree a plan to limit warming to 1.5°C and to mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.
On Lebanon, the spokesperson reported an incident along the Blue Line in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade "in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol" and an Israeli tank subsequently fired a shot at peacekeepers in Kafr Kila; she said "no one was injured" and called "any action that may endanger the safety and security of peacekeepers" "completely unacceptable and must cease, immediately." The briefing added that UNIFIL commanders are in contact with the Israel Defense Forces to protest the incident.
The briefing gave the latest humanitarian figures for Gaza since the ceasefire: more than 470,000 recorded movements of people toward the north; over a weekend more than 300 truckloads of aid entered, mostly via the Kerem Shalom/Abu Salem crossing, carrying wheat flour, canned food, rice, medical supplies, shelter items, and winter clothing. The UN Office for Project Services distributed about 329,000 liters of diesel to support health, food security and telecommunications operations. Partners are operating about 170 community kitchens and 15 UN‑supported bakeries; community kitchens and shelters across hundreds of sites are distributing bread and hot meals. The spokesperson warned that destroyed structures and unexploded ordnance pose a "very grave risk" and that humanitarians have recorded about 150 explosive‑ordnance incidents since Oct. 7, 2023, causing casualties.
The spokesperson also reported OCHA data from the West Bank that since the olive harvest began on Oct. 9 there have been more than 85 reported Israeli settler attacks on farmers and their land, resulting in injuries and the vandalism of over 3,000 trees across roughly 50 villages.
Responding to a question about Yemen, the spokesperson said de facto authorities in Sanaa have arbitrarily detained another UN colleague, bringing the recent total to at least 59 UN staff detained by Houthi authorities, and that Houthi security members entered several UN offices and confiscated IT and communications equipment.
On Ukraine, the spokesperson said attacks over the weekend and that morning caused dozens of civilian casualties across Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia; evacuations from frontline communities continue. Since May the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund has released $13 million for Kharkiv to assist people near the front lines, reaching about 76,000 residents with cash, shelter, health and water‑sanitation assistance.
The spokesperson noted multilateral developments: 72 signatories had joined the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, and during the weekend a joint declaration between Cambodia and Thailand was welcomed as consolidating a July ceasefire. She also flagged an anticipatory action response for Hurricane Melissa: in Cuba the anticipatory action framework was activated and a $4,000,000 allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund was released to preposition food and essential supplies in eastern provinces.
The briefing closed with an appeal from the secretary‑general for signatures on the cybercrime convention to be translated into action and a reminder of an evening exhibit marking the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The spokesperson took reporters' questions on UN security staffing, contacts between UNIFIL and Israeli officials, reports of Israeli operations affecting Palestinians, Sudan casualty reporting, the reported withdrawal of PKK fighters, and the appointment of a UN committee to follow human rights concerns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The briefing transcript does not record formal decisions or votes; the statements are the UN's public summary of the secretary‑general's positions and recent operational figures.
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