UN briefing: Syria, Yemen, DRC visit, Sudan, South Sudan, Madagascar, Haiti, Cuba and Ukraine updates
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The UN provided operational updates: continuing displacement and access challenges in Syria; welcome for Yemens new government and womens return to cabinet; Jean-Pierre Lacroix's DRC visit amid South Africas planned troop withdrawal; floods and cyclone preparedness in Madagascar; a sharp rise in gender-based violence in Haiti; Cuba fuel shortages and a partially funded recovery plan; and damage to Ukrainian power plants.
The United Nations briefing on Tuesday covered a range of international humanitarian and operational updates.
On Syria, the spokesperson said fighting had subsided in parts of Aleppo, Al-Hasakah and Raqqa after an agreement announced on Jan. 30, but nearly 160,000 people remained displaced as of Feb. 3 and humanitarian access and basic services remain constrained.
The UN welcomed the formation of a new Yemeni government led by Prime Minister Shai al Zindani and the return of women to the cabinet, saying the special envoy will continue engagement to advance an inclusive, Yemeni-led political process.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of the Department of Peace Operations, arrived to discuss peacekeeping-mandate implementation and a permanent ceasefire; the spokesperson also noted South Africa had informed the UN it will withdraw remaining contingents from the mission and that transitions will be coordinated to be "safe, orderly, and responsible."
The briefing detailed other humanitarian and operational developments: heavy rainfall and flooding in parts of Idlib and northern Latakia in Syria displaced more than 5,000 people and damaged tents and facilities; drone strikes near the Sudan-Chad border caused civilian casualties and WHO reported strikes on health facilities in South Kordofan; Madagascar had $3,000,000 released from the Central Emergency Response Fund ahead of a forecast cyclone; Haiti saw a reported rise in gender-based violence with about 8,000 cases in 2025 and limited access to emergency care; Cuba faces fuel shortages and a $74,000,000 plan of action that is roughly 23% funded; and UN colleagues in Kyiv reported attacks that damaged power plants and critical transmission lines, worsening heating and energy situations.
The spokesperson said the UN will continue to press for humanitarian access, call for more funding, and carry out on-the-ground assessments and assistance in coordination with member states and partners.