United Nation (UN) Relief Chief issues call to action for protection and accountability for the people of Sudan
Again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise. For their country has become a grim example of twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity.
We sound again the alarm. This is the world's largest humanitarian crisis. 30 million people need lifesaving aid – half the population. A war that should be ended rages without mercy. From Kordofan to Darfur, it has left civilians trapped, starving, without the basics they need for their survival. Indiscriminate shelling, drone attacks and other air strikes kill, injure and displace people in staggering numbers. The health system has been smashed to pieces, with cholera, measles and other diseases spreading. And now the lean season is arriving. Our appeals are pitifully supported.
Where is the funding?
Meanwhile, hospitals and displacement camps have been attacked, critical infrastructure destroyed, and aid trucks hit, preventing them from getting food and essential supplies to those in such desperate need. Last week's deadly attack on a UN humanitarian convoy in North Darfur again demonstrated the vanishing protection for civilians – including aid workers. The human cost of this war – including horrific sexual violence – has been repeatedly reported and condemned, but talk has not translated into real protection for civilians or safe, unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarians.
Where is the accountability?
We call on all with influence to step up.
Protect civilians. Guarantee safe access for humanitarians. Fund their work. Insist on agreements to humanitarian pauses and other arrangements that can allow us to safely reach the areas and people worst hit. Work harder to secure a lasting, inclusive and just peace.
Despite cuts and danger, the humanitarian movement will not stop working to reach those in need. Let this time not be defined by indifference and impunity, but by a revival in human solidarity for those in greatest need, and determination to hold to account those responsible for it.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sharjah 24
3 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn' after missile barrage
Military claims 'aerial freedom' over Iran The Israeli military declared it had secured 'aerial freedom of action' stretching to Tehran. Spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin stated that Iran's capital is now 'no longer immune' from Israeli air operations. Unprecedented exchange of fire This exchange follows an unprecedented Israeli aerial campaign on Friday, which Iran says targeted nuclear facilities and killed top commanders, including General Mohammad Bagheri and Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami. Iran responded with waves of drone and missile attacks, lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, killing three people and wounding dozens. Rising tensions after years of proxy conflict After decades of proxy confrontations, this marks the first time Israel and Iran have directly traded fire at such scale, raising fears of a prolonged and broader regional conflict. Operation "Rising Lion" and the Road to Tehran Israel's military operation, dubbed Rising Lion , struck Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment site and key military figures. On Saturday, the Israeli military confirmed it had struck dozens of missile launchers and air defense systems, claiming the 'way to Iran has been paved' and that additional strikes on Tehran were imminent. Heavy civilian toll and warnings of wider retaliation Iran's UN ambassador reported that 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday's strikes. Iranian media confirmed additional deaths in Saturday's Israeli attack on a central base. Iran has warned the UK, France, and the US that any involvement in aiding Israel will result in retaliation against their regional bases. Fear, destruction across Israel Overnight, explosions and sirens echoed across Israel. Three Israelis were confirmed dead, and at least 76 were injured. Missiles hit areas near Tel Aviv, including Ramat Gan, where streets were filled with rubble and shattered vehicles. In Tel Aviv, firefighters worked for hours to rescue people trapped in a high-rise. Residents described scenes of panic and destruction. Iran responds with missile strikes Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on Israeli targets. One missile strike reportedly injured seven Israeli soldiers. Meanwhile, an explosion at Tehran's Mehrabad airport caused a fire and smoke across the city, as Iranian air defenses responded to incoming fire. Crowds gathered in the streets, waving flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans in support of Iran's response. Regional and international reactions The conflict has led several countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, to temporarily shut their airspace, though they reopened on Saturday. Iran's airspace remains closed. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides to cease fire, stating, 'Enough escalation. Time to stop.' Pope Leo XIV also called for restraint and reason. Nuclear talks in doubt Planned Iran-US nuclear talks in Oman were thrown into uncertainty following Friday's strikes. US President Donald Trump urged Iran to return to negotiations but Iran rejected talks under attack, calling them 'meaningless.' Western governments have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons—a claim Tehran denies. Conflict may stretch on When asked how long the conflict might last, Israel's ambassador to Paris estimated 'a small number of weeks,' while Prime Minister Netanyahu said operations would continue 'as many days as it takes.'
Khaleej Times
3 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE welcomes adoption of UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire
UAE welcomed the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, and the full, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. The UAE co-sponsored and voted in favour. "We will continue to support all international efforts aimed at ending the war on Gaza," the UAE mission to UN said in a statement. The Emirates will support "progress in the path toward the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel," it added.
Middle East Eye
7 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel opens fire on Palestinians seeking aid, as UN warns of relief obstruction
Israeli attacks have killed at least 15 Palestinians and wounded many others waiting to receive aid in central Gaza in the latest assault on aid seekers in recent weeks. According to local sources, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians as they gathered around relief distribution points operated and organised by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF was launched at the end of May after Israel imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza for nearly three months, which the United Nations says pushed the enclave's 2.3 million people to the verge of famine. Since its operations began, more than 274 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food at distribution sites, which are guarded by US private military contractors and overseen by Israeli forces. The UN and aid organisations have accused the US and Israel-backed GHF, which employs private American security and logistics workers, of militarising humanitarian aid. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), told reporters on Friday that aid distribution and delivery have been stalled as a result of the organisation. 'GHF, I think it's fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure. "They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people where they are, in a safe and secure manner.' Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) described the US-Israeli distribution model as a "recipe for chaos", noting that it is "also a distraction from the ongoing atrocities and a waste of resources". "It is weaponising aid and resulting in fear, discrimination, and growing desperation," it added in a post on X. Unrwa urged for the blockade on the Gaza Strip to be lifted and for the UN to resume operations, stressing that "aid must be delivered safely and at scale". Gaza foundation is a humanitarian face to mask Israel's genocide Read More » In another post, the agency warned that restrictions and hostilities continue to "obstruct humanitarian aid deliveries in #Gaza". Israeli forces have killed more than 55,297 Palestinians in Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as a genocide. Since the early hours of Saturday, Israeli shelling has killed more than 23 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, with the Wafa news agency reporting the heaviest bombardment in the central region. In Gaza City, several were killed and wounded after a strike hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians near al-Khaldi Mosque. Meanwhile, artillery shelling was reported in al-Tuffah neighbourhood, in Gaza's Old City. Reports from the south of the enclave noted that at least three Palestinians were killed in a drone strike near the Islamic University in Khan Younis. In the same governorate, Israeli troops launched attacks targeting the Hamad City residential towers and the Asdaa area, with tanks opening fire on displaced Palestinians.
