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  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo crisis: Thousands flee clashes in South Kivu

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Continued clashes in South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are triggering mass displacement and causing civilian casualties, UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA said on Friday. 

    Escalating fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese troops has caused thousands of people to flee, with many heading towards the provincial capital, Bukavu – where UN humanitarian agencies in the east are now located following the fall of Goma.

    Local aid partners report that a bombing on Thursday resulted in three civilians being injured and power infrastructure damaged in the town of Nyabibwe, located some 60 kilometres north of Bukavu.

    This happened a day after three workers with a non-governmental organization (NGO) were killed in North Kivu province under circumstances that remain unclear. 

    Humanitarians at risk

    “This incident is a reminder of the unacceptable risks facing aid workers,” said OCHA, adding that the NGO has had to suspend food and agriculture assistance in the area, affecting 36,000 people.

    Elsewhere in North Kivu, OCHA and humanitarian partners continue to assess conditions in and around Goma, where hundreds of thousands of people are still on the move.

     An assessment this week estimates that nearly 33,000 people have returned to villages in Nyiragongo Territory, immediately northeast of the city.

    Health facilities destroyed

    Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that health facilities in North Kivu have been heavily impacted by recent violence.  Many are destroyed while some others struggle to restart operations.

    Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, mental health and other routine services are also affected as medicines have run out, and health workers are either absent or overburdened.

    WHO warned that the threat of infectious diseases has multiplied in a region where cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, mpox and tuberculosis are among the major concerns.

    Water supply in Goma was disrupted and has been partially restored in some areas, leading people to rely on water from the lake and heightening the risk of cholera. Nearly 600 suspected cases of the disease, and 14 deaths, were reported in North Kivu between 1 and 27 January.

    In response to the crisis, WHO has deployed emergency medical supplies, hygiene and water treatment supplies, and tents to increase hospital capacity by 1,000 beds.  However supplies are being depleted rapidly, and more resources are urgently needed.

    On Friday, leaders from East and Southern Africa met in Tanzania for a summit on the crisis in the eastern DRC, which was also the focus of a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

    The situation will again be discussed at a Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Ethiopia next week, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres will attend.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Egypt malaria-free, tropical storm lashes Cuba, Mozambique killings, WHO support for South Sudan

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Health

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially certified Egypt as malaria-free. The achievement marks the culmination of a century-long effort to eradicate a disease that has plagued the nation since ancient times.

    “Malaria is as old as Egyptian civilisation itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history and not its future,” said Tedros Adhanom-Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

    “This certification of Egypt as malaria-free is truly historic, and a testament to the commitment of the people and Government of Egypt to rid themselves of this ancient scourge.”

    Egypt’s success story represents a significant victory in the global fight against malaria, especially for a country with a population exceeding 100 million.

    Growing list

    In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, Egypt becomes only the third country to receive this certification, following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

    Egypt joins a group of 44 countries and one territory worldwide that have achieved this status.

    Tedros emphasised the broader implications of this achievement.

    “I congratulate Egypt on this achievement, which is an inspiration to other countries in the region, and shows what’s possible with the right resources and right tools.”

    UN ready to support Cuba, as millions left without power

    The UN Country Team in Cuba stands ready to support the Caribbean nation and mobilise technical assistance amidst reports of rolling power outages and a slow-moving tropical storm which threatens flooding in both urban and rural areas.

    Cuba’s power grid reportedly failed on Friday after weeks of rolling outages, leaving an estimated 10 million without electricity. There have been three other crashes up to Monday, all of which is being compounded by Tropical Storm Oscar, which made landfall on Sunday.

    According to news reports, the Cuban Government has said the weeks of worsening blackouts are due to infrastructure problems, fuel shortages and rising demand, together with the impact of the United States trade embargo and an inability to acquire spare parts for Cuba’s oil-fired fuel plants, resulting from economic sanctions.

    Significant rain

    “The strong but slow-moving storm has generated significant rainfall in the eastern and central parts of Cuba over the past few days,” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, at the regular press briefing in New York on Monday.

    “The slow movement of the storm at only four kilometres an hour will compound the situation with more rainfall and potential flooding in the coming hours.”

    He said the UN was aware of the reported ongoing outages adding that under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator in Cuba Francisco Pichon, “we stand ready to support and mobilise technical assistance if needed. The UN Emergency Technical Team is activated and in touch with national counterparts.”

    Mr. Haq said the storm was also impacting the Bahamas where the UN is working together with local and regional authorities to respond as necessary.

    Guterres calls for swift probe into killing of opposition figures in Mozambique

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed for calm in Mozambique following the killing of two opposition figures amid a dispute over elections held earlier this month.

    Elvino Dias, legal advisor to presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, the legal representative of the political party PODEMOS, were gunned down in the capital, Maputo, on Friday night.

    PODEMOS rejected provisional results of the 9 October presidential elections which showed that the FRELIMO party, which has ruled Mozambique for nearly 50 years, was in the lead.

    Secretary-General Guterres urged the authorities to swiftly investigate the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice.

    He called on all Mozambicans, including political leaders and their supporters, to remain calm, exercise restraint and reject all forms of violence ahead of the official announcement of the electoral results.

    He also reaffirmed the UN’s unwavering support to peace and stability in Mozambique during this important phase in the country’s history.

    WHO supports South Sudan amid severe flooding

    The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with authorities and partners in South Sudan as the country faces some of the worst flooding in decades, affecting 42 out of 78 counties and impacting some 890,000 people.

    Although heavy downpours during the rainy season between April and November often trigger floods, they have become increasingly severe due to climate change, WHO said.

    So far, more than 226,000 people have been displaced, and roads and key infrastructure have been submerged. This includes 58 health facilities, while nearly 90 others are inaccessible.

    The floods have exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation in the country, which is hosting almost 800,000 refugees and returnees fleeing the war in neighbouring Sudan.

    Most refugees and returnees pass through Renk county in Upper Nile state, where two suspected cholera cases have been detected. Meanwhile, malaria is on the rise, with more than 120,000 suspected cases and 31 suspected deaths as of late September.

    WHO has distributed about 88 metric tonnes of emergency health kits to Renk and other key locations to assist flood-affected communities. The kits can treat over 870,000 people and include critical medical supplies such cholera treatment and antimalarial drugs.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Israeli military operation displaces 40,000 in the West Bank

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    The forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the northern part of the West Bank is escalating at an alarming pace, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees UNRWA warned on Monday. 

    Several refugee camps are nearly empty after Israeli forces launched Operation Iron Wall on 21 January, making it the longest operation in the West Bank since the second intifada, according to the agency.

    The operation started in Jenin camp and then expanded to Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and El Far’a camps, displacing 40,000 Palestine refugees. 

    UNRWA said thousands of families have been forcibly displaced since Israel began carrying out large-scale operations in the occupied West Bank in mid-2023. 

    Cycle of displacement

    “Repeated and destructive operations have rendered the northern refugee camps uninhabitable, trapping residents in cyclical displacement,” the agency stressed.

    Last year more than 60 per cent of displacement was a result of Israel Defense Forces operations.

    UNRWA said forced displacement in the occupied West Bank is the result of an increasingly dangerous and coercive environment.

    “The use of air strikes, armoured bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli Forces has become commonplace – a spillover of the war in Gaza,” the agency noted.

    Palestinian militant activity

    Meanwhile, armed Palestinians are also increasingly active in the northern West Bank, deploying improvised explosive devices inside refugee camps, including near UNRWA facilities and civilian infrastructure. 

    The militants have engaged in violent clashes with both Israeli and Palestinian forces, UNRWA said. Furthermore, from December 2024 onwards, Palestinian forces operations further exacerbated displacement from Jenin camp. 

    New laws in effect

    UNRWA reiterated that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times and that collective punishment is never acceptable.

    “Jenin Camp stands empty today, evoking memories of the second intifada. This scene stands to be repeated in other camps,” the agency said.

    UNRWA stated that it no longer has any contact with the Israeli authorities following the implementation of two laws on 30 January, thus making it impossible to raise concerns about civilian suffering or the urgent need for humanitarian aid delivery.

    The situation “puts at grave risk the lives of Palestine Refugees and the UNRWA staff that serve them.”

    The laws ban UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and prohibit Israeli officials from having any contact with the agency. 

    Separately, UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said ongoing operations by Israeli forces in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas continue to cause civilian casualties, with at least 40 people reportedly killed since 21 January.

    The UN and partners continue to support Palestinians affected by the ongoing operation in Jenin, which continues to drive displacement. OCHA said the World Food Programme (WFP) and partners have reached nearly 1,200 households with cash assistance. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN chief tells President Putin Russian invasion violates UN Charter

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    UN Affairs

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that his country’s on-going invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter and international law.

    Their meeting took place on Thursday, in Kazan, Russia, the venue for the 16th BRICS Summit.

    In a post on social media platform X, Mr. Guterres wrote on Friday that during the meeting, he had emphasized to President Putin the illegality of the Russian invasion.

    “I reiterated the points I made in the Summit session,” Mr. Guterres said.

    The BRICS group was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006 – with South Africa joining in 2010 – and has since expanded to a bloc of nations which collectively represents nearly half of the world’s population.

    Addressing the Summit on Thursday, the Secretary-General highlighted the need for peace in Ukraine, “a just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.”

    He also emphasized the importance of upholding everywhere the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States.

    In his meeting with Mr. Putin, Secretary-General Guterres also expressed his strong support for the establishment of an agreement for safe navigation in the Black Sea, which an essential avenue for global food security.

    “The Secretary-General expressed his belief that establishing freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is of paramount importance for Ukraine, the Russian Federation and for the world’s food and energy security,” according to a readout of the meeting issued by the Mr. Guterres’ spokesperson.  

    “He fully supports the continuation of negotiations in this regard and expresses his deep appreciation for the work being done by Türkiye,” the readout added.

    Transport of agricultural goods, in particular grain from Ukraine and other ports on the Black Sea, as well as fertilizers have been severely affected since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, jeopardizing food security and skyrocketing prices globally.

    Brokered by the UN and Türkiye in July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the subsequent parallel accord between UN and Russia were crucial in restoring trade in the vital commodities.  

    The Initiative was not renewed after its third term, which expired on 17 July 2023, impacting again the trade route.

    At a news briefing in New York on Friday, a UN spokesperson addressed questions about Secretary-General António Guterres’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite an active International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against the Russian leader.

    UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said that any engagement between UN officials and individuals under indictment is based strictly on operational necessity.

    “There are very clear operational issues that we have to deal with,” Mr. Haq explained, referring to the readout from the meeting and noted concerns about the war in Ukraine and safe navigation in the Black Sea.

    “These are all reasons for having a meeting such as this, again, under strict conditions in terms of dealing with operational matters, while you have to deal with indicted personnel.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Aid activities suspended in Yemeni governorate, Gaza humanitarian update, UN welcomes summit on DR Congo crisis

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    The UN Secretary-General has instructed agencies, funds and programmes to pause all activities in Sa’ada governorate in Yemen for security reasons, the global body said on Monday. 

    The decision follows the recent detention by the Houthi de facto authorities of eight additional UN personnel, including six working in Sa’ada, which has impacted operations.

    The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have been holding dozens of staff from the UN, international organizations and diplomatic missions for more than a year.

    “This extraordinary and temporary measure seeks to balance the imperative to stay and deliver with the need to have the safety and security of the UN personnel and its partners guaranteed,” said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking during the daily media briefing from New York.

    He said the pause aims to give time to the de facto authorities and the UN “to arrange the release of arbitrarily detained UN personnel and ensure that the necessary conditions are in place to deliver critical humanitarian support guided by the principles of impartiality, neutrality, independence and humanity.”

    The UN underlined its full commitment to assist the millions of people in need across Yemen, where Houthi rebels and Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been fighting for more than a decade.

    © WHO

    People displaced by the war are slowly returning to their homes across Gaza.

    Humanitarians continue to return to newly accessible areas of Gaza

    More than 1.5 million people in Gaza have received food parcels since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on 19 January, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Monday.

    The UN and partners continue to observe movement across the Netzarim corridor that separates the north and the south of the enclave as people return to their neighbourhoods.

    They also continue to re-establish their presence in newly accessible areas across the Strip. 

    Food, water and healthcare

    The World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food parcels, hot meals and cash to more than 860,000 people in Gaza, OCHA said, and partners are providing more meals as community kitchens open in new areas. 

    Repair work continues on water wells across the enclave.  However, the widespread destruction of infrastructure and shortages of spare parts, generators and solar panels are affecting efforts to increase water production.      

    Nearly 60 health partners provide primary and secondary health services across the Gaza Strip, ensuring access to essential care. 

    The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is distributing sexual and reproductive health supplies expected to benefit more than 65,000 people over the next three weeks. 

    UNFPA has also supported another health partner which has opened three temporary primary healthcare centres in Gaza and a temporary medical point in Jabalya in the north.

    OCHA reported that recent winter storms destroyed at least five child-friendly spaces in Khan Younis and the Middle Area in Gaza.

    The storms also destroyed the Jabalya women and girls’ safe space, the largest such site in the north, serving nearly 500 women and girls each month.

    WFP

    Women in Goma in the eastern DR Congo collect food provider by the UN and its partners.

    UN welcomes Tanzania summit on eastern DRC crisis

    The UN has welcomed a recent meeting of African leaders to address the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    The joint summit by the Southern African bloc, SADC, and the East African Community (EAC) was held in Tanzania on Saturday. Participants reaffirmed the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC.

    Fighting escalated in late January when M23 rebels, who are backed by Rwanda, seized control of parts of North Kivu province, including the regional capital Goma.

    Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the Organization remains committed to supporting the immediate measures announced, including an immediate ceasefire, the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid, and efforts to ensure the security of Goma and its key infrastructure.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: New UN relief chief takes office

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Humanitarian Aid

    Tom Fletcher, UN’s new chief of humanitarian affairs, took office on Monday, pledging to defend humanitarian values while navigating operations amid growing global crises.

    Mr. Fletcher, a former UK Ambassador and policy adviser to three British Prime Ministers, was appointed UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator by Secretary-General António Guterres last month.

    In his new role, he will also head the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

    He succeeds Martin Griffiths, also from the UK, who stepped down at the end of June for health reasons. In the interim, Joyce Msuya, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, served as acting Under-Secretary-General.

    ‘No illusions’

    As the new top humanitarian official, Mr. Fletcher acknowledged that he is “under no illusion as to how tough this mission is.”

    “The impact on civilians of conflict, climate change, inequality and injustice is growing at a staggering rate,” he said.

    “I will defend our humanitarian movement and humanitarian values, and battle to make us more efficient, strategic, inclusive and innovative. We must win afresh the argument for international solidarity,” he added.

    Before his appointment, Mr. Fletcher was Principal of Hertford College, Oxford, and Vice Chair of Oxford University’s Conference of Colleges.

    He brings extensive experience in leading and transforming organizations, along with a strong background in diplomacy, having previously served as Global Strategy Director at the Global Business Coalition for Education, according to a UN biographical note.

    Mr. Fletcher also worked closely with the UN during his UK diplomatic career in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, including as Head of the Middle East Peace Process at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Humanitarians uphold commitment to support civilians in eastern DR Congo

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Despite significant challenges, humanitarians “plan to stay and deliver” in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 Movement and national forces continues, a senior UN aid official said on Tuesday. 

    Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, updated journalists on latest developments and obstacles to aid delivery, which include loss of critical supplies to looting and the impact of the decision by the United States to suspend billions in foreign aid.

    The DRC was the largest recipient of US humanitarian assistance in the world in 2024, and 70 per cent of the $1.3 billion in funding received that year came from Washington.

    A wider problem

    Mr. Lemarquis said the situation in the east remains extremely volatile, with escalating armed clashes, mass displacement and increasing insecurity in both North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

    Since January, the M23 have been on an unprecedented advance across the volatile mineral-rich region. 

    The rebels captured the main city, Goma, on 27 January, leaving some 2,900 people dead and many more injured. They are continuing a march towards Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.

    “But there are more than the M23 in the DRC,” said Mr. Lemarquis, speaking from the capital, Kinshasa.  “For example, this morning we learned that at least 52 civilians were reportedly killed in Ituri by the armed group called CODECO.”

    Clashes and consequences

    He said the M23 and Rwandan forces are advancing towards the Kavumu Airport which is located close to Bukavu, home to roughly 1.3 million people.

    “Clashes are ongoing, including today, and they’re likely to continue, and the M23 may use alternative routes to progress towards the town of Bukavu in the coming days, with again massive consequences on the civilian population,” he warned.

    The M23, which is part of a political-military coalition called Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), is largely in control of Goma and they have appointed de facto authorities including a governor and mayor.  

    The situation in the city “remains tense and far from normal” due to the ongoing occupation. Although security has improved in some areas, concerns persist. 

    ‘Mob justice’ and other threats

    Mr. Lemarquis said the past few days have seen “recourse to mob justice in a context of proliferation of light weapons and ammunition, and the looting of court houses.” This presents a further challenge to “reinstating the rule of law in a zone with a tragic legacy of gross humanitarian gross human rights violations and impunity,” he added.

    “Furthermore, several human rights defenders, in particular those working on issues of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as journalists, report persistent threats and incidents of forced disappearance and summary execution targeting them,” he continued.

    © UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

    A displaced family sit in front of their makeshift shelter in Goma, North Kivu province, DR Congo.

    Lack of services

    Meanwhile, many people in Goma are still facing difficult humanitarian conditions. Essential services, particularly water and electricity, are not yet fully operational.  As a result, many are using water directly from Lake Kivu, thus increasing the risk of contracting waterborne diseases. 

    Mr. Lemarquis noted, however, that things have improved slightly as efforts are underway to restore electricity and to re-establish the water supply.  School activities have partially resumed after a two-week suspension due to the fighting, though many teachers remain uncertain about their status and pay under the new de facto authorities.

    Public services also remain partially functional in Goma, with a limited number of civil servants having returned to work because of the uncertainty, but hospitals are still overwhelmed.

    “Mortuaries are saturated, and medical teams have to cope with an unprecedented number of war wounded, with a shortage of medicine and medical supplies,” he said.

    “Risks of epidemics are high in the city, in particular cholera and mpox. Food prices have risen, and more and more people need food assistance every day.”

    Commitment to stay

    Against this complex backdrop, humanitarian partners remain on the ground working to prevent and alleviate suffering, he said. They are also moving to strengthen response now that the situation has stabilized, and several colleagues who were evacuated or relocated will be brought back.

    However, some key challenges remain. Mr. Lemarquis said many facilities belonging to the UN and international aid agencies were looted during the height of the fighting in Goma, and millions of dollars in supplies were lost.

    Getting aid to Goma is another major obstacle as the airport there remains closed and non-operational.

    “Without this airport we cannot evacuate the seriously injured, transport the necessary medical supplies or bring in humanitarian reinforcement,” he said. “All parties must act now to work together to re-open the airport and allow humanitarian flights to resume.”

    A ‘new reality’

    Humanitarians are also affected by the “new reality in Goma” as they navigate customs and border-related issues, while their final challenge concerns the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily suspend foreign aid.  

    “This is a major source of concern with several UN agencies and international NGOs active on the ground having seen their operations at best severely impact, if not halted,” he said.

    “Our humanitarian response is the most dependent in the world on US assistance. We were 70 per cent funded by US funding, so this is having major impact.”

    US aid cuts

    In response to a journalist’s question, Mr. Lemarquis explained that humanitarians required $2.5 billion for their operations in 2024 and garnered $1.3 billion – the highest amount ever received in the DRC for humanitarian response. Of the total, $910 million came from the US alone. 

    “The ultra-dependence on US funding means a lot of programmes had to shut down on everything we are doing. So, it’s emergency health, it’s emergency shelter…it’s coordination capacity,” he said. 

    “The only exception so far, but we hope there will be more exceptions, was emergency food assistance.”

    Appeal for international support

    Yet “despite these challenges, we aim to stay and deliver,” said Mr. Lemarquis. 

    On behalf of the humanitarian community, he reiterated the call for “all the parties to end hostilities and to return to the political process.”

    He also urged the international community “to intensify its support for the humanitarian response in this complicated area.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas commander

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Judges on the ICC said there were reasonable grounds that the three men bore “criminal responsibility” for the alleged crimes committed “from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024” – the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest – the Court said in a press release.

    “With regard to the crimes, the [Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I] found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Netanyahu…and Mr. Gallant…bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts,” said the ICC.  

    The arrest warrants followed the ICC’s rejection of Israel’s challenges to the Court’s jurisdiction.

    Warrant against Hamas commander

    The warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif also alleges crimes against humanity and war crimes, although Israel has said that he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July.  

    “The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Deif … is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence.”

    Investigations continue

    The ICC said it was continuing to gather information regarding the reported death of Mr. Deif. As of 15 November, his status is unknown.  

    “The Prosecution also noted that it continues to investigate the crimes in the ongoing conflict and envisions that further applications for warrants of arrest will be submitted,” the release added.

    The Prosecution had initially filed applications for warrants of arrest for two other senior Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. However, these were withdrawn following confirmations of their deaths.

    ‘In the interest of victims and their families’

    The three arrest warrants are classified as “secret” to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of investigations.

    However, the Chamber decided to release the information due to the continuation of the war and likely violations of international law that are continuing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the fact hostages continue to be held in Gaza.

    “The Chamber considers it is also in the interest of victims and their families to be aware of the warrant’s existence,” the Court said.

    Prosecutor calls for focus on victims

    In a statement issued later on Thursday the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that “our collective mind and focus should be on the victims of international crimes in Israel and in the State of Palestine.”

    He said during meetings with the victims and families of hostages taken on 7 October “and with victims from Gaza who have lost so many loved ones, I have underlined that the law is there for all, that its role is to vindicate the rights of all persons.”

    He stressed that the warrants had been sought in May following an independent investigation, and on the basis of objective, verifiable evidence, vetted through a forensic process.

    “I appeal to all States Parties to live up to their commitment to the Rome Statute by respecting and complying with these judicial orders,” said Mr. Khan. “We count on their cooperation in this situation, as with all other situations under the Court’s jurisdiction. We also welcome collaboration with non-States Parties in working towards accountability and upholding international law.”

    About the ICC

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) is not part of the United Nations but they have a cooperative and complementary relationship.

    The ICC is an independent judicial body established by the Rome Statute, which was adopted in 1998 and came into force in 2002.

    It was established to address serious international crimes and ensure accountability when national justice systems are unable or unwilling to act.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: The trial that brought down a warlord

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Our team took the Anthem Award’s gold medal in the diversity, equity and inclusion category announced earlier this week. The documentary follows the intricate proceedings that saw the DR Congo’s military court system prosecute Sheka in a landmark case followed around the world.

    Watch the full UN Video documentary directed by Nathan Beriro below:

    Read our feature story published in July last year that accompanied the video’s release:

    For 96 hours, the orders kept coming. By the end, 287 people were dead, 387 women and children had been raped and 13 villages in eastern DR Congo had been robbed of any sense of normalcy.

    The trial of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka was the most emblematic, complex case the court in North Kivu province had ever handled, and its proceedings and final judgement in 2020 provide a compelling example of how to bring a war criminal to justice.

    UN News took a closer look at a trial that provides an important case study for nations meting out criminal justice around the world. The case also illustrates the importance of UN peace operations’s support to national justice and security institutions.

    MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti

    Residents of Bunia in DR Congo protesting the capture by the M23 rebel group of Goma in 2012. (file)

    The crimes: ‘On a scale never seen’

    On 30 July 2010, armed members of the militia Nduma Défense of Congo (NDC) fanned out across 13 remote villages in restive, resource-rich Walikale, the largest territory in North Kivu, 150 kilometres west of the provincial capital of Goma.

    Situated within a large equatorial forest, the area had been plagued by two decades of conflict, with myriad armed groups fighting to control lucrative mines, including those extracting tin’s primary mineral, cassiterite.

    The then 34-year-old Mr. Sheka – a former miner who founded a year earlier what Goma’s chief military prosecutor called the area’s “most organised” armed group, complete with units, brigades, battalions, and companies – had given his orders.

    For four days and nights, his recruits discharged them.

    “Sheka wasn’t just anyone,” Nadine Sayiba Mpila, the lawyer representing civil parties in the case, told UN News. “Sheka committed crimes on a scale never seen in DR Congo.”

    She described how his soldiers “would slaughter people and put the heads of these people on stakes and walk through the streets of the villages to say this is what awaits you if you don’t denounce what he called ‘the enemies’”.

    By 2 August 2010, the armed militia had begun to fully occupy the villages.

    UN Photo

    Sheka (second from left) led an armed group in eastern DR Congo. (file)

    The warrant: Wanted for war crimes

    Those who could, fled to safety. Some sought medical help from a nearby non-governmental organization (NGO).

    Within two weeks, the survivors’s stories had reached the authorities. Media reports headlined the attacks as “mass rapes”. The UN Mission in the country, MONUSCO, supported the deployment of a police contingent.

    By November 2010, a case was brought against the warlord. Congolese authorities then issued a national arrest warrant for Mr. Sheka, and the UN Security Council added him to its sanctions list.

    Mandated to protect civilians and support national authorities, MONUSCO launched Operation Silent Valley in early August 2011, helping residents to safely return to their villages.

    ‘No choice but to surrender’

    Mr. Sheka was now a fugitive. Also known as the Mai-Mai militia, NDC continued to operate in the area along with other armed groups.

    “Cornered on all sides, he was now weakened and had no choice but to surrender,” said Colonel Ndaka Mbwedi Hyppolite, Chief Prosecutor of the Operational Military Court of North Kivu, which tried Mr. Sheka’s case.

    He turned himself in on 26 July 2017 to MONUSCO, who handed him over to Congolese authorities, which in turn charged him with war crimes, including murder, sexual slavery, recruitment of children, looting and rape.

    “The time had come to tell the truth and face the consequences of the truth,” Ms. Sayiba said.

    MONUSCO

    The trial of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka. (file)

    The trial: 3,000 pieces of evidence

    Ahead of the trial, UN peacekeepers helped to build the detention cells that housed Mr. Sheka and the courtroom itself, where military court proceedings unfolded over two years, pausing from March to June 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Starting in November 2018, the court would consider 3,000 pieces of evidence and hear from 178 witnesses at 108 hearings.

    Their testimonies played a key role, representing the prosecution’s “last resort” to prove that crimes had been committed, said Patient Iraguha, Senior Legal Advisor for TRIAL International in DRC, who helped authorities with the case.

    But, getting victims to testify was a serious challenge, the Congolese prosecutors said.

    During the trial, Mr. Sheka had “reached out to certain victims to intimidate them”, jeopardising their willingness to appear in court. However, a joint effort involving the UN and such partners as TRIAL International changed that, Ms. Sayiba explained.

    MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti

    People displaced by fighting between M23 and national armed forces set up camp in late 2012 on the outskirts of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. (file)

    Colonel Ndaka agreed, adding that some rape victims also feared being stigmatised by society. Protection measures were established, and judicial authorities were able to gather evidence in collaboration with MONUSCO, which also trained the judiciary in international criminal law procedures, giving the court sufficient knowledge to properly investigate the case, he said.

    “When the Congolese authorities had to go into the field to investigate or to listen to the victims, they were surrounded by a MONUSCO contingent,” he said. “The victims who did appear did so thanks to the support provided by our partners.”

    MONUSCO and the UN Justice and Corrections Service provided technical, logistical and financial support throughout the investigation and trial, empowering the country’s judicial system to investigate and prosecute serious crimes while protecting the victims.

    Tonderai Chikuhwa, Chief of Staff at the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, recalled hearing first-hand about the crimes.

    “The harrowing testimonies I heard from survivors in seven villages from Kibua to Mpofu in Walikale in 2010 are indelibly etched on my mind,” he wrote on social media at the time.

    The first witnesses to appear in court were six children, with victims testifying through July 2020.

    “After his testimony before the jury, Sheka started crying,” Ms. Sayiba recalled. “A defendant’s tears are a response. I believe Sheka realised that he was now alone. He had to take responsibility for his actions.”

    MONUSCO

    Trial of Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka.

    The verdict: Congolese justice ‘did it’

    On 23 November 2020, the Operational Military Court sentenced Mr. Sheka to life in prison.

    “This marks an important step forward in combating impunity for perpetrators of child recruitment and other grave violations,” the UN Secretary-General wrote about the case in his 2022 report on children and armed conflict in the DRC.

    Yet, in 2022, the country had the world’s highest number of cases of conflict-related sexual violence, his Special Representative on the topic told the UN Security Council last year, presenting the latest related report.

    “We must act urgently, and with sustained resolve, to save succeeding generations from this scourge,” said Pramila Patten, adding that “so many” women she met during a visit last year to the DRC “stressed the daily risk of sexual violence while carrying out livelihood activities”.

    She had welcomed Mr. Sheka’s conviction, calling it “a formidable example showing that no individual, no matter how powerful, is immune from being held accountable for those violations”.

    Indeed, the trial sent “a great message”, said Ms. Sayiba, adding that the verdict was “an assurance to the victims who could now see that their testimonies were not in vain”.

    For Colonel Ndaka, the verdict was “a source of pride for myself, for my country, for Congolese justice”.

    Today, the UN continues to support efforts to end impunity in the DRC, including with help from the UN Team of Experts on the rule of law and sexual violence in conflict, and in Central African Republic, Mali, South Sudan and other nations. In North Kivu, the Public Prosecutor’s Office expanded in June, with UN support, into the Peace Court of Goma.

    Mr. Sheka, now 48, continues his life sentence in a facility in the capital, Kinshasa.

    “The fact that Sheka was tried and sentenced is proof that the rule of law exists and that you cannot remain unpunished when you have committed the gravest, most abominable crimes,” Colonel Ndaka said. “Congolese justice could do it, with will, determination and means. It was able to do it, and it did it.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel, Hamas leadership: what happens next?

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Why have the warrants been issued?

    The ICC can only investigate and prosecute if the national judicial system of the countries concerned are not, in the eyes of the Court, conducting genuine investigations or prosecutions for the same alleged crimes.

    “The primary responsibility is for the national judicial systems,” Fadi El Abdallah, the ICC spokesperson, told UN News. “However, if there are no genuine investigations or prosecutions, then the court has to investigate and to prosecute where the legal conditions are met. So that means that it’s not enough to have a legal system, but there is a need to demonstrate that this legal system is active in relation to crimes or alleged crimes.”

    The warrants, related to alleged war crimes stemming from the year-long Gaza conflict triggered by the Hamas-led attacks in Israel, indicate that the judges have found reasonable grounds to believe the suspects are responsible for crimes under ICC jurisdiction.

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    This is just the first step

    At the pre-trial stage, for the defendants to challenge the admissibility of the proceedings. “It’s possible either for the concerned state or for the concerned suspect to seek from the ICC to stop the proceedings against him or her,” says Mr. El Abdallah, “but that has to be based on evidence that there are genuine serious prosecutions, at the national level, for the same alleged conduct.”

    It is also important to note that the ICC does not conduct trials in absentia: the defendants must be physically present in order for the case to begin.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt before the ICC. Each defendant is entitled to public and impartial proceedings. If and when suspects appear, they are provided with a defence team if needed, and undergo a confirmation of charges hearing before the case can proceed to trial.

    Once the defendants appear before the court, a “confirmation of charges” hearing takes place, at which the judges will decide, after having listened to the defence, whether the prosecutor evidence is still solid enough for the case to move to trial.

    If they decide to go ahead, the defence and prosecution will call witnesses and present evidence. Legal representative of the victims also have the rights to present their observations in person.

    The court then decides if the defendants are innocent or guilty, and what their sentence should be.

    Finally, the defendants have the right to appeal to the ICC Appeals Chamber, made up of five judges, different from the three judges of the pretrial and the other three trial judges.

    How significant are these warrants?

    The answer to this question lies in the reason the court was set up in the first place. Created in 2002, the ICC is the world’s first permanent, treaty-based international criminal court to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and the crime of aggression.

    The warrants send a signal that the rule of law must be upheld, and provide a legal avenue for justice, which is crucial to breaking the cycle of violence and revenge.

    Countries that recognize the Court are obliged to support the warrants

    The court has no police to enforce its warrants and depends on its member States to implement its orders. This means that, if Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Gallant or Mr. Deif (whom Israel claims to have killed, although this has not been confirmed by Hamas) visit one of the 124 countries that accept the Court’s jurisdiction, the authorities of the nation in question should arrest them and deliver them to a detention centre in the Netherlands, where the Court is based.

    Why issue the warrants, if the defendants are unlikely to come to trial?

    “The judges have decided, based on the evidence and on the rule of law as they have interpreted them, and we need to respect that,” declares Mr. El Abdallah.

    “It is important to let people believe that the law is there for them, and to believe that justice will be done, because if not, what choices are we leaving to them, other than continuing in the cycle of violence and revenge?”

    About the ICC

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) is not part of the United Nations but they have a cooperative and complementary relationship.

    The ICC is an independent judicial body established by the Rome Statute, which was adopted in 1998 and came into force in 2002.

    It was established to address serious international crimes and ensure accountability when national justice systems are unable or unwilling to act.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Landmark climate change hearings represent largest ever case before UN world court

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Climate and Environment

    A record number of oral statements are expected to be presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as highly awaited public hearings on States’ legal obligations with respect to climate change got underway on Monday.

    The hearings are part of the process towards the court issuing an advisory opinion, which will clarify States’ legal obligations under international law and the consequences for breaching them.

    They are scheduled to take place from 2 December until 13 December in the Hague, Netherlands.

    Here are five things you need to know about the historic proceedings:

    1.What are the hearings about?

    The hearings broadly concern the obligations of States with respect to climate change and the legal consequences of these obligations. They are significant because they represent the international community’s efforts to come up with a legal framework for addressing climate change. 

    More simply put, the court is being asked to provide clarity on international law with respect to climate change. The legal advice it provides may in turn influence any multilateral processes involving climate action.

    The two central questions asked of the court are as follows: 

    1.What are the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic [human caused] emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations;

    2.What are the legal consequences under these obligations for States where they, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment, with respect to:

    a. States, including, in particular, small island developing States, which due to their geographical circumstances and level of development, are injured or specifically affected by, or are particularly vulnerable to, the adverse effects of climate change?

    b. Peoples and individuals of the present and future generations affected by the adverse effects of climate change? 

    © UNICEF/Vlad Sokhin

    Children in a Pacific Island stand in an area heavily affected by sea level rise and coastal erosion.

    2.How did this case come to the ICJ? 

    In September 2021, the Pacific island of Vanuatu announced its intention to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ on climate change. It explained that this initiative, which had been pushed for by the youth group Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, was necessitated by its vulnerability and that of other small island developing States to climate change and the need for increased action to address the global climate crisis. 

    Vanuatu then lobbied other countries to support this initiative and formed the core group of UN Member States to take the initiative forward in the General Assembly. 

    The discussions within the core group led to the development of resolution A/RES/77/276, which was eventually adopted by the General Assembly on 29 March 2023. A total of 132 countries co-sponsored the resolution. 

    The resolution drew upon “particular regard” to the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Paris Agreement, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and rights recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “the principle of prevention of significant harm to the environment and the duty to protect and preserve the marine environment”. 

    The request was transmitted to the court by the UN Secretary-General in a letter dated 12 April 2023. 

    3.Who is authorised to request advisory opinions and what happens next? 

    Advisory proceedings are only open to five organs of the United Nations and 16 specialised agencies of the UN.  While the UN General Assembly and Security Council may request advisory opinions on “any legal question”, the other UN organs and specialised agencies can only do so with respect to “legal questions arising within the scope of their activities”. The majority of advisory opinions have been requested by the UN General Assembly. 

    As a rule, organizations and States authorised to participate in the proceedings submit written statements, followed by written comments on the other statements submitted if the court considers it necessary. 

    The court will decide whether to hold oral proceedings, after which the advisory opinion is delivered following a sitting of the court.   

    4.Why is this case so significant?

    This case is the largest ever seen by the world court, with 91 written statements filed with the court’s registry alongside 62 written comments on these statements submitted by the court’s extended deadline of 15 August 2024. 

    A similar record number of 97 States and eleven international organizations are scheduled to participate in the oral proceedings. These hearings are a chance for countries and organizations to elaborate on their written statements and testify directly. 

    The proceedings have particular importance for the small island developing States which initially pushed for the opinion. Significantly, they are taking place just one week after developing nations criticised a deal at COP29 to provide $300 billion a year in climate finance by 2035, calling the agreement “insulting” and arguing it did not give them the vital resources they require to truly address the complexities of the climate crisis.

    “We are literally sinking,” one representative said following COP29, pointing out the agreement highlighted “what a very different boat our vulnerable countries are in, compared to the developed countries”. 

    With small island developing States already facing some of the worst impacts of climate change, these hearings are vital to establish a stronger framework of accountability that sets clear international legal obligations for climate action.

    UN Photo

    The towers and gables of the Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

    5.What effect can an advisory opinion have? 

    Unlike judgments in contentious cases, the court’s advisory opinions are not binding. They clarify legal questions. The requesting organ, agency or organization – the General Assembly in this particular case – remains free to decide, as it sees fit, what effect to give to these opinions.  

    However, while not binding, advisory opinions have “an authoritative value and cannot be neglected”, according to the ICJ Registrar in a recent interview with UN News. They carry great moral authority by what is considered the world’s highest court and the principal judicial body of the UN. 

    This opinion on climate change can help inform subsequent judicial proceedings such as domestic cases, influence the diplomatic process and will likely be cited in thousands of climate-driven lawsuits around the world, including those where small island States are seeking compensation from developed nations for historic climate damage, according to one media source. 

    The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has stated that such an opinion will help the General Assembly, the United Nations and Member States to “take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs”.

    “It could also guide the actions and conduct of States in their relations with each other, as well as towards their own citizens. This is essential,” he emphasised. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Report exposes systematic torture in Syrian detention facilities

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Human Rights

    The UN General Assembly-mandated team investigating serious crimes in Syria released a new report on Friday, documenting systematic torture and abuse across over 100 Government detention facilities.

    Titled ‘The Syrian Government Detention System as a Tool of Violent Repression,’ the report from the UN International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) draws on over 300 witness interviews, medical forensic evidence and the Syrian Government’s own documentation. It reveals widespread human rights violations including sexual violence and enforced disappearances.

    “Our report lays bare the harrowing reality within the Syrian Government detention system,” said IIIM Head Robert Petit. “The interview records of former detainees, corroborated by forensic medical evidence, reveal the severity of the mental and physical harm that was intentionally inflicted”.

    Patterns of violence

    Former detainees described severe physical and psychological abuse, including beatings, stress positions and sexual violence. The investigation documented inhumane conditions characterised by overcrowding, insufficient food and water, lack of hygiene and denial of medical care.

    The investigation highlighted the ongoing trauma faced by victims’ families.

    “Thousands of families bear the psychological toll of not knowing where their loved ones are,” Mr. Petit said.

    “This is unimaginable psychological torture, yet the Syrian Government continues to intentionally withhold and cover-up information,” he added.

    Path forward

    Established in 2016 by UN General Assembly, the IIIM works to collect and preserve evidence for future accountability proceedings, though it cannot conduct trials. The report includes an interactive map of detention facilities and has been released in redacted format to protect witnesses.

    Despite seeking cooperation from Syria, the IIIM has received no response but continues outreach efforts to states holding relevant evidence, demonstrating its commitment to impartial justice.

    Mr. Petit emphasised the report’s significance: “We are making the Detention Report public and widely available, to contribute to the ongoing justice and accountability efforts, not only for past abuses but also those that continue to this day”.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UNRWA ‘continues to deliver’ as Israeli ban comes into effect

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA on Thursday upheld its commitment to support millions across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) as Israel’s order for it to cease operations went into effect. 

    “UNRWA continues to deliver assistance and services to the communities we serve,” the agency said in a post on the social media platform X.

    “Our clinics across the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem are open while the humanitarian operation in Gaza continues.”

    No official word

    Last October, the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, passed two laws that called for ending UNRWA’s operations in its territory and prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency.

    Israel ordered UNRWA to vacate all premises in occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations in them by 30 January of this year.

    In a separate post on X, UNRWA said it had not received any official communication on how the bills will be implemented.

    Fears of impact

    Speaking to The Guardian, UNRWA Communications Director Juliette Touma said its headquarters in East Jerusalem “is still there” and the flag is still flying.

    “We don’t have plans to close our operations,” she said. “But we are in the dark.”

    Since 1950, UNRWA has been assisting Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

    The ban threatens life-saving aid, education and healthcare for millions in the OPT, and the UN has repeatedly warned of the consequences.

    Palestinians in Gaza are also worried, including Iman Hillis, who is currently staying in an UNRWA school with her family.

    “We will have nothing to eat or drink, and this will affect us greatly,” she told UN News on Wednesday. “All the people will be destroyed and will not have food, water or flour.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Dreams of returning home dashed by reality in Gaza City

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    People continue to stream back into Gaza City in the wake of the temporary ceasefire across the Strip, with some 500,000 reportedly returning so far, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday. 

    Tess Ingram, Communications Manager for UNICEF Middle East and North Africa, is in the northern city where she witnessed people moving through the streets on donkeys, in cars, or by bicycle.

    “There’s a lot of people with shovels trying to remove rubble, and of course you can see people setting up makeshift shelters or tents on what I’m guessing used to be their homes,” she told UN News. 

    Hope and heartache

    Ms. Ingram believes that many people were filled with hope and joy as they were finally able to come back to the place they had hoped to return to for more than 15 months.

    “But now, as I speak to people, I think that joy is being replaced somewhat by a sense of heaviness as they discover the reality of what has happened here in Gaza City,” she said.

    “They were hoping to return to a home that is not there, or to a loved one who has been killed, and I think that that heaviness is really sinking in for people.”

    Soundcloud

    Living conditions also remain very difficult. Ms. Ingram visited a school-turned-shelter which is housing returnees along with people who had been living there throughout the war.  

    She met a mother and her five children who desperately need winter clothes and food, but mostly a place to stay because the home where they had hoped to return is gone.

    This story is not uncommon. “It is not one person. It is not 100. There are probably thousands of people who are in a similar situation,” she said.

    Danger on the way

    Ms. Ingram noted that families are making long, treacherous journeys to get back to Gaza City.

    On Wednesday she travelled from Al Mawasi, located in the central Gaza Strip, which took 13 hours. However, some families took as long as 36 hours to make the trip.

    “And of course the journey itself over those 36 hours is incredibly dangerous,” she said.

    “We’ve heard reports of people being killed by unexploded remnants of war on the way, because these very dangerous unexploded ordnance are buried underneath the rubble.”

    Soundcloud

    Support for returnees

    UNICEF is supporting returning families with the basics that they need to survive.  The agency is bringing in nutrition supplies, medical supplies, fuel to run bakeries and hospitals, and water pumps so that people have access to clean water.

    On Wednesday, UNICEF and other UN agencies brought in 16 trucks of fuel that will be provided to water wells, hospitals and bakeries to get essential services back up and running again.

    They are also providing services for mental health and psychosocial support for children to help them deal with the trauma they have experienced over the past 15 months. Nutritional screening and immunization services are forthcoming. 

    Keeping families together

    Hundreds of children have also reportedly been separated from their families while making the journey to the north, and UNICEF is responding to the situation. 

    Staff have been providing children under the age of four with identification bracelets that have their names, their families’ names and phone numbers, on them.

    “So, if in the worst case they did get lost in the wash of people there would be some hope of reconnecting them soon with their loved ones,” Ms. Ingram said.

    © UNICEF/Eyad El Baba

    Displaced Palestinians walk along a street in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

    People on the move

    Humanitarians report that more displaced families are returning to northern Gaza as the ceasefire continues to hold. 

    More than 462,000 people have crossed from the south since the opening of the Salah ad Din and Al Rashid roads on Monday.

    The UN and partners are providing water, high-energy biscuits and medical care along the two routes, while the World Food Programme (WFP) plans to set up more distribution points in the north this week.   

    Displaced Palestinians are also moving from north to south, though in smaller numbers, with about 1,400 people making the journey as of Thursday. 

    Restoring critical services

    Across Gaza, extensive efforts are underway to restore critical services, including civilian infrastructure, which the UN and partners are supporting.

    WFP has delivered more than 10,000 metric tonnes of food to the enclave since the ceasefire took effect.

    On Thursday, 750 trucks entered Gaza, according to information obtained by the UN on the ground through interactions with the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire deal.

    The previous day, UNICEF distributed 135 cubic metres of water to communities in Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, located in North Gaza governorate.  These areas had been besieged for over three months.  

    Furthermore, 35,000 litres of fuel were delivered to northern Gaza to sustain the operations of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, while water trucking in Rafah is being scaled up.

    Humanitarian partners are also coordinating with the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company to repair the damaged power line that feeds the South Gaza desalination plant, which is currently running on fuel.

    West Bank violence continues

    Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli military operations in northern areas have expanded beyond Jenin and Tulkarm to the nearby governorate of Tubas. 

    Ten people reportedly were killed on Wednesday when an Israeli air strike hit a group of Palestinians in Tammun, a village in Tubas governorate. 

    This brings the death toll from the ongoing Israeli operation in the northern West Bank to 30, including two children.   

    Overall, more than 3,200 families have been displaced from Jenin refugee camp in the context of Palestinian Authority and Israeli operations since December, according to local authorities. 

    Humanitarian partners continue to deliver aid, including food parcels, kitchen kits, baby supplies, hygiene items, medicines, and other essential supplies.  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Relief chief in Israel and Palestine: ‘We must be practical, innovative and persistent’

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    The top UN aid official arrived in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Monday for a week-long visit, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has reported. 

    Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher is in the region as a fragile ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas continues to hold in Gaza, amid rising violence in the West Bank.

    He will engage with authorities, aid partners and those on the frontlines of the humanitarian response.

    “Humanitarian needs are huge – we must be practical, innovative and persistent,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform X.

    Understand obstacles, strengthen coordination

    Mr. Fletcher held discussions with Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several Palestinian ministers.  

    He also met Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, President of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, to discuss the challenges that emergency responders are facing.

    “Palestine Red Crescent teams have been saving lives under impossible conditions, showing extraordinary courage – too many paying the ultimate price,” he wrote in another social media post.

    He’s also scheduled to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials and visit areas in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Israel to better understand obstacles facing aid partners, and strengthen humanitarian coordination. 

    © UNICEF/Eyad El Baba

    A car filled with belongings heads back to Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

    Aid scale-up

    The UN and partners are expanding life-saving aid operations as more humanitarian supplies enter Gaza. They are also assessing the needs of Palestinians across the enclave and adapting the response accordingly. 

    OCHA noted that displaced people continue to move between southern and northern Gaza as they reunite with family and start rebuilding their lives. 

    Latest figures indicate that more than 545,000 people are estimated to have crossed from the south to the north over the past week, while more than 36,000 people have been observed moving in the opposite direction.

    Keeping children safe

    Furthermore, partners working in the protection sector have distributed identity bracelets to more than 30,000 children under the age of four to help prevent family separation.

    “This effort was critical, as partners reportedly received more than 250 young children who had been separated from their caregivers while crossing to the north,” OCHA said.

    Protection and services

    In North Gaza governorate, protection partners said three temporary sites have been established in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabalya, each of which can host 5,000 people. 

    The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA has also reported the expansion of protection services for women in Jabalya, as well as in Gaza city.  

    The World Food Programme (WFP) noted that prices have started to fall since the ceasefire took effect and as more humanitarian commodities enter Gaza, although they still remain above pre-conflict levels. 

    One-third of households reportedly have better access to food, but consumption remains significantly below levels prior to the crisis. “For most households, the primary obstacle is lack of cash,” OCHA said.

    Meanwhile, partners working on education report that some 280,000 school-aged children in Gaza have registered in the e-learning programme run by the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA. 

    West Bank update

    OCHA also reported on the situation in the West Bank, where an ongoing operation by Israeli forces in Jenin and Tulkarm has expanded to nearby Tubas governorate, resulting in further death, destruction and displacement.

    The agency warned that “once again that lethal, war-like tactics are being applied, raising concerns over the use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards.”

    On Monday, Israeli forces raided El Far’a refugee camp and blocked the entrances. As a result, dozens of families have reportedly fled the camp, fearing a larger Israeli operation.

    This came a day after Israeli forces reportedly destroyed 20 residential structures in the Jenin refugee camp where more than 50 families were living.

    They also conducted house-to-house searches in the town of Tammun, displacing as many as 15 families and blocking the town’s entrance.

    OCHA reported that the Palestinian death toll in recent Israeli operations in the West Bank now stands at 39 since 21 January, the day when the operation in Jenin began.

    “Meanwhile, tight movement restrictions across the West Bank continue to hamper access to basic services, leaving Palestinians queuing for hours at Israeli checkpoints or forced to take significantly longer detours,” the agency said. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Gaza: More than a million receive food aid since the start of the ceasefire

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    Over one million people in the Gaza Strip have received food assistance since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect nearly three weeks ago, UN aid coordination office OCHA said in an update on Wednesday. 

    The temporary agreement to stop the fighting and release hostages brought an end to some 15 months of conflict and destruction in the Strip, following the brutal Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel of 7 October 2023.

    The truce came into force on 19 January and OCHA said the surge in the daily entry of supplies into Gaza since then, along with improved access conditions, have allowed humanitarians to meaningfully expand the delivery of lifesaving assistance and services across the enclave.

    Moreover, coordination with the Israeli authorities for humanitarian aid missions is mostly no longer required, except when entering buffer zones. 

    Food and healthcare delivery expands

    “As a result, humanitarian partners are adjusting their response in accordance with population movements, including by expanding their operational presence and services in areas that were previously hard or impossible to access, such as Rafah, Gaza and North Gaza governorates,” OCHA said.

    Needs remain dire in Gaza, where the war has left over two million people fully dependent on food assistance, homeless, and without any income.

    Over the past two weeks, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered more than 10 million metric tonnes of food to the Strip, reaching roughly a million people through food parcel distributions to households. 

    This is in addition to expanding bread deliveries at bakeries and community kitchens and re-opening a community kitchen in North Gaza on 24 January.  

    WFP also delivered fuel that enabled the five bakeries in Gaza governorate that it supports to increase production capacity by 40 per cent to meet the growing demand.

    Furthermore, 25 emergency medical teams are operating as of Tuesday, with 22 in the centre and south, two in Gaza City, and one in North Gaza. 

    © UNICEF/Eyad El Baba

    Palestinian families travel back to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip.

    On the move

    OCHA noted that since 27 January, population movements have continued across the Strip but have largely slowed down.

    Over 565,092 people have crossed from the south to the north, while more than 45,678 have been heading southwards due to the lack of services and the widespread destruction of homes and communities in the north.

    It is estimated that more than half a million people have returned to Gaza and North Gaza governorates, and the need for food, water, tents and shelter materials remains critical.

    Shelter concerns

    “Despite the entry of a large volume of supplies since the ceasefire took effect, priority was given to food during the first two weeks, significantly limiting the entry of shelter assistance,” OCHA said, citing partners working in the sector.

    Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported bringing at least 3,000 tents into northern Gaza on Monday, and an additional 7,000 tents are expected to arrive in the coming days.

    Highlighting other developments, OCHA said this past Sunday saw the start of medical evacuations through Rafah crossings into Egypt. Between 1 and 3 February, 105 patients, including 100 children, and 176 companions were evacuated. 

    Hostage releases continue

    The update also included details on hostage releases. Hamas and other groups killed around 1,200 people in the 7 October attacks on Israel. They also seized some 250 others, both Israelis and foreigners, who were taken to Gaza.

    OCHA said estimates indicate that 79 people currently remain captive, including hostages who have been declared dead and whose bodies are being withheld in Gaza.

    Over the past week, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the third and fourth release operations since the ceasefire took hold.

    On 30 January, three Israeli and five Thai hostages were transferred from Gaza to Israeli authorities, and 110 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli detention centres. Among the Palestinian detainees were 30 children as well as 20 prisoners from the West Bank who were released to the Gaza Strip. 

    The following day, three Israeli hostages were transferred out of Gaza to Israel, and 183 Palestinian detainees were released from Israeli detention centres. The Palestinians freed included 111 people who were detained from the Gaza Strip after 7 October and seven detainees who were released to Egypt. 

    Overall, the ICRC has facilitated the return of 18 hostages and 583 Palestinian detainees since the ceasefire began. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: African schools gear up for the AI revolution

    Source: United Nations 2

    The emergence of cheap or free AI tools is being eagerly embraced by those with smartphones and the ability to get online. As governments and legislators struggle to get their heads around the implications of this powerful technology and work out how to bring in regulations for its safe use, millions of people are enjoying its ability to save time, helping them to transforming raw data into essays, exam answers, or, with a bit more work, even videos and podcasts.

    Even in developing countries where electricity and internet access is limited (it’s estimated that over 570 million people in Africa lack electricity), there is enthusiasm for the potential of AI. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for example, a nation riven by internal conflict, poverty and vast inequality, educators are seeing the impact of AI.

    “It is obvious that our country is lagging behind in terms of new technologies for one reason or another,” says Benjamin Sivanzire, a teacher in Beni, North Kivu Province. “Many parts of the DRC do not even have traditional methods of communication, or even radio or television.”

    UN News/George Musubao

    Benjamin Sivanzire, a teacher in Eastern DRC.

    However, even though Mr. Sivanzire and his students are not yet able to make use of AI in their classes, they are seeing it being used in the wider culture, often in a negative way, to manipulate public opinion.

    The teacher underlines the importance of educating people to distinguish between verifiable information and lies. “There are videos created by artificial intelligence that show images that are not real and have been created for propaganda purposes,” he explains.

    Bursting the Silicon Valley bubble

    One concern that is frequently raised is the extent to which the development of AI tools is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small group of people.

    Farida Shahid, the independent Special Rapporteur on the right to education, shares these concerns.

    “AI algorithms are being made by individuals who often sit in a particular location, such as Silicon Valley, where the people who make and test them have their own biases,” she says. “Often the algorithms don’t do well at recognizing people with dark skin. They also have great problems with people who are autistic and don’t like looking into cameras.

    “Another example is the UK where, recently, an AI programme was used to grade exam papers. This led to decisions that were biased against people from certain ethnic backgrounds. We really need to look at this issue more closely, starting with the human rights perspective, and I think that’s where the U.N. role comes in: if you increasingly rely on AI as the source of verification, you’re going to have problems because you are using a framework which privileges white males, and doesn’t reflect the whole gamut of people’s lives and experiences”.

    ©UNICEF/ Frank Dejongh

    The urgent need to expand the developer talent base has been identified by the UN as central to ensuring that a wide variety of voices are heard in the “EdTech” (educational technology) space.

    Shafika Isaacs, the head of technology and AI at the UN agency for science, technology and education (UNESCO), says that the number of African EdTech startups has been mushrooming in recent years, with entrepreneurs experimenting with the AI-enabled digital tools which could support learning and teaching across many different contexts, including in African languages, and local dialects.

    “I’ve personally engaged with a startup that matches high school students to career pathways, including choosing the right university, community college or even entrepreneurship programme. They have seen strong results because of their focus on children in underprivileged contexts and schools. Tech startups have also looked at developing AI-enabled mobile apps, including chat bots, that can support teachers in teaching literacy or teaching mathematics.

    “The challenge is that there’s often a disconnect between the public education system and tech startups We need educators to be proactive in engaging with those developing tools, and we encourage students and teachers to learn how to create and design technologies that are relevant to their linguistic and cultural contexts.”

    Soundcloud

    Many African governments are keen to adopt national AI strategies and integrate AI into their national policies on technologies in education. In Côte d’Ivoire, where AI is already being widely used in the private sector. Mariatou Koné, the Minister of Education, says that the country’s education system is undergoing a transformation, following a 2022 review which recommended a digitalization strategy.

    “We have put in place initiatives to ensure that everyone is aware of the issue of AI. It can provide individual learning programmes, and help struggling students to improve,” said Ms. Koné. “However, we are worried about potential abuses. We have to be able to protect personal data and ensure that learners are aware of the potential dangers.”

    The Minister agrees that, in order to guard against bias, the pool of engineers building AI tools needs to be expanded. “We need the right tools, adapted to the African context, to the Ivorian context. We have our own history, our own heritage. If we create our own industry, it has to be adapted to the realities of Côte d’Ivoire.”

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: UN agencies warn of worsening humanitarian and human rights crisis in eastern DR Congo

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    United Nations agencies on Friday called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between Government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group expands. 

    The rebels have already seized the provincial capital, Goma, and reports indicate that they are closing in on the key city of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.

    The hostilities are occurring in a mineral-rich region that has been volatile for decades amid a proliferation of armed groups, which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes over the years and seek safety in displacement camps.

    WFP

    A camp in eastern DR Congo provides security for some of the seven million displaced people in the country.

    Critical supplies dwindling

    UN humanitarians warn that the situation continue to worsen for civilians likely trapped by days of intense fighting in and around Goma, which has a population of over one million.

    Displacement camps on the city’s outskirts, previously hosting more than 300,000 people, are emptying out as people flee the violence. Medical services are overwhelmed by the number of injured, both civilians and military personnel.

    The World Food Programme (WFP) said water and food are running low, and the next 24 hours are crucial.

    “People are really running out of food, clean water, medical supplies and that’s a big concern. So, the supply chain has really been strangled at the moment,” said WFP Spokesperson Shelley Thakral.

    Several WFP warehouses have been looted and teams are taking stock of what they will need to procure locally and transfer by road to ensure they have provisions once operations resume in the critically affected areas.

    WFP’s priority is keeping its staff and their dependents safe, and only critical staff remain in the area who are getting ready to resume operations as soon security permits.

    Summary executions and sexual violence

    Meanwhile, the human rights crisis also continues to deepen in the east.  

    At least two sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been bombed, causing civilian casualties, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, reported.

    Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said OHCHR has documented summary executions of at least 12 people by the M23 between 26 and 28 January.

    The Office has also documented cases of conflict-related sexual violence by the army and allied Wazalendo fighters in Kalehe territory, located in South Kivu.  

    It is also verifying reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gangrape.

    Violations could worsen

    Meanwhile, in other areas under M23 control in South Kivu, such as Minova, fighters have occupied schools and hospitals, forced IDPs out of camps and subjected the civilian population to forced conscription and forced labour.

    Additionally, DRC officials report that at least 165 women were raped by male inmates during the mass prison break from Goma’s Muzenze prison on 27 January, as M23 began its assault on the town.

    Mr. Laurence recalled that conflict-related sexual violence has been an appalling feature of armed conflict in eastern DRC for decades, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, “is particularly concerned that this latest escalation risks deepening the risk of conflict-related sexual violence much further.“

    End the violence

    He said OHCHR continues to receive urgent requests from civilians for protection and is working with UN colleagues and other partners to ensure their safety. 

    “As M23 reportedly advances towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, the High Commissioner calls for an end to the violence and for all parties to uphold their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” he said.

    Recognize the crisis

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also voiced deep concern over the hundreds of thousands of civilians uprooted by the heavy fighting and violence in Goma, some of whom were already previously displaced.

    IOM appealed to the international community to recognize the staggering scale of the crisis and support the humanitarian response. 

    “With the current alarming upsurge in fighting, an already dire situation is rapidly becoming very much worse,” said Director General Amy Pope. 

    “IOM joins the UN Secretary-General’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and full humanitarian access, so that we can rapidly scale up our response and ensure that life-saving aid reaches those in need.”   

    Appeal for support

    The UN agency has been supporting displaced and host communities in Goma and surrounding areas by providing emergency shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, among other aid.

    IOM warned, however, that both the agency and humanitarian partners are struggling to meet the urgent needs in the DRC.

    This year, humanitarians are seeking $2.5 billion for the country, with at least $50 million urgently needed to address the latest displacement, scale-up life-saving assistance, and prevent further suffering.

    Death and disease

    Humanitarian organizations in Goma continue to assess the impact of the crisis, including the widespread looting of warehouses and the offices of aid organizations, the UN said on Friday.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners conducted an assessment with the Government over the past five days.

    They report that 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured are receiving treatment in health facilities, though numbers are expected rise as more information becomes available. 

    On Friday, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, and partners visited sites for internally displaced people in the areas of Bulengo and Lushagala, located on the outskirts of Goma.

    They found that water and healthcare services are still operational, but conditions remain dire. However, cholera cases have been reported and there are risks of an Mpox outbreak among displaced people.

    OCHA warned that without urgent action, the risk of waterborne disease outbreaks will continue to increase. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: What the UN is doing in DR Congo

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Eileen Travers

    Humanitarian Aid

    The current phase of fighting erupted in late January in the mineral-rich eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between government forces and the armed M23 group.

    Despite security challenges, UN agencies and peacekeepers have pledged to stay and deliver amid rising deaths and injuries alongside an alarming spread of highly contagious mpox and other endemic diseases as the rainy season intensifies.

    Here’s what you need to know about how the UN, its peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies are helping on the ground in this central African country of 105 million people, many currently facing urgent multipronged crises.

    Humanitarian assistance

    Operating in DRC since 1960, when the country declared its independence from Belgium’s colonial rule and became a UN Member State, UN field agencies have served those in need, from education and lifesaving vaccines to food and shelter for people displaced by the current spiralling violence. The country has been caught in cycles of violence over the decades with an uptick of violence in the early 2000s and the emergence of the M23 armed group.

    Even though recent deadly clashes led to the deaths of peacekeepers and the temporary relocation of non-essential UN staff from North Kivu in the eastern region last week, the UN emergency relief agency, OCHA, reports that teams are currently on the ground, where they say needs are growing.

    Just a few details for context:

    Food to shelter

    In a deteriorating environment, food insecurity is on the rise as other health, shelter and living conditions worsen. For example:

    • Currently, 2.7 million people face severe food insecurity in the eastern towns of Ituri and North and South Kivu, OCHA reported. As such, the agency is currently working with such partners as the UN food agency (WFP), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to deliver lifesaving aid, from groceries to medical supplies and services.
    • The UN refugee agency, UNCHR, is providing protection and assistance to those forced to flee.
    • The UN human rights agency, OHCHR, is connecting those in need with UN partners.

    • Meanwhile, the UN migration organization, IOM, is supporting displaced and host communities in and around Goma by providing emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services and camp coordination and management services. It is also monitoring population movements through its displacement tracking matrix, which informs humanitarian agencies of critical information for effective response efforts.

      © WHO/Guerchom Ndebo

      A three-week-old girl suffering from mpox in the emergency room at Kavumu Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (file)

    Public health ‘nightmare’

    • The UN health agency reported that repeated mass displacement has created a public health “nightmare” with ideal conditions for the spread of many endemic diseases, from cholera to mpox, in camps and communities around North and South Kivu. WHO teams remain in place to deliver much-needed healthcare services as hospitals are overwhelmed by growing numbers of patients injured by the ongoing violence. Thousands of doses of mpox vaccines are stockpiled and ready to be administered.
    • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is responding to urgent needs, including deliveries of emergency medical kits to hospitals in Goma to treat more than 50,000 people affected by the violence.
    • A breakdown in healthcare infrastructure has also led maternal mortality rates to soar, with three women dying every hour from pregnancy or childbirth complications, and recurrent kidnappings, rape and exploitation continue to be wielded as weapons of war against women and girls, according to the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA.
    • While the agency suspended staff travel to camps for displaced people due to the security crisis, UNFPA continues to provide lifesaving support, from mobile clinics to rapidly adapting to respond to the needs of the newly displaced. However, due to swiftly growing needs, these and other UN agencies are calling for urgent support to fund emergency operations.

    To support the DRC Humanitarian Fund, click here.

    Peacekeeping operations

    The UN peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, was mandated by the Security Council in 2010 to assist the Congolese Government in protecting civilians and humanitarians as well as help with its peace and stabilisation efforts.  Peacekeeping operations are often located in conflict areas but their responsibilities and those of the humanitarian agencies are distinct, although complementary, in terms of protecting and meeting the needs of civilians.

    Read our explainer on UN peacekeeping history in DRC, dating back to 1960, here.

    While the 11,500 UN Blue Helmets were meant to disengage by 2025, the Security Council renewed the mandate at the request of the government in late December.

    Weeks later, MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita told the Security Council in an emergency meeting held on Sunday, 26 January that “we are trapped.”

    Over the last week, M23 combatants have killed almost 20 peacekeepers serving with the UN and the South African Development Community (SADC) mission in the country, both mandated to provide combat support for the Congolese armed forces.

    MONUSCO/Aubin Mukoni

    UN peacekeepers patrol in Goma past discarded military uniforms.

    Working closely with Congolese authorities

    In line with its civilian protection mandate, the UN mission has enhanced its support to the Congolese armed forces, FARDC, and is actively participating in combat along with the SADC security mission in the country, the UN mission chief explained to the Council.

    Since then, the MONUSCO chief has held discussions with top officials, including the prime minister and the leaders of the army and police. A joint government-MONUSCO group has also been established to coordinate on various issues, including in the security, human rights, humanitarian and communications spheres as well as the legal status of the territories under the control of the M23.

    Learn more about MONUSCO here.

    MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti

    Residents of Bunia, DRC, protesting the capture by the M23 rebel group of Goma in 2012. (file)

    Addressing the roots of the crises

    The clashes in the east date back to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda. The sporadic fighting has been deadly and vicious, as shown in the Congolese military court’s landmark case against armed group leader Sheka, which was instrumental in recognising rape as a war crime.

    Watch our award-winning documentary on bringing a war criminal to justice here.

    The crisis remains partly rooted in the rare mineral deposits dotting the border areas of DRC and Rwanda. DRC’s vast deposits of precious metals, gems and rare minerals include gold and diamonds along with key components used in making mobile phones and other electronic devices.

    Coltan, tin, tantalum, tungsten and others are known as conflict minerals, which are mined and sold by armed groups to finance their militias.

    Find more details on this sinister trend in the December report of the Security Council’s group of experts on DRC here.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Sudan: Top aid official warns against escalating violence in two states

    Source: United Nations 2

    Humanitarian Aid

    South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in Sudan are on the brink of catastrophe as violence continues to escalate at an alarming rate, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Thursday in a statement. 

    Clementine Nkweta-Salami said the latest outbreak of hostilities in South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, has reportedly claimed at least 80 civilian lives and left scores more injured.

    She condemned the reported use of women and children as human shields there, along with the obstruction of humanitarian aid and the detention of civilians including children.

    Humanitarian needs also remain critical in Blue Nile, where the threat of violence and reports of mass mobilization for conflict again risks further violence.

    Deeper crises looms

    The worsening insecurity threatens to plunge both states into an even deeper crisis, according to the top aid official.

    She said that for too long, civilians have been unable to access life-saving assistance and basic services due to a severe lack of medical supplies, limited humanitarian access and the ongoing conflict.

    “This is a critical moment, as the consequences of food insecurity are already being felt in parts of South Kordofan, where families are surviving on dangerously limited food supplies, and malnutrition rates are rising sharply,” she stressed.

    More will suffer

    Ms. Nkweta-Salami warned that if the fighting continues, more people will be left without access to vital aid, human suffering will deepen, and more lives will be lost.

    The Sudanese army and military rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in deadly fighting for control of Africa’s third largest country since April 2023.

    Ms. Nkweta-Salami called for all parties to the conflict to de-escalate tensions, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and allow humanitarians safe and unrestricted access to those in need. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 50,000 first home buyers in dream home under Minns Government stamp duty leg-up as support passes $1 billion

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 12 February 2025

    Released by: The Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Finance

    More than 50,000 first home buyers have found their dream home thanks to the Minns Labor Government’s signature stamp duty assistance program.

    The popular initiative has seen first home buyers save an average of $20,540, easing the pressure on the key task of saving for a deposit.

    Total stamp duty savings for first home buyers across NSW have topped $1 billion since July 2023.

    First home buyers are using the program to get a foot on the property ladder in a market heavily influenced by investors.

    The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme provides a full exemption from stamp duty for eligible buyers purchasing up to $800,000, and a concession for purchases between $800,000 and $1 million. This means first home buyers can save up to $30,529 in stamp duty.

    Of the more than 50,000 first home buyers who have received support under the Minns Government’s program, more than 37,000 first home buyer households received a full exemption and more than 14,500 received a concession.

    More than 3,200 buyer households in the City of Parramatta have saved a total of $74.1 million, while more than 2,100 on the Central Coast have saved a total of $47.3 million.

    The 50,000 households milestone coincides with the release of a helpful dashboard detailing the program’s impact suburb-by-suburb.

    The First Home Buyers Assistance Dashboard also provides program statistics by Local Government Area and regional classifications. It will be updated regularly and can be viewed here: https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/resources-library/statistics/fhba-dashboard

    First home buyers can learn more about the program and calculate their potential stamp duty savings here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/home-buying-assistance/first-home-buyers-assistance-scheme/how-to-apply

    This program is part of a suite of reforms from the Minns Government to help address the housing crisis and ease cost of living pressures.

    This includes sweeping reforms of the planning system to deliver more housing, including establishing the Housing Delivery Authority to speed up approvals.

    Premier Chris Minns said:

    “We have now delivered more than $1 billion for first home buyers since coming to Government.

    “There is more to do on cost of living, but this is real relief that has helped 50,000 NSW singles, couples and families.

    “Our Government is helping more buyers to get a foot on the ladder, without having to leave Sydney or NSW.

    “This is the best first home buyer scheme in the country, and just one part of our plan to address the housing crisis and build a better NSW.”

    Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

    “This is an incredible milestone for this program.

    “50,000 families have been able to get into their first home sooner because of this essential stamp duty relief.

    “The savings mean more money in people’s pockets, easing pressure on households and giving crucial assistance in the task of saving for a deposit.”

    Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos said:

    “Families and households in NSW are feeling under pressure with increasing costs of living. We want to support families and households to realise the certainty of home ownership.

    “This shows our program is working, delivering real savings that can make a real difference for first home buyers.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Local knowledge vital to addressing regional crime

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 12 February 2025

    Released by: The Premier

    The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to create safer communities across regional New South Wales by addressing the concerning rates of youth crime, with over $4 million to support place-based efforts across Bourke and Kempsey.

    Government support for place-based initiatives reflects the fact that a one size fits all approach does not work for issues like youth crime in regional communities. This funding means local communities are empowered to make decisions, develop strategies, design programs and decide how resources are used to address local needs.  

    In Bourke and Kempsey, this funding will match the Commonwealth Government’s investment in the Stronger Places, Stronger People program, which supports community-led place-based responses to local issues.

    This funding will support the existing successful local teams in each community who work in tandem with Government to develop and implement projects to address identified issues.

    This program, which has run since 2019 in these communities has been recognised as having positive impacts including improved social, cultural, health, justice and economic outcomes.

    This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s ongoing work to crackdown on crime across the state, which has included:

    • Amending the Bail Act to include an additional bail test for young people between 14 and 18 charged with committing a ‘serious break and enter offence’ or motor vehicle offence while on bail for a similar offence.
    • Creating a new ‘post and boast’ offence under the Crimes Act, criminalising the filming and disseminating of footage of certain serious offences to publicise or advertise the commission of that offence.
    • Paying recruits to attend the Goulburn Police Academy and welcoming 294 probational constables to the NSWPF ranks in December, the largest class to graduate in a decade.
    • Passing and enacting ‘Jacks Law’ which provides NSW Police with powers to scan people for knives without a warrant and raised the age from 16 to 18 for the sale of knives to young people.
    • Doubling the maximum penalty for certain knife crimes.
    • Introducing new offences for repeated and serious breaches of Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders.
    • Introducing Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders.
    • Modernising the definition of ‘stalking’ to include monitoring a person online.
    • Making it harder than ever for alleged domestic violence offenders to get bail.

    NSW Premier, Chris Minns said:

    “We know that what works in the middle of Sydney won’t work for our regional communities, which is why we are making this long-term investment to ensure local knowledge informs the action we take to address local issues.

    “We know there is no easy solution to address the issue of crime in our regional communities, but that is why we are pulling every lever possible from law reform to investing in local organisations. “

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Work continues to fix one of Sydney’s worst intersections while guaranteeing Revesby Police Station remains in Revesby

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 12 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism

    The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to address traffic concerns at one of Sydney’s worst intersections while retaining a police station in the Revesby area that is currently on the corner of the intersection.

    The corner of River Road and Marco Avenue has been ranked as the 6th most confusing intersection in Sydney and has been the site of many car crashes and near misses, including the tragic death of a young man in a car crash.

    Due to the location of the Revesby Police Station on the intersection it may not be possible to address issues with the intersection without relocating the police station.

    As a result, at the 2023 state election, the Member for East Hills Kylie Wilkinson committed to working with the local council and the Federal Government who have committed funding to fix the intersection.

    This commitment included the possible relocation of Police Station while keeping it in the Revesby area, acknowledging the critical role this station and it’s officers play keeping this community safe.

    The current Member for East Hills, Kylie Wilkinson is now working with all levels of government to finally fix this intersection and keep Revesby Police Station in the Revesby area.

    For 12 years, the former Liberal and National Government failed to address this issue with the former Member for East Hills completely missing in action on this while in parliament.

    Disappointingly the former Liberal Member who is now a Councillor has resorted to spreading misinformation in the community by falsely claiming that Revesby is set to lose a police station.

    The Minns Labor Government is working to deliver a real solution by fixing this nightmare intersection while also maintaining a Police Station in the area.

    This follows action already taken by the NSW Government including by providing historic pay rises to NSW Police and paying police to train – already delivering the largest graduating classes of police in a decade.

    Police Minister Yasmin Catley said:

    “For too long this intersection outside Revesby Police Station has put lives at risk and I am proud that our government is working with council and the federal government to upgrade this intersection while retaining a police station in the Revesby area.

    “It’s very disappointing that this Liberal councillor is spreading misinformation and playing politics with our police, all to stop a much needed upgraded to this dangerous intersection.

    Member for East Hills, Kylie Wilkinson said:

    “We shouldn’t have to choose between safe roads and a safe community. That’s why we’re fixing this dangerous and confusing intersection while keeping a police station in the Revesby area.

    “I’ve lost count of the number of people who have spoken to me about how dangerous this intersection is and I call on all local councillors to join us in fixing this issue once and for all.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Government’s crackdown on rogue turf businesses to stop fire ants pays off

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 12 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional NSW

    Two Queensland businesses have been separately convicted in the NSW Local Court of breaching biosecurity regulations designed to protect NSW from red imported fire ants and in total ordered to pay $60,000.

    These successful prosecutions highlight the effectiveness of the Minns Labor Government’s surveillance and compliance activities in preventing fire ants into the state.

    Both businesses illegally moved turf, soil, turf underlay and compost from the Queensland fire ant infested area into NSW.

    Since being elected in 2023 the NSW Government has made biosecurity a priority and fighting fire ants a top order.

    This commitment to fight fire ants entering NSW was demonstrated by raising the funds to address the menace of the fire ants from the former Government’s low $15 million annually, to $95 million over four years, only a few months after the 2023 election.

    To strengthen the fight against fire ants entering NSW in mid-November last year, the NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty took the unprecedented step of banning the movement of any turf from the Queensland fire ant infested area into NSW.

    These recent successful prosecutions demonstrate that the Government’s crackdown on rogue businesses potentially spreading fire ants is working and is now sending a message.

    The importance of movement controls and the ability of the Minns Government’s restructured NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to trace carrier movements back to their point of origin is producing successful prosecutions.

    The first landscaping supply business was convicted on the 29 January and the second on Friday 7 February.

    The first business, Brytarbri Pty Ltd trading as Allenview Turf, was convicted of nine offences after moving soil, turf underlay and compost into NSW from the Queensland fire ant infested area without the required biosecurity certificates.

    The second business, Marlyn Compost, was convicted of 20 offences under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 for moving turf from the Queensland fire ant infested area into NSW without certificates.

    Early detection surveillance is continuing across NSW’s border state agencies with detection cameras and operations with Police and Department of Primary Industries and Regional NSW teams working together as exemplified by Operation Victa.

    So far four waves of Operation Victa have resulted in eight penalty notices issued and three warnings after stopping 352 vehicles, 156 of which were from fire ant infested areas, and ordering 12 vehicles back to Queensland, due to not meeting certification requirements.

    In addition, fire ant sniffer dogs are on patrol in Kyogle and Tweed Valley sites to monitor trucks, landscaping sites and target properties.

    The NSW Government’s fire ant team has completed the following since December 2023:

    • Checked 1,366 voluntary community reports of potential fire ant sightings
    • Received 12,750 Record of Movement declarations from businesses
    • Undertaken with 1,613 surveillance events

    NSW Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

    “The Minns Labor Government is serious in stopping fire ants getting into NSW and in the three instances when they have got through the nets we have eradicated them quickly.

    “There will be no sympathy for a business who flouts our biosecurity controls and threatens our state’s land, homes and farms with fire ants. The full force of the law will be instigated to show this is very serious and will not be tolerated.

    “I urge everyone to do the right thing and comply with our biosecurity requirements to protect NSW from fire ants, or if you know someone is flouting the controls please let us know.

    “We are applying monitoring, CCTV, police, sniffer dogs, controls and border checks to address the fire ant situation as well as supporting the Queensland Government eradicate their infestation.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Greater Sydney is about to get a whole lot greener

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 12 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

    Councils in Greater Sydney and the Central Coast are invited to apply for a share of $4 million in grants to build more parks, playgrounds, walking tracks and restore local bushlands.

    The Metropolitan Greenspace Program 2024-25 is available to 34 councils for projects such as shared pedestrian and cycle pathways as well as open space strategies and master plans for future works.

    Established in 1983 by the Wran Labor Government, the Metropolitan Greenspace Program is the longest running open space grants program in NSW.

    Since 1990, more than $56 million has been provided for 680 projects.

    This funding will support the Minn’s Government’s planning reforms as we unlock more homes and deliver supporting community infrastructure and green space.

    Last year, the program awarded $3 million in funding supporting better access to open spaces for more than 31,000 homes within a 10-minute walk from residential areas.

    A panel of experts will assess applications against selection criteria designed to ensure funding is awarded based on merit and impact.

    Applications for the 2024-25 round of the Metropolitan Greenspace Program will open on 12 February and close on 31 March 2025.

    This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build a better NSW with more green spaces, so young people, families and key local workers have somewhere to relax and play in the communities they choose.

    For more information on the Metropolitan Greenspace Program visit https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plans-for-your-area/infrastructure-funding/metropolitan-greenspace-program.

    Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

    “The NSW Government is fast-tracking the delivery of more homes, and these residential areas will need to be supported by more parks and green spaces.

    “The Metropolitan Greenspace Program helps councils provide more of these facilities where people can relax and enjoy the great outdoors.

    “The program has a strong track record of increasing and improving open space to create thriving places and connected communities.

    “I encourage eligible councils to apply for the next round of funding so they can build more high-quality green spaces for their residents and visitors alike.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Technical consultation open on the ban on the use of adverse genetic testing results in life insurance

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    The Albanese government is progressing work to implement a total ban on the use of adverse genetic test results in life insurance underwriting.

    Consultation is now open on the legislative design and technical details including the definition of a genetic test, enforcement of the ban, and implementation.

    Genetic research is constantly evolving. The consultation is to ensure this legislation captures the intent of the Government’s decision and does not have unintended consequences.

    The Government’s decision to introduce a total ban is world leading and work is underway to legislate the ban as soon as practicable. Delivering this reform requires consideration of technical details of the legislation, which aren’t easily adapted from other jurisdictional laws.

    Where countries have adopted some form of ban on life insurers using genetic tests, they have defined ‘genetic test’ for the purposes of their own regime, which vary in complexity and specificity.

    The Albanese government is committed to providing Australians with the confidence to undergo potentially life‑saving genetic testing without fear of it affecting their life insurance.

    The Government encourages all interested parties to make a submission. The consultation paper can be found on the Treasury website.

    The government will release exposure draft legislation ahead of introduction to Parliament.

    Submissions will close on 12 March 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Outbound tourists encounter, enjoy Chinese New Year festivities abroad

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Although far away from home, Chinese tourist Ye Manning and her family could still feel the familiar Spring Festival vibes on their trip to Japan, as they came across red street banners and shopping window decorations there in tribute to the traditional Chinese holiday.

    Attracted by the convenient visa application process and convenient transportation services to this neighboring country, the family traveled to Japanese cities including Tokyo and Osaka, and enjoyed local cuisine, scenic spots and pop culture during the Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year.

    Noting the presence of Spring Festival elements in Japan, Ye was quoted in an article by China Youth Daily as saying: “These details not only arouse a sense of belonging for Chinese tourists away from home during the holiday, but also mirror how far the Spring Festival culture has spread around the world.”

    Like Ye, post-1990 generation youth Zhang Yu also chose to spend the Spring Festival outside China, traveling to the resort island of Phuket in Thailand with his family. As a delightful surprise during this trip, another international tourist hailing from Europe greeted Zhang and wished him a “Happy Spring Festival.”

    “At that time, I felt this holiday also being celebrated in a foreign country, and that really touched my heart,” said Zhang.

    Against the backdrop of China’s inbound travel boom during the holiday, which saw a proliferation of “China Travel” content shared by international tourists on social media platforms, many Chinese people opted for outbound trips to overseas destinations in pursuit of diversified, cross-cultural experiences for the traditional holiday.

    According to China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA), during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, border inspection authorities across the country handled over 14 million entries and exits by domestic and international travelers, up 6.3 percent year on year. Among these, about 7.7 million entry-exit trips were made by Chinese mainland residents, up 5 percent year on year.

    According to Chinese online travel platform Qunar, Chinese tourists visited more than 2,100 overseas cities during the Spring Festival holiday this year, a surge of 50 percent compared with 2024.

    Data from another online travel platform, Trip.com, showed that Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore were among the most popular outbound destinations for Chinese travelers during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday.

    In particular, Japan stood out among short-distance overseas travel destinations as total tourism orders for trips to Japan had doubled compared to last year’s figure during the holiday season. As for long-haul travel, the most sought-after destinations such as the United States, Spain, Italy and France saw an increase of 53 percent, 82 percent, 56 percent and 50 percent in tourism orders, respectively, according to Trip.com.

    “With the recovery of the global tourism market, Chinese tourists continue to expand the radius of their trips during the Spring Festival,” said the China Youth Daily article. “From tropical Southeast Asian islands to ancient European towns and bustling North American cities, Chinese travelers can be found everywhere.”

    This year’s Spring Festival, which marked the start of the Year of Snake, was the first since its inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. With the Chinese New Year becoming a festival celebrated worldwide, nearly 20 countries have designated the Spring Festival as an official holiday, while Spring Festival customs are celebrated in almost 200 countries and regions across the globe. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: View of kelp breeding area in China’s Shandong

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    View of kelp breeding area in China’s Shandong

    Updated: February 12, 2025 08:25 Xinhua
    An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 11, 2025 shows fishermen working at the kelp breeding area in Rongcheng City, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 11, 2025 shows fishermen working at the kelp breeding area in Rongcheng City, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 11, 2025 shows fishermen working at the kelp breeding area in Rongcheng City, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 11, 2025 shows fishermen working at the kelp breeding area in Rongcheng City, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
    An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 11, 2025 shows fishermen working at the kelp breeding area in Rongcheng City, east China’s Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Folk art brings festivity in China’s Hubei

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Folk art brings festivity in China’s Hubei

    Updated: February 12, 2025 08:39 Xinhua
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge parade on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. Lichuan Dengge, originated from Lichuan City of Hubei Province, is a vibrant traditional folk art performed during festivals with colorful props like dragon boats and lantern carts. It features lively songs and interactive performances, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Tujia ethnic group. In 2011, Lichuan Dengge was listed among the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists practice Lichuan Dengge in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 7, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge perform on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge perform in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    A folk artist of Lichuan Dengge makes preparation before performance in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge parade on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge perform on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge perform on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Children watch Lichuan Dengge performance on the street in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Folk artists of Lichuan Dengge make preparation before performance in Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China’s Hubei Province, Feb. 6, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Incident in Clutha comes to conclusion

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attributable to Otago Coastal Area Commander, Inspector Marty Gray:

    The man being sought by Police in Clutha for firearms offending has been located deceased.

    Police, including specialist squads supporting local staff, have been at a rural property overnight working to resolve the matter safely.

    The incident began about 9am on Tuesday, when Police began working to locate a person of interest in relation to alleged firearms offending in the Clutha area.

    This morning, Police made entry to the house around 10:15am and the man was located by officers inside, deceased.

    His death will be referred to the Coroner and Police will assist the Coroner with those inquiries.

    The man’s family are being supported at this very difficult time.

    While this is not the outcome Police would have hoped for, I want to thank the frontline staff and specialist teams for their hard work in responding diligently to this very lengthy incident.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –