Tag: Peace and security

Russian strikes on Ukraine ports ‘further blow to global food security’ — Global Issues

Ms. DiCarlo strongly condemned the aerial strikes this week on the ports in Odesa, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv, which destroyed critical infrastructure and killed or injured civilians.

The attacks followed Russia’s decision on Monday to effectively end the Black Sea Initiative, the UN-brokered accord that facilitated Ukrainian grain and foodstuffs to be shipped to international markets at a time of spiralling global food prices and rising hunger.

Ms. DiCarlo said these events are but the latest developments in Russia’s “senseless war against its neighbour”, which has consequences that can be felt around the world.

Safety guarantees withdrawn

“Russia’s termination of its participation in the Black Sea Initiative, coupled with its bombardment of crucial ports, will further compound the crisis,” she warned.

By ending the deal, Moscow also withdrew security guarantees for ships navigating in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Ms. DiCarlo said food prices have been rising around the globe since its collapse, thus adding to the agricultural, energy and financial crises already affecting the world’s most vulnerable people.

Death and destruction

“We have now witnessed a further blow to global food security, as Russia for the fourth consecutive day struck Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in Odesa, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv with missiles and drones, destroying critical port infrastructure, facilities and grain supplies,” she said.

The air raids have resulted in civilian casualties, she added. One person reportedly was killed in Odessa on Thursday, and at least eight injured, while two people were reportedly killed and 19 injured in Mykolaiv.

“We strongly condemn these attacks and urge Russia to stop them immediately,” she said, noting that such incidents may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.

“The new wave of attacks on Ukrainian ports risks having far-reaching impacts on global food security, in particular, in developing countries,” she said.

Sea mine threat

Ms. DiCarlo also expressed concern over reports of sea mines being laid in Black Sea waters, which would endanger civilian ships. She urged restraint from any further rhetoric or action that could deteriorate the already dangerous situation.

“Any risk of conflict spilling over as a result of a military incident in the Black Sea – whether intentional or by accident – must be avoided at all costs, as this could result in potentially catastrophic consequences to us all,” she said.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs the Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

UN engagement continues

Ms. DiCarlo underlined the UN’s commitment towards ensuring that food and fertilizers from both Ukraine and Russia can continue to reach global markets.

This message was echoed by UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths, who recalled that 362 million people in 69 countries rely on aid to survive. Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative was “immensely disappointing” while the port strikes were alarming, he said.

Concern for Ukraine’s farmers

“Farmers, as we can imagine, look on this nightly assault with great anxiety as they harvest now the crops nurtured in the shadow of war,” he told the Council.

Mr. Griffiths reported that global grain prices spiked this week, citing information from the World Food Programme (WFP). On Wednesday, wheat and corn futures rose by nearly nine per cent and eight per cent, respectively, and higher prices will be felt most by families in developing countries already at risk.

He further warned that “escalatory rhetoric” also threatens to further undermine the safe transportation of foods through the Black Sea. Without access to ports or world markets, farmers could have no choice but to stop farming.

“In addition to the global effects, this would have an immediate impact on domestic food prices and on the economic stability of Ukraine. This in turn would affect food security inside Ukraine and in the region,” he added.

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WFP staffer shot and killed in Yemen — Global Issues

Moayad Hameidi, a Jordanian national, was working in Turbah, in the country’s southwest. He came under fire on Friday afternoon, and the identify of the assailants is not yet known.

Head of Taiz office

WFP released a statement expressing deep sadness at the news, noting that he had only recently arrived in Yemen to assume a new job as head of the agency’s office in Taiz.

Since 2015, a Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally-recognized Government has been battling for control of the Arab nation, with Houthi militia, who control the capital and much of northern Yemen.

Taiz is the country’s third largest city and has been under siege by Houthi rebels for around seven years, creating a blockade for essential goods and humanitarian supplies for the city’s residents.

Tens of thousands of civilians have died during the grinding conflict and the UN estimates that 17 million people are still food insecure across Yemen, with projections showing that by the end of this year the number suffering high levels of acute food insecurity could rise to 3.9 million.

Food assistance from WFP is crucial to avoid potential famine and a lingering food security crisis.

‘Profound tragedy’

The agency described Mr. Hameidi, who had worked for WFP for 18 years as a “dedicated humanitarian”. He had served previously in Yemen, as well as in Sudan, Syria, and Iraq.

“The loss of our colleague is a profound tragedy for our organization and the humanitarian community,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Representative and Country Director in Yemen. “Any loss of life in humanitarian service is an unacceptable tragedy.”

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Ukrainian ‘city of heroes’ plans post-invasion future — Global Issues

Alexander Senkevich, the Mayor of Mykolaiv, spoke to UN News about reconstruction efforts and the role of the United Nations amidst the threat of ongoing shelling.

“We were bombed for 230 days, 159 people died, and 750 were injured. A lot of the city was destroyed because there was shelling everywhere.

Despite the war, the city lived, and everything functioned. Even the journalists who came to us to talk about the consequences of the shelling said that we are cleaning everything too quickly, that they do not have time to shoot photographs.

Some residents have already forgotten about what happened. For some, the war is over. But, this is not so simple. With public transport, for example, people forget that half of our buses were taken to the front, and of those that remained, a quarter were destroyed during shelling.

Drinking water

Since April last year, we have started using water from the Southern Buh River, but it cannot be purified to a drinking level because of the salt content. The consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station have exacerbated this problem.

Our water intake was located on the territory of the Dnipro River, 73 kilometres from the city. The station was destroyed and is currently located below seven meters of water. We cannot resume our water supply to the city from there. This is a huge problem for us right now.

UN support

We constantly feel the support of the UN, especially in the most difficult moments. We meet with representatives of the UN. They constantly collect data on the needs of the population, and they try to help us. Through UN agencies, certain needs of the city are met. We have received water, food, and other types of support for residents.

Risk of shelling

Before the war, almost half a million people lived in Mykolaiv. Today, we have registered about 350,000 people in the city, which includes about 50,000 who have fled here from other parts of Ukraine.

Life is slowly getting better. Small businesses are starting to operate again, but larger businesses still have not returned due to problems with water and electricity. The main concern, however, continues to be the risk of shelling.

Restoration of the city

Damage to the city totals $860 million, according to the Kyiv School of Economics, and that’s without taking the cost of new construction into account.

The restoration of the city is a decades-long process. When the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe invited us to take part in its UN4Mykolaiv project, we were delighted, jumped up, and voted for it with all our hands.

Our task is to not just rebuild what was destroyed, but to rethink everything, to find a new meaning for life in Mykolaiv, its economic potential, and the role of the city in the new Ukraine.

Mykolaiv as gateway to Ukraine

Together with the UN, we are working on every detail planning the future of the city. This is being done not just as a project for Mykolaiv, but as a global plan – a model that can be applied to other destroyed cities of Ukraine.

We want to see a clean, beautiful Mykolaiv with comfortable places for recreation, convenient urban infrastructure, and modern schools. The people of Mykolaiv also see their city as an industrial and commercial center. In order for everything to be beautiful and well-maintained, the city needs to create businesses and jobs.

We don’t want to just live on the money of tourists, although we would like to create some kind of an amusement park in our south, like Legoland or Disneyland, where not only Ukrainians but also foreigners could come.

Ports are our main investment opportunity after the war. Before the war, we handled up to 40 per cent of the goods that were shipped in and out of Ukraine. We see Mykolaiv as the gateway to Ukraine. I say at negotiations with investors that Mykolaiv should not only be considered as a market for goods or services, but as a door to the market of the whole country.

‘City of heroes’

I would really like that our city is not forgotten after the end of the war. Locals described it as the last southern outpost of free Europe; we defended it well. I am very grateful for the interest of the UN in Mykolaiv. Mykolaiv received the title of the ‘hero city’, but we call it the ‘city of heroes’ because this applies to all its inhabitants.”

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UN political affairs chief — Global Issues

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council in the wake of the collapse earlier in the day of the Black Sea Initiative to bring grain and fertilizer from the region to the world.

“The longer this war continues, the more dangerous its consequences, including the possibility of a wider conflict,” she warned.

“For the sake of the Ukrainian people and for the sake of our global community, this senseless, unjustified war must stop.”

A ‘living hell’

Ms. DiCarlo provided a toll of the destruction since the start of the war on 24 February 2022.

“Over 500 days since the beginning of Russia’s full scale invasion, life in Ukraine remains a ‘living hell’, as the Secretary-General characterized it,” she said.

To date, 9,287 people have been killed and more than 16,300 injured, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, although actual numbers are likely to be higher.

Children in particular have been hit hard, with 537 killed. Last year, Ukraine was the country with the highest number of children killed and maimed, and the most attacks on schools and hospitals.

“As the Secretary-General has consistently underlined, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and international law,” she said.

Nuclear safety concerns

She also addressed the situation at the beleaguered Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been under Russian control since the early weeks of the war.

In recent days, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stationed there have heard a series of explosions apparently some distance away from the nuclear plant.

“They are a stark reminder of potential nuclear safety and security risks facing the facility during the military conflict in the country,” she said.

Delivering aid to millions

As fighting rages in Ukraine, the UN and partners continue to deliver aid, reaching over five million people so far this year, with over 65 inter-agency convoys to frontline areas.

She said humanitarians still cannot access Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, where roughly 3.7 million people need assistance. Engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv is ongoing.

Access is also critical in the wake of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam last month, which devastated communities along the Dnipro River and affected local ecosystems.

Yearning to go home

Meanwhile, displacement remains a serious concern. More than 6.3 million Ukrainians are living as refugees, and an estimated 5.1 million are internally displaced persons (IDPs). UN agency IOM said roughly 4.76 million people have returned to their communities since the war began in February 2022, including 1.1 million refugees.

Although most of the remaining refugees and IDPs want to return to their homes, insecurity makes this practically impossible as Ukraine is now among the most heavily mined countries in the world.

‘Harrowing’ rights violations

Ms. DiCarlo also reported on the “harrowing record of human rights violations” committed during the war. Abuses have included arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment, and conflict-related sexual violence.

The latest report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, documented 864 individuals detained by Russia, with many cases amounting to forced disappearance. More than 90 per cent of civilian detainees were reportedly subjected to torture or ill-treatment, including sexual violence.

Justice and accountability

“We are also gravely concerned about the alleged summary execution of 77 civilians while they were arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation, as reported by OHCHR,” she said.

The UN rights office also documented 75 cases of arbitrary detention by Ukrainian security forces, mostly of persons suspected of conflict-related criminal offences. In most cases, 57 per cent, torture and ill-treatment had occurred.

“All victims of human rights violations deserve justice and accountability, whichever side of the frontline they come from. Impunity must not be allowed to stand,” she said.

Russia ready to reconsider

In his speech to the Council, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitriy Polyanskiy addressed the decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative after a year in operation.

He said most corn and wheat exports went to wealthier countries while least developed countries received three per cent and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) even less.

“These facts are too unsavoury, and they speak for themselves, and so the Black Sea Initiative was without much ado simply reformatted from a humanitarian to a commercial one,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Mr. Polyanskiy further stated that despite UN efforts, there had been “no progress” in persuading western countries to comply with a parallel agreement on Russian exports.

“The Russian Federation will stand ready to consider its resumption only when concrete results are achieved rather than promises and assurances from western capitals,” he said.

‘Blackmail’ and ‘hunger games’

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country wanted to keep exports flowing to international markets, and Russia is “blackmailing” the world.

“This blackmail affects the lives of millions of Ukrainians and tens of millions more around the world, primarily in Africa and Asia, who face the threat of rising food prices and hunger,” he said.

Mr. Kuleba recalled that the grain initiative had led to a drop in global food prices.

He called on UN Member States “to firmly demand that Russia resume its participation in the deal in good faith and stop its Hunger Games.”

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Bringing a war criminal to justice — Global Issues

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.

Ahead of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Day of International Criminal Justice, which marks the adoption of its founding UN treaty, the Rome Statute, 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’ support to national justice and security institutions.

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 organized” 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, Public Prosecutor in Goma, 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.

The warrant: Wanted for war crimes

UNHCR/S. Schulman

A staff member from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, talks to displaced Congolese women in Lushebere Camp in 2012. (file)

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

Within two weeks, the survivors’ 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.

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”, jeopardizing their willingness to appear in court. However a joint effort involving the UN and such partners as TRIAL International changed that, Ms. Sayiba explained.

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.”

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 7 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 realized that he was now alone. He had to take responsibility for his actions.”

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 report on children and armed conflict in the DRC.

Ms. Sayiba said the sentencing sent “a great message” and “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, 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 47, 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.”

UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and MONUSCO set apart demobilized child soldiers as the Mai-Mai militia surrenders itself to Congolese Government forces. (file)



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‘We cannot work under the barrel of a gun,’ UN relief chief says — Global Issues

“For three months now, the people of Sudan have endured unspeakable suffering amid violence that is tearing their country apart,” Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement.

“As the conflict enters its fourth month, the battle lines are hardening, making it ever more difficult to reach the millions of people who need urgent humanitarian assistance,” he added.

More than 3 million people have been displaced due to the conflict both within Sudan and across its borders; the fighting, which broke out in mid-April has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people and injured over 12,000, according to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Health workers and facilities have also been attacked, severely limiting access for those in need, and with the onset of the rainy season, there is an increased risk of outbreaks of water- and vector-borne diseases, compounded by challenges in waste management and shortages of supplies.

Children are among the worst affected, with an estimated 13.6 million – roughly half the number remaining in Sudan – in urgent need of assistance.

‘World’s most difficult place’

Describing Sudan as “one of the world’s most difficult places for humanitarian workers to operate,” Mr. Griffiths emphasized the collaborative efforts of local organizations and international aid groups in delivering life-saving supplies.

However, that work cannot be carried out when relief workers themselves, are at risk.

“But we cannot work under the barrel of a gun. We cannot replenish stores of food, water and medicine if brazen looting of these stocks continues. We cannot deliver if our staff are prevented from reaching people in need.”

He underlined that ultimately, the suffering of Sudanese people will end only when the fighting stops, and called on the parties to the conflict to abide by the Declaration of Commitments they signed in Jeddah to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.

Each day ‘the misery deepens’

Each day the fighting continues, the misery deepens for Sudanese civilians

Drawing attention to the recent discovery of mass graves in West Darfur, Mr. Griffiths highlighted the fear of resurgence of ethnic killings in the region.

“Each day the fighting continues, the misery deepens for Sudanese civilians […] We must all redouble our efforts to ensure that the conflict in Sudan does not spiral into a brutal and interminable civil war with grave consequences for the region,” the UN official stressed.

“The people of Sudan cannot afford to wait,” he concluded.

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Security Council urged to address ‘most silenced and least condemned crime’ — Global Issues

“Every new wave of warfare brings with it a rising tide of human tragedy, including new waves of war’s oldest, most silenced and least condemned crime,” she said.

The Council meeting to examine implementation of its resolutions on conflict-related sexual violence was convened by the United Kingdom, which holds the rotating presidency this month.

Meetings survivors in DRC

Ms. Patten presented data from her latest report, published last month, which documented 2,455 UN-verified cases of wartime rape committed during 2022. Women and girls accounted for 94 per cent, with six per cent against men and boys.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was again the country with the highest number of cases, 701. The UN expert visited the country in June and was horrified by the testimonies of women and girls, many of whom had been very recently raped.

“So many of them stressed the daily risk of sexual violence while carrying out livelihood activities around the camps, such as searching for food, collecting wood or water. Just imagine facing the reality each day that you are likely to be raped, yet having no choice,” she said.

Visit to Ukraine

Ms. Patten also conducted her first field visit to Ukraine last year. She was struck by both the occurrence of sexual violence in conflict zones and the vulnerability of women and children forced to flee to countries such as Poland and Moldova.

“I witnessed first-hand the extraordinary toll on women, children and the elderly, including their vulnerability to unscrupulous individuals and criminal networks for whom the rapid and unprecedented mass displacement of people is not a tragedy but an opportunity for trafficking and sexual exploitation,” she said.

Impunity going unpunished

Ms. Patten’s annual report also detailed horrors committed in other countries, such as Haiti, Ethiopia and Iraq. Serious allegations of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan have also surfaced since fighting erupted in April.

The report also clearly demonstrates the emboldening effects of impunity, she said. Nearly 50 parties, mostly non-State actors, are listed for systematically committing sexual violence. More than 70 per cent have appeared on the list for five years or more.

“The reality is that until we effectively raise the cost and consequences for committing, commanding or condoning sexual violence, we will never stem the tide of such violations,” she said.

Resolve and resources

Ms. Patten called for greater political resolve and resources. She said there is more knowledge today about what motivates sexual violence, who the perpetrators are, and the response required by survivors.

It is essential that prevention efforts are grounded in this enhanced knowledge, she said, which is at the heart of a strategy launched by her office last September.

She advised that the international community must ensure implementation of Security Council resolutions while adapting actions to today’s conflicts and emerging global challenges, such as cyber threats and climate-related insecurity.

“The time is now to double down on the institutional and accountability frameworks put in place by successive resolutions,” she said. “We must act urgently, and with sustained resolve, to save succeeding generations from this scourge.”

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OHCHR ‘very concerned’ over disproportionate use of force against protesters — Global Issues

The demonstrations began over what many Kenyans view as unfair tax hikes and rising inflation in the country, according to news reports.

OHCHR Spokesperson Jeremy Laurance issued a statement condemning the violence, expressing concern over “allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including the use of firearms, by police”.

Reports estimate the number of people killed to be as high as 23, with dozens more being injured during the demonstrations.

Kenya’s opposition leader reportedly called for civil disobedience and nationwide protests against the Government, amid a rising cost of living and concerns over growing inequality.

Opposition groups argue that recent tax hikes the Government says are designed to pay off debt and fund job creation, have placed an increased tax burden on families already struggling to afford basic necessities and are reportedly calling for continued demonstrations against the new policies.

Prompt investigations

“We call for prompt, thorough, independent, and transparent investigations into the deaths and injuries”, said Mr. Laurence. “Those responsible must be held to account. Effective measures to prevent further deaths and injuries must be adopted.”

The right to peaceful demonstration is guaranteed under Kenya’s constitution, although authorities have reportedly declared the recent protests “illegal” and say they pose a threat to national security.

Right to peaceful assembly

“We call on the authorities to ensure the right to peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the Kenyan Constitution and international human rights law,” said Mr. Laurence.

“We appeal for calm and encourage open dialogue to address social, economic, and political grievances, with the aim of identifying lasting solutions in the interests of all Kenyans,” he added.

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UN rights chief calls for probe after 87 bodies found in mass grave — Global Issues

The victims, who included members of the Masalit ethnic community, were allegedly killed last month by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militia, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said, citing credible information.

Local people were forced to dispose of the bodies in a mass grave outside the regional capital, El-Geneina , denying those killed a decent burial in one of the city’s cemeteries.

Mr. Türk condemned the killings in the strongest terms and called for those responsible to be held to account.

Women and children killed

The RSF and the Sudanese army have been locked in fierce fighting since mid-April. Thousands have been killed and injured, and nearly three million people are displaced both within and outside the country.

At least 37 of the bodies were buried on 20 June in the roughly one-metre-deep mass grave in an open area called Al-Turab Al Ahmar, or Red Soil in English.

Another 50 bodies were buried there the following day, including those of seven women and seven children.

Those buried were killed by the RSF and their allied militia during the period 13 to 21 June in the districts of Al-Madaress and Al-Jamarek, located in El-Geneina, according to credible information gathered by OHCHR.

Many were victims of the violence that followed the killing of the Governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abbaker, on 14 June, shortly after he was taken into custody by the RSF. Others had died from untreated injuries.

Disrespecting the dead

The UN rights chief said he was “appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead, along with their families and communities, were treated.”

“There must be a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the killings, and those responsible must be held to account,” he said.

Mr. Türk called on the RSF and other parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate searches for the dead, their collection and evacuation, in line with international law and regardless of ethnicity or other distinction.

Bodies lying in the streets

OHCHR said witnesses report that local mediation efforts for access to and burial of the dead have generally taken too long, leaving many bodies lying in the streets for days.

The family of a Masalit dignitary who was killed on or around 9 June by the RSF and their allies, reportedly had to wait 13 days before being allowed to collect the body.

Witnesses told staff that in cases where the RSF have allowed the collection of the dead, following mediation with Arab and other community leaders, they have refused to allow those injured to be taken to hospitals for medical treatment.

Ensure injured receive care

“The RSF’s leadership and their allied militia as well as all parties to an armed conflict are required to ensure that the dead are properly handled, and their dignity protected,” Mr. Türk said.

Furthermore, international humanitarian and international human rights law require all warring parties to ensure the injured receive medical care.

The High Commissioner called on the RSF leadership immediately and unequivocally to condemn and stop the killing of people, and to end violence and hate speech based on ethnicity.

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Emergency seed distribution campaign underway as fighting continues — Global Issues

The agency plans to reach and assist over one million vulnerable farmers and their families, estimated at around five million people.

Combatting the crisis

The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, originates from the collapse of a 2022 power-sharing agreement between the two, that has impacted millions of civilians and triggered a humanitarian crisis.

One of the chief concerns is lack of civilian access to food. The current security and logistics challenges have reduced food security for millions across the country.

By improving food production and safeguarding agrifood systems, FAO, with assistance from the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the agency is hoping to provide greater food security now and in the longer term.

FAO plans to reach five million people across seventeen states with 10,000 tonnes of sorghum, millet, groundnut, and sesame seeds. The campaign will enable vulnerable farmers to plant up to three million tonnes of cereals between November and December this year, meeting the cereal requirements of around thirteen to nineteen million people.

Since 3 May, the World Food Programme (WFP) has been continuing emergency food operations after being forced to temporarily halt them due to the deteriorating security situation. The continued violence and access restrictions by the warring parties have made it extremely difficult for WFP to scale up its assistance in the region, however.

Support ‘paramount’

So far, FAO has delivered 3.3 tonnes of seeds to eight states and begun distributing them to farmers.

The agency has also raised nearly $20 million towards its $95.4 million goal of reaching fifteen million people with life-saving interventions including providing access to food, farming equipment, and restocking and protecting livestock herds.

Additionally, WFP has successfully provided food and nutrition assistance to over 1.4 million people across fourteen states since resuming operations in May, despite the continued fighting in the region.

Nearly 500,000 people have received WFP assistance in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of restive Darfur.

“The need for swift agricultural support in Sudan is paramount,” said FAO Representative in Sudan Hongjie Yang.

“Our goal is to navigate the complex security and logistical challenges to continue to reach farmers in the country with this time-sensitive assistance.”

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