Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Mission there reports that after a brief lull in violence in the country, there were renewed and intense clashes on 25 February between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces, west of the town of Sake in North Kivu.

The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva released a horrific report today that details violations and abuses by both sides in the conflict in Sudan since April 2023, resulting in thousands of civilians killed, millions displaced, property looted, and children conscripted into fighting.

A dramatic spike in hostilities between the Congolese national forces and the 23 March Movement (M23) armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has exacerbated the country’s humanitarian crisis, the top UN official in the country told the Security Council today, as she also condemned the violence in Kinshasa on 10 February targeting UN personnel.

On 20 February 2024, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo approved the addition of the entries specified below to its Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the measures imposed by the Security Council and adopted under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations.

Following a surge of hostilities in Ukraine over the weekend, humanitarian organizations have provided materials for emergency repairs to houses. Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are addressing the impact of oil spillage on water sources in Kharkiv after a strike on an oil storage facility in that area on 9 February.

The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, today echoed the concerns of other senior UN officials about the reported plans for a full military incursion in Rafah, stressing the risk it would create for the commission of atrocity crimes is serious, real and high.

The first State of the World’s Migratory Species report was launched today by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is a UN biodiversity treaty. The report shows that while some migratory species listed under the treaty are improving, 44 per cent are showing population declines.

In war-torn Sudan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 3.5 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year. The Agency and its partners have secured ready-to-use therapeutic foods through July and are scaling up their response to prevent a massive loss of lives.

In Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there denounced a new wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns that took place overnight. The attacks reportedly caused scores of civilian casualties in six regions of Ukraine and have massively disrupted essential services at the height of winter.

The massive humanitarian needs of over 2 million people in Gaza risk deepening, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will likely be forced to close operations by the end of the month if donor funding remains suspended, UNRWA Head Philippe Lazzarini warned today.