SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Secretary-General, who as you know, is attending the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, spoke to a high-level humanitarian conference for the people of Sudan. He said that in his previous capacity as High Commissioner for Refugees, he saw firsthand the enormous generosity of the Sudanese people – as they supported their own internally displaced population as well as refugees. Now, he added, the international community must show the same level of support to the Sudanese people in their moment of despair.
Later in the day, he participated in meetings of the African Union Peace and Security Council [at the level of Heads of State and Government], on the situation in Sudan and on the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I’ll have more on that later on the situation on the ground.
On Sudan, the Secretary- General repeated that there is no military solution, that the parties to the conflict must engage for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The Secretary-General addressed the Peace and Security Council during a closed-door session.
But as you can imagine, he repeated our call on the parties to the conflict to engage for an immediate cessation of hostilities there.
Speaking about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I can tell you that the Secretary-General called for the swift implementation of the conclusions of the Joint Summit of leaders of the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community.
Throughout the day, the Secretary-General had a number of bilateral meetings. including with the departing Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki, as well as the Presidents of Kenya, Rwanda and Guinea-Bissau.
And as a reminder, he will deliver remarks tomorrow during the opening session of the African Union Summit, that will take place on Saturday.
SUDAN
On Sudan, just to give you more granularity, I can tell you that we are very much alarmed by the escalation of fighting in and around the Zamzam displacement camp in El Fasher, in North Darfur. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on the camp have increased over the past week, with reports – including satellite images – indicating the use of heavy weaponry and the destruction of the main market area.
International NGOs in Zamzam have reported extensive civilian casualties, with humanitarian personnel among those reportedly killed.
Zamzam is estimated to be hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
And as you know, it is also among the locations in Sudan where famine conditions have been identified, making reports of the destruction of the camp’s market area particularly concerning and in fact, it’s one of these locations where we lose the right words to describe the horror of the situation. As you well know, the World Food Programme and partners have been working to deliver critical food and nutrition assistance to 300,000 displaced people in and around Zamzam. This latest round of violence puts families and critical aid operations at further risk.
We demand that the parties to the conflict adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited. All sides must take steps to protect civilians from harm - and those seeking to leave the area voluntarily, must be allowed to do so in a safe and dignified manner.
And just to flag that on Monday, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher – alongside Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, will together launch the 2025 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudan. They are expected to call for strengthened protection and support for civilians impacted by nearly two years of conflict and the need to assist nearly 26 million human beings in need inside Sudan and across borders.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – HUMANITARIAN
To move to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is bleak as well. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that large numbers of people are fleeing combat zones in South Kivu. According to local partners, many people had sought safety in Bukavu in recent days as fighting moved through South Kivu. Partners on the ground also said that M23 is currently in Bukavu but no active fighting is being reported.
Yesterday, partners delivered food assistance to about 12,000 people in Idwji island in Lake Kivu. Partners also started food distributions to more than 40,000 people in Kalehe, about 65 kilometres north of Bukavu.
Meanwhile, in North Kivu, unexploded ordnance remains a major threat in Goma. Humanitarian partners also say that many displaced people are still on the move in and around Goma.
Several displacement sites have also been vandalized and looted in recent days, and some humanitarian partners have relocated supplies to avoid further looting.
We continue our assessments in and around the town of Goma, including in the towns of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo where large numbers of people have arrived in search of safety. In Nyiragongo, humanitarian partners report that schools are only minimally functioning, hospitals have experienced extensive vandalism, and there is no water.
**DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/PEACEKEEPING
Meanwhile, our peacekeeping colleagues in the DRC tell us that they have intensified their efforts to protect civilians after the recent attacks by the CODECO armed group in Ituri province earlier this week.
The head of the MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, condemned the heinous attack, which killed more than 80 civilians.
On Tuesday, the Mission set up two temporary operational bases in the villages of Lodha and Aar, in the heart of Djugu territory, to prevent the intensification of community violence and to protect civilian populations.
The mission has also deployed reinforced patrols to secure Djaiba, including the displaced persons site, to deter further incursions and to try to reassure the population that is traumatized.
Ms. Bintou Keita also appealed to everyone's sense of responsibility and humanity to put an end to this new wave of violence.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
From Gaza, our World Food Programme colleagues tell us they reached more than 860,000 men, women and children with food parcels, hot meals, bread and cash assistance. More than 19,000 metric tonnes of WFP food have entered Gaza.
WFP has also distributed nutrition packs to some 85,000 people, including children under five, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
WFP has provided more than 90,000 people with cash assistance in the last two weeks, enabling them to meet their basic needs. Overall, the Cash Working Group partners have provided multipurpose cash assistance to about 230,000 people.
Efforts are also underway to establish more food distribution points, especially in North Gaza, to reduce travel distances, transport costs and protection risks for families.
Partners are also providing fuel for critical services. Yesterday, the World Health Organization delivered 5,000 litres of fuel to Al Awda Hospital, in North Gaza governorate. Today, WHO also distributed 100,000 litres of fuel to hospitals in Gaza City. As you can imagine the fuel is critical to make generators work.
In the south, education partners in Rafah are preparing for the reopening of at least a dozen schools as displaced families return to their home areas. As you know, schools across the Strip had been used as shelters for Palestinians displaced during 15 months of hostilities. In Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, partners are providing cleaning materials to restart learning activities.
And turning to the West Bank, OCHA reports that operations by Israeli forces in northern areas are still ongoing. This has been the longest operation in the West Bank in two decades.
WFP has provided cash to more than 190,000 people, and food assistance to 8,000 in the area. And in Jenin, WFP reached more than 1,100 households displaced outside of the refugee camp with a one-time cash transfer to cover basic needs.
SYRIA/HUMANITARIAN
Turning to Syria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that over the past two days, 77 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to Idlib through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing. The trucks carried 1,600 metric tonnes of WFP food aid as well as health supplies, blankets and other items from UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration.
Since the start of the year, nearly 200 trucks with UN aid have crossed from Türkiye – that’s more than triple the amount compared to the same time last year. To better understand the needs, OCHA is increasing the weekly assessment and monitoring missions In Syria.
This week, our colleagues completed two such missions to the Tal Refaat and Nubul sub-districts in Aleppo Governorate, and to two villages in the Suran sub-district in Hama Governorate.
The teams met and discussed with local authorities and communities. Both missions revealed a significant scale of destruction of homes and infrastructure. There are no or limited healthcare facilities and basic services available for the hundreds of returnees. Many have returned from displacement camps in northern Syria carrying nothing but their personal belongings.
And just a reminder that many of the 6 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are weighing the momentous decision as to whether or not to return to Syria.
Since December, the UN Refugee Agency estimates that some 270,000 have returned home to Syria.
SYRIA
On the political end, Geir Pedersen, our Special Envoy for Syria, is in Munich to attend the Security Conference. Prior to that, he participated in the Paris Conference on Syria. In a joint statement, the representatives at the Conference reaffirmed the commitment to a free, inclusive, and sovereign Syria, aligned with the key principles of Security Council Resolution 2254. They also urged for the setting of a clear timeline for constitutional reform and free elections.
Participants also highlighted the UN’s key role in the process and endorsed Mr. Pedersen’s efforts. Separately, Mr. Pedersen met bilaterally with the Syrian Caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, reaffirming our support for the transition.
SOUTH SUDAN
Our peacekeeping colleagues in South Sudan tell us they supported a high-level meeting chaired by the country’s First Vice President, Riek Machar, to address the ongoing violence between cattle herders and farmers.
Attendees included influential political and community leaders, as well as civil society. They agreed on key solutions to end the cycle of cattle raids and revenge attacks, including formulating and enacting legislation to regulate cattle migration, and enhancing overall security for civilian movement.
The outcomes are particularly significant as they were endorsed by the Governors of Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria and Central Equatoria - the three states that are most impacted by this issue, as well as the Chief Administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
ABYEI
A quick note from our peacekeepers in Abyei who strongly condemn the recent carjacking incidents by unknown gunmen targeting its personnel and contractors in northern parts of Abyei.
In the past two weeks, two separate incidents have been recorded. The gunmen also seized personal belongings of staff while subjecting them to rough physical treatment. These criminal acts may potentially hinder the effective implementation of our mandate there.
We urge authorities and community leaders in Abyei to work closely with the Mission in its investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Today, we thank our friends in Algiers, Zagreb, Monaco and Belgrade for their countries’ payments to the regular budget. We are now up to 57 paid up Member States.
