UN News Today 16 May 2025 |

Gazans ‘in terror’ after another night of deadly strikes and siege

Amid reports that Israeli strikes across Gaza overnight into Friday killed at least 64 people, aid teams once again pushed back strongly on allegations that aid is being diverted to Hamas.

From the UN health agency, WHO, spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris rejected accusations that relief supplies have been handed over to Hamas.

“In the health sector, we’ve not seen that – all we see is a desperate need at all times,” she said.

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA also said that relief supplies were closely tracked in real time, making diversion highly unlikely.

And even if it were happening, “it’s not at a scale that justifies closing down an entire life-saving aid operation” as is the case now, said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.

“If you had been in a coma for the last three years and you woke up and saw this for the first time, anyone with common sense would say this is insane.”

The UN and its partners have 9,000 truckloads of vital supplies ready to move into Gaza. More than half contain food assistance which could provide months of food for the enclave’s 2.1 million people.

The supplies also include children’s shoes, stationery and toys, baby formula, shampoo and hand soap. “I ask you, how much war can you wage with this?” Mr. Laerke asked.

Sudan exodus: Worst situation in decades, says refugee agency

Tens of thousands of refugees fleeing escalating violence in Sudan continue to escape to Chad at speeds not seen since the start of the conflict.

Many others remain trapped by heavy fighting between government and paramilitary forces, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.

UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun told UN News that 20,000 Sudanese refugees are arriving each week in eastern Chad.

More than 70 per cent of them are victims of serious human rights violations during their journey, including assault, extortion and sexual violence:

“We spoke with our head of office in Eastern Chad, who put this is the worst situation he has encountered in his entire decades of career as humanitarian. The level of displacement and human suffering caused by the violence in Darfur demands urgent and sustained international community support.”

One in two refugees who spoke to the UN agency in Chad said that they had relatives “trapped in Sudan” because they have no transport and were afraid of arbitrary arrest or forced recruitment.

The crisis continues to impact mainly children and women, while two in three refugee households report that their youngsters are out of school, Ms. Byun said.

Mali: UN’s Türk slams draconian decree limiting dissent

To Mali, where laws curbing political participation risk silencing dissent, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday.

Mr. Türk, who’s described the legal changes as “draconian”, issued a statement after Mali’s military ruler and Transitional President dissolved all political parties and political organizations earlier this week.

Previous legal protections for political parties have also been repealed, the High Commissioner for Human Rights noted – while at least three members of the opposition have been arrested following protests at the reform.

Their whereabouts are unknown, Mr. Türk said, before highlighting a pattern of enforced disappearances that dates back to at least 2021.

He pointed to increased human rights setbacks in Mali since the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers on 31 December 2023, at the request of the Malian authorities.

These violations include attacks on civilians, including killings and abductions, rape and forced marriage, often by ISIL affiliates and other armed groups, the UN human rights chief warned.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved