UN News Today 18 December 2025 |

Yemen crisis: UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for calm

As tensions mount in Yemen, the UN Secretary-General has called for “maximum restraint” from all parties – and the release of all detained United Nations staff.

Speaking on Wednesday in New York, António Guterres cited “dramatic new developments” in Yemen’s eastern governorates, where separatist fighters from the Southern Transitional Council have advanced on the governorates of Hadramawt and al-Mahra:

“I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, de-escalate tensions, and resolve differences through dialogue…The sovereignty and territorial integrity in Yemen must be reserved. Yemen needs a sustainable, negotiated political settlement – one it embraces the aspirations of all Yemenis; And brings this devastating conflict to an end.”

Since 2014, Yemeni government forces supported by a Saudi-led military coalition have been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels who control the capital, Sana’a.

Thousands have been killed in the war which has created a massive humanitarian crisis; 19.5 million people need assistance and nearly five million have fled their homes.

The Secretary-General also condemned the continued arbitrary detention of 59 UN and partner personnel, as well as staff from NGOs, civil society organizations and diplomatic missions, before calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

Sudan war: rights chief Türk urges world not to ignore gruesome abuses

Harrowing new details emerged on Thursday in a UN report detailing targeted sexual violence and summary executions in Sudan’s North Darfur region, attributed to paramilitary fighters who overran the city of El Fasher in October.

The report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, describes how civilians – including many from besieged El Fasher – endured torture and abductions during a three-day offensive by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on nearby Zamzam camp in April.

UN rights chief Volker Türk noted that more than 1,000 civilians had been killed in the Zamzam offensive alone, including 319 who faced summary execution at home, in a market, or in schools, health facilities and mosques.

“Such deliberate killing of civilians or persons hors de combat may constitute the war crime of murder…The world must not sit back and watch as such cruelty becomes entrenched as the order of the day in Sudan. All States, particularly those with influence, must do all in their power to prevent atrocities and lend their collective support to diplomatic efforts towards a ceasefire and a durable resolution of the conflict.”

At the time of the RSF paramilitary attack, Zamzam camp hosted an estimated 500,000 people uprooted by the Sudan war, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, following a breakdown in transition to civilian rule.

According to the UN human rights office report, the RSF attack was supported by “allied Arab militia” and lasted from 11 to 13 April; it involved “heavy artillery shelling and ground incursions”. 

At least 104 people were subjected to rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, including 75 women, 26 girls and three boys, most of them from the Zaghawa ethnic tribe Mr. Türk said. He added that sexual violence was likely used “to inflict terror”.

Türk alarmed by spiralling Thai-Cambodia conflict and impact on civilians

In related human rights news, Volker Türk expressed alarm on Thursday at the renewed deadly violence on the Thailand-Cambodia border.

In an alert, he cited reports that fighter jets, drones and artillery had been used to target areas near villages and cultural sites.

These targets included casino buildings and alleged scam centres in Cambodia, Mr. Türk’s office said.

Since fighting resumed on 7 December, Cambodia has reported 18 civilian fatalities, while Thailand has reported the death of one civilian.

Strikes have been increasingly reported further from the border and into each other’s territories, the UN human rights office said.

The development comes after intensifying border clashes between the two countries over the summer that were the most serious escalation in a decade.

To date, some 750,000 people have fled their homes.

“I urge both sides to cease fire immediately and return to dialogue,” Mr. Türk said. He recalled that both countries had signed a Joint Declaration to de-escalate the conflict in October.

Daniel Johnson, UN News