UN News Today 27 August 2026 |

Shock and devastation remain, a day after Himalayan flood disaster 

Hundreds of people are still missing in Nepal and the Tibet autonomous region of China after a floodwater surge slammed into towns and villages on Wednesday.

The UN is among the organizations providing lifesaving aid destined for communities cut off by the disaster in the Nepalese districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading.

Communities are coping with loss, displacement and disruption to essential services.

With an exclusive update, here’s Claire Warmenbol from UN partner the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, in Kathmandu:

“Here in Kathmandu, we are safe and a lot of rescue efforts are ongoing in the affected areas even though it is very difficult as infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, have been severely damaged so access is an issue…It has been a very intense 24 hours and it is not over yet, with particular concern for the secondary threat of landslides from a new lake which formed downstream.” 

An ice rock avalanche high in the Himalayan mountains likely triggered the disaster, Ms. Warmenbol said, adding that this is the second time in less than a year that massive flooding has hit northern Nepal.

It’s “not a coincidence as mountain hazards are becoming more frequent and harder to predict and they don’t stop at borders”, she stressed in a call for investment in early warning systems “that reach people in time” along with strong cross-border cooperation between Nepal, China and the whole region. 

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Most under-5s succumb to the deadly disease – WHO

To the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, where new data shows that a majority of small children are not managing to resist the deadly Ebola epidemic once they’re infected.

An update from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that the outbreak remains heavily concentrated in Ituri, in eastern DRC.

The province accounts for 84 per cent of cases and 78 per cent of deaths, with nearly all health zones in Ituri now recording cases of infection.

Here’s Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire, a WHO emergency response director:

“Women represent 53 per cent of reported cases…Most painful, children under five have the highest case fatality ratio and around 60 per cent.”

Community outreach remains a key part of the response, and Congolese artists are using their influence to help communities recognise symptoms, seek treatment early and prevent transmission.

Lokua Kanza, a singer and national ambassador for UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, has joined the campaign. His video message urges people to avoid risky contact, follow health advice and seek medical care if symptoms appear.

“Ebola is not just a word,” Mr. Kanza says, warning that the Bundibugyo virus is a reality that is taking lives and devastating families.

The outbreak has already become the DRC’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, claiming 2,744 lives to date.

South Africa: Anti-racism committee warns of surge in violence against migrants 

Murders, forced displacement and raids. That’s the grim situation facing migrants in South Africa today, UN-backed rights experts said on Thursday, amid a resurgence of xenophobia and racially-motivated hate crimes.

Since the beginning of the year, at least four migrants have been killed and around 50,000 displaced by civilians and vigilante groups, according to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). 

The committee welcomed a statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa condemning vigilante groups, xenophobia, hate crimes and violence against migrants. He also rejected attempts to make migrants scapegoats for the country’s difficulties.

But, CERD said condemnation alone was not enough and called on the South African authorities to address the underlying causes of racial discrimination and hate speech.

The panel of 18 senior independent rights experts from around the world issued its concerns under the early warning and urgent action procedure. 

The experts – who are not UN staff nor paid for their work – also raised concerns over alleged kidnappings, looting and the destruction of property and businesses belonging to migrants as well as illegal evictions by landlords.

Daniel Johnson, UN News