World News in Brief: Repression in Uganda, fighting in Syria’s Aleppo continues, Gaza and West Bank updates

In a new report released on Friday, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said that since the 2021 elections, authorities have enacted or amended laws that entrench repression and impunity, targeting political opposition, journalists, human rights defenders and those with dissenting views.

High Commissioner Volker Türk urged Ugandan authorities to uphold its international obligations and ensure all citizens can vote freely and safely.

“The Ugandan authorities must ensure all Ugandans can participate fully and safely in the election, as is their right under international law,” he said.  “They must, among others, ensure that no unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force, is used to disperse peaceful protests.”

OHCHR documented arrests and detention of opposition leaders and activists, raids on opposition party offices, confiscation of property, suspension of radio stations, arrests of bloggers and tighter controls on NGOs.

Kizza Besigye detained

Prominent opposition figure Kizza Besigye remains in detention on what OHCHR described as questionable treason charges after being abducted in neighbouring Kenya in November 2024. His associate Obeid Lutale has also been repeatedly denied bail.

The report highlights the use of live ammunition by security forces to disperse peaceful assemblies and the practice of abducting opposition supporters in unmarked vans, holding them incommunicado in unofficial detention sites.

OHCHR stressed that all election-related human rights violations must be investigated and those responsible held to account.

Syria: UN alarmed by renewed fighting in Aleppo

The UN voiced further alarm on Friday over fighting in Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, warning that the risk of escalation and harm to civilians remains extremely high.

Despite ongoing efforts to end the fighting, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the situation continues to deteriorate, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

“We underscore that all parties are bound by international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times,” he said, urging all actors to avoid further escalation, exercise restraint and take concrete steps to prevent additional civilian casualties.

The UN called on all sides to demonstrate genuine flexibility and good faith to ensure full implementation of an agreement on 10 March last year between the Kurdish-led SDF militia and the transitional Government, establishing a lasting ceasefire leading to unified military and security forces.

Heightened insecurity in parts of Aleppo has disrupted access to key roads, limiting movement and delaying humanitarian access, Mr. Dujarric said.

“We are coordinating with relevant groups so we can continue to deliver humanitarian aid,” he added.

Aid continues in Gaza as settler violence displaces families in West Bank

Meanwhile, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, UN and humanitarian partners continue to provide critical assistance across the Gaza Strip, while violence and displacement persist in the West Bank.

According to aid coordination office, OCHA, between Monday and Wednesday more than 5,000 families in Gaza received emergency cash assistance to help them purchase essential items.

In 2025, over 340,000 families across the Strip were able to access this benefit at least once.

In the West Bank, OCHA reported that at least 20 Palestinian families have been displaced from the Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja herding community in Area C of Jericho governorate following repeated settler attacks and intimidation, which has included the loss of water and electricity networks after lines were cut.

In the northern West Bank, Israeli settlers reportedly set fire to property on Thursday, including vehicles, a school and a nursery, causing injuries and damage in Deir Sharaf, Jalud and Bizzariya in Nablus governorate.

Overall in 2025, OCHA documented more than 1,800 settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties or property damage across about 280 communities – the highest daily average since records began in 2006.