Gaza: Rafah invasion would be a disaster ‘beyond imagination’, warn UN medics

Gaza: Rafah invasion would be a disaster ‘beyond imagination’, warn UN medics

Echoing renewed deep concerns by the UN’s top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths that an assault on Rafah “could lead to a slaughter”, the World Health Organization (WHO) also firmly rejected allegations of years-long collusion with non-health partners either in or underneath Gaza’s hospitals. ‘There is no collusion’ “We definitely cannot be louder in saying that no, there…

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Gaza: ‘Simply not enough food’ to go around, warn UN humanitarians

Gaza: ‘Simply not enough food’ to go around, warn UN humanitarians

“There is simply not enough food,” UNRWA tweeted on social platform X, formerly Twitter, with photographs from another city slightly further north, Deir-al-Balah, showing people queuing “in the rain and cold” for relief supplies. In its latest situation update, UN aid coordination office OCHA reported heavy fighting in Khan Younis close to two hospitals: Nasser –…

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Gaza crisis: aid agencies warn of ‘tragic, avoidable surge’ in child deaths

Gaza crisis: aid agencies warn of ‘tragic, avoidable surge’ in child deaths

“About 160 children are killed every day; that’s one every 10 minutes,” said UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, echoing concerns from the UN Children’s Fund about the serious additional threat of a mass disease outbreak in the enclave. “If youngsters continue to have restricted access to water and sanitation in Gaza, we…

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Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, UN experts warn

Atrocity crimes still being committed in Ethiopia, UN experts warn

The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said it was vital independent investigators continue to review the country’s dire human rights situation.” “We are gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia and the potential for future atrocities,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the Commission. Risk factors remain “Our report shows that the…

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Rights experts warn against forced separation of Uyghur children in China

Rights experts warn against forced separation of Uyghur children in China

Classroom teaching at these institutions is almost exclusively in Mandarin, with little or no use of the Uyghur language, they said in a statement. They warned that separating the children from their families “could lead to their forced assimilation into the majority Mandarin language and the adoption of Han cultural practices.”  ‘Orphans’ with families  The…

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Venezuela continues crackdown on dissenters, UN rights experts warn

Venezuela continues crackdown on dissenters, UN rights experts warn

Marta Valiñas, Chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, presented its latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which covers the period from January 2020 to August this year. The report, which was published last week, focused on two areas: the various “repression mechanisms” used by the State, and the…

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‘Immense challenges’ block justice for Ukrainian war victims, rights experts warn

‘Immense challenges’ block justice for Ukrainian war victims, rights experts warn

Speaking in Kyiv, Commission Chair Erik Møse pointed to continuing patterns of violations by Russian armed forces, including wilful killings, unlawful confinement, torture, rape, and illegal deportations, many of which qualify as war crimes. According to the Commission, the Ukrainian legal system faced “immense challenges” to provide accountability and justice to the victims and ensure…

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200,000 children at risk of starvation in Mali, warn UN agencies

200,000 children at risk of starvation in Mali, warn UN agencies

This warning comes at a time when almost a quarter of Mali’s population is experiencing moderate or acute food insecurity, with over 2,500 individuals on the brink of famine in the crisis-affected Menaka region, including many vulnerable children. Senior humanitarian officials from UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) visited the country this…

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