This latest incident, which occurred on Thursday, brings to 69 the total number of UN personnel currently detained by the Houthis.
These detentions have made the delivery of humanitarian aid into Houthi-controlled areas untenable, directly affecting millions of people in need and limiting their access to life-saving aid, said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. said in a statement.
“The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained personnel of the United Nations, but also of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and diplomatic missions,” he said.
“Mr Guterres calls on the Houthis to rescind the referral to UN personnel for prosecution,” he added, further calling for respect for international law, including the privileges and immunities of the UN and its personnel, “which are essential to enable humanitarian action in a secure and principled environment.”
The Secretary-General and the United Nations will continue their sustained efforts with Member States and with the Security Councilas well as through direct engagement with the Houthis, to secure the release of all detained UN colleagues.
Bodies of Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in Sudan attack repatriated
The bodies of six UN peacekeepers killed last weekend in a drone attack on their camp in Kadugli, South Kordofan, Sudan, were flown to their home country of Bangladesh on Friday.
Peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), included Corporal Muhammed Masud Rana (37), Private Muhammed Sabuj Mia (29), Private Muhammed Jahangir Alam (29), Private Santo Mondol (26), Private Shamin Reza (28) and Private Muhammed Mominul Islam (35).
“We once again send our deepest condolences to their families, their colleagues, the government and the people of Bangladesh,” UN spokesman Dujarric told reporters in New York.
He reiterated that attacks on UN peacekeepers “are not only unacceptable, but may constitute a war crime,” stressing that accountability in this and all other cases must prevail.
Mr. Dujarric further noted that eight of the nine injured peacekeepers are receiving medical treatment in Nairobi, Kenya, and one was released after receiving treatment at the Mission’s medical center in Abyei.
Humanitarian organizations are supporting those affected by deadly nighttime attacks in Ternopil, western Ukraine.
Attacks disrupt essential services in Ukraine
A new wave of Russian attacks has seriously disrupted essential services in Ukraine, worsening humanitarian needs in a harsh winter, the UN aid coordination office said (OCHA) reported.
Between Thursday and Friday morning, several deaths and more than 30 people were injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.
A bridge and a train station were hit in Odessa, where a woman was reportedly killed, while her three children and several other civilians were injured. In the same region, attacks on energy infrastructure left some 270,000 customers without water, around 85,000 without heat and 75,000 without electricity.
As of October, humanitarian organizations, including the UN, had helped 4.4 million people, according to OCHA. Humanitarians have also deployed emergency teams to provide first aid to those affected by the recent attacks.
A humanitarian convoy delivered seven tons of medicine, hygiene products and other essential goods to a frontline community in Kherson on Friday. So far this year, OCHA and partners have sent 29 humanitarian convoys to the region, reaching more than 30,000 residents.
Burundi sees its situation deteriorate in the face of the influx of refugees
More than 84,000 people have crossed into Burundi from South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the start of the month, bringing the total number of Congolese refugees and asylum seekers in the country to more than 200,000.
Citing reports from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Dujarric said transit centers and informal sites hosting new arrivals have exceeded their capacity – in some cases by more than 200 percent.
“Local resources, as you can imagine, have been overwhelmed,” he added.
Across the border, violence in South Kivu has forced more than 500,000 Congolese to leave their homes. Where access allows, the UN refugee agency and its partners continue to provide protection monitoring and assistance.
UNHCR is seeking $47 million over the next four months to help 500,000 internally displaced people in the DRC and up to 166,000 refugees in Burundi, Rwanda and other neighboring countries to whom Congolese men, women and children have sought refuge.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
