UN peacekeepers in Lebanon remain in their positions. Main news of the day | Friday: Ukraine, Lebanon, Russia, death of humanitarian workers UN
Main news of the day in the UN and in the world: civilians killed and injured in Sumy, four peacekeepers injured in Lebanon, UN Special Rapporteur calls on Russia to urgently release seriously ill human rights activist, 343 million people in the world are experiencing acute food shortages.
Emergency aid to Ukraine
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), civilians were killed and wounded in a strike in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Friday morning. Meanwhile, the authorities of the Donetsk and Kherson regions also reported civilian casualties the day before. On Thursday, about 110 frontline towns and villages in the Donetsk region were left without electricity, gas and water, the UN press secretary said at a briefing for journalists. According to him, the UN and partners continue to provide emergency assistance to the victims and distribute items needed for the winter. Today, a humanitarian convoy – the 42nd this year in Ukrainian territory – arrived in the frontline village of Belozerka.
Peacekeepers injured in Lebanon
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that earlier today two rockets hit the Sector West headquarters in Sham, wounding four peacekeepers from Italy. According to a statement from the mission, they are undergoing treatment in hospital and their injuries are not life-threatening. UNIFIL added that the rockets, likely fired by Hezbollah or affiliated groups, hit a bunker and a logistics area, causing significant damage to infrastructure. This is the third attack on this UN peacekeeping base in a week. UNIFIL urges the parties to avoid hostilities near peacekeeping positions.
Crimean human rights defender in Russian prison
Russian authorities should immediately release Crimean human rights defender Tofik Abdulgaziyev on medical grounds before his health deteriorates further, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor said on Friday. Information received about Abdulgaziyev’s health raises serious concerns about his rights to life and health and possible ill-treatment, Lawlor said in a statement. According to her, the Abdulgaziyev case is one of many examples of the persecution of human rights defenders in Crimea.
Deaths of humanitarian workers
On Friday, the new UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher reported that 2024 was the deadliest year for humanitarian personnel in history. The year has not yet ended, and the world has already recorded the highest number of deaths among humanitarian workers – 281. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Fletcher heads, reports that this is one death more than in 2023. Then, too, a record number of victims was recorded compared to previous years. The high number of deaths among humanitarian personnel is primarily due to the war in Gaza, the Office notes.