From the Field: UN human rights officers on the frontline in Somalia

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11 June 2023

From the Field: UN human rights officers on the frontline in Somalia

Every day, UN human rights officers are on the frontlines to support them.

They are part of the UN’s field work, talking to those most affected by conflict and monitoring how human rights principles and international humanitarian law obligations are being respected in situations of conflict and insecurity; like in Garowe, Somalia, where nearly 75,000 men, women, and children have fled to safety from nearby armed clashes amid a conflict that has already displaced as many as 200,000.

Read about a day in the life of a UN human rights team here.

Amina Abdirahman shares a room with three of her six children in Garowe, Somalia, after fleeing an outbreak of fighting in Laascaanood, 127-km away.

The Cleopatra scandal deepens: Egypt demands billions of dollars in compensation

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News desk

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11 June 2023

A team of Egyptian lawyers and archaeologists is demanding that the streaming company “Netflix” pay compensation in the amount of two billion dollars for the distortion of the image of Queen Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt in the feature-documentary series “Cleopatra”, the online publication “Egypt Independent” reported. The request was made in a letter to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Experts point out that Egypt has the right to take legal action to protect and preserve its tangible and intangible heritage, whether ancient or modern.

A few days ago, the Ministry of Culture of the North African country filed a complaint with the Egyptian Prosecutor’s Office against the American company, demanding that the film be removed from the platform and not be shown in any form.

This is the first legal action by an official institution in relation to the series. Earlier, lawyer Mahmoud Al-Semar announced that he was taking steps to block Netflix in the country.

The documentary series caused a wave of discontent and criticism in Egypt against the casting of the black actress Adele James for the role of Cleopatra Seven. After its premiere, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Monuments released an official statement that the legendary queen, who was the last monarch of the Ptolemaic dynasty, was fair-skinned.

From the war in Ukraine, images of violence, resistance, and hope

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Guest Author

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10 June 2023

From the war in Ukraine, images of violence, resistance, and hope — A frightened Ukrainian child on the Lviv Railway in 2022 - Photo by Anastasia Levko

Strassler Center hosts ‘The War in Ukraine Through a Camera Lens’

By Clark News and Media Relations

A Russian genocide scholar, on leave in the United States, has spearheaded a Clark University exhibition of photos documenting the war in Ukraine in defiance of Putin’s authoritarian policies prohibiting anti-war speech.

“The War in Ukraine Through a Camera Lens” is on display until fall in the Siff Gallery at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Ten Ukrainian photographers contributed powerful images that document the daily suffering and resilience of civilians living under siege. According to Tatiana Kazakova, a Ukrainian art manager and activist based in Lviv who curated the exhibition, “Our goal is to record the events that are currently taking place in Ukraine and the price that Ukrainians pay. Our pictures are untitled, because we all became Bucha, we all became Kyiv. We have one thing in common — the war — and we must end it with common efforts.”

A 2023 protest in Madrid against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. — A 2023 protest in Madrid against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tatiana Kazakova)

The Russian academic who initiated the exhibition sought to document the impact of the invasion for an American audience. The scholar has necessarily chosen to remain anonymous because of the prospect of serious personal danger. Opposition to the war is routinely punished in Russia with fines, criminal prosecution, and blacklisting that imperils livelihoods. In April, the dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza received a 25-year prison sentence for anti-war activities, a sentence widely viewed as a move to intimidate other protesters, among them ethnic minorities, religious activists, and anarchists. On the opposite side of the protesters are far-right nationalists who support the aggressive prosecution of the war and who have expressed a preference for more direct conflict with NATO and the West.

According to Mary Jane Rein, executive director of the Strassler Center, the exhibition invites viewers to consider whether the crimes committed in Ukraine constitute genocide, given reports of widespread atrocities including sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, civilian massacres, and kidnapping of Ukrainian children. Since February 2022, these crimes have unfolded against a backdrop of Russian rhetoric denying the sovereignty, history, and cultural independence of Ukraine, she notes.

For Holocaust historian Thomas Kühne, Strassler Colin Flug Professor and director of the Strassler Center, the Russian invasion is “an attempt to erase Ukrainian history and culture.” The intent to destroy a national group is key to the definition of genocide, and many scholars feel that Russian atrocities in Ukraine have reached the genocidal threshold, he said, adding that the labelling of Ukrainians as Nazis, as Putin has done, demands a response from historians challenging the perversion of history for political ends.

A memorial fence of flowers and photos of Ukrainian war victims. — A memorial of flowers and photos of Ukrainian war victims in Lviv. (Photo by Tatiana Kazakova)

The Strassler exhibit features the work of photographers Andriy Chekanovsky, Anatolii Dzhygyr, Sergey Karas, Vasyl Katiman, Tatiana Kazakova, Anastasia Levko, Kateryna Mostova, Viacheslav Onyshchenko, Nelli Spirina, and Yury Tumanov. Anya Cunningham ’24, Robyn Conroy, and Alissa Duke installed the exhibition.

With no end in sight, the conflict points to the need for a deeper understanding of the region and its complex history, Rein said. To that end, the Strassler Center has invited the Ukrainian Holocaust historian Marta Havryshko to hold a three-year appointment beginning in the fall as the Dr. Thomas Zand Visiting Professor. Formerly a director of the Babyn Yar Interdisciplinary Studies Institute at the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, Havryshko is completing a book project, “War, Power and Gender: Sexual Violence during the Holocaust in Ukraine,” that focuses on sexual violence against Jews of both genders during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine. She frequently writes and speaks about the current conflict in Ukraine. “Her presence on campus will continue to remind the Clark community of the horrors of the Russian invasion long after the photo exhibition concludes,” Rein said.

People with this disease should be careful with tomatoes

By

Newsdesk

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10 June 2023

Tomatoes are present in the diet of many people. But unfortunately, they are not a one-size-fits-all food.

The disease in which tomatoes aggravate the symptoms

In people with painful joints, eating tomatoes can exacerbate painful symptoms. This is shared by Russian nutritionist Dr. Irina Mansurova. She adds that with joint diseases such as arthrosis or arthritis, tomatoes should be consumed very carefully. “Two substances that negatively affect the state of bones and joints, solanine and oxalic acid, are present in tomatoes,” explains the nutritionist.

Irina Mansurova informs that tomatoes saturated with solanine aggravate the unpleasant and painful manifestations of existing joint pathologies. All this is possible thanks to the effect of solanine on the body, in which the immune system’s reactions cause inflammation. This, in turn, causes swelling and pain in the joints. In addition to aggravating arthritis and arthrosis, the consumption of tomatoes can lead to the appearance of allergic symptoms and problems with the digestive tract. Another ingredient in tomatoes, oxalic acid, can damage cartilage tissue. It prevents the absorption of the necessary fats that ensure the elasticity of cartilage and joints. The nutritionist suggests that tomatoes of the small-fruited varieties contain the least amount of oxalic acid.

In addition, Irina Mansurova recommends that people with joint diseases avoid foods such as onions, beets, potatoes, rhubarb, spinach, as well as control the amount of tea and coffee they drink – their consumption (especially in high doses) can exacerbate the negative symptoms of joint pathologies.

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/abundance-agriculture-fresh-healthy-533280/

Deal on digital traffic data rules

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European Parliament

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9 June 2023

Parliament and Council agreed on rules for intelligent transport systems that require more traffic data, such as on speed limits, to be available digitally.

The provisional agreement reached on Thursday on intelligent transport systems (ITS) rules will help digitalise the transport sector and ensure that data between mobility apps will be shared more widely in order to make mobility safer, more efficient and sustainable.

Data sharing

During the negotiations, MEPs supported covering more services, such as multimodal information, booking and ticketing services, communication between cars and infrastructure, and automated mobility.

They managed to include more crucial road and traffic data for online sharing. In addition to speed limits, road closures or roadworks, data on one-way streets in cities, traffic weight, length, width and height restrictions as well as conditions for circulation in regulated traffic zones will be included in a national database to be shared between EU countries, businesses and consumers.

Depending on the type of data, the deadline to make new information available digitally ranges from between the end of 2025 and the end of 2028. This will launch a process to deploy ITS more swiftly.

Basic principles

The deployment of ITS services will have to be technologically neutral, to foster interoperability, not discriminate against vulnerable road users and must ensure transparency of ranking, including on environmental effects, when proposing mobility options to customers.

In order to organise cross-border transport smoothly, EU member states will have to cooperate better when deploying ITS services, in particular on cross-border projects.

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EP rapporteur Rovana Plumb (S&D, RO) said: “The deal will contribute to citizens’ safety on the road, will improve transport networks’ performance and services, whilst fostering connectivity and facilitating cooperation. Parliament secured an ambitious geographical scope and timeline for the data and services provided. By having deadlines for most types of data, we initiate a process that will speed up the deployment of intelligent transport systems and ensure that authorities at all levels start preparing for the new digital environment.”

Next steps

The informal deal still needs to be approved by Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee and the Council’s Committee of Permanent Representatives, and then the Parliament and Council as a whole.

Peacekeepers to be repatriated following allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse

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9 June 2023

Peacekeepers to be repatriated following allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse — MINUSCA/Leonel Grothe Tanzanians and other MINUSCA peacekeepers on patrol in north-west Central African Republic.

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The UN on Friday announced that following serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, an entire unit of 60 peacekeepers from Tanzania formerly based in the western part of the Central African Republic (CAR), is to be repatriated.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents that the decision to send the unit home had been made by the Secretariat in New York, following consultations with the peacekeeping mission in CAR, MINUSCA.

‘Credible evidence’

“The decision comes after a preliminary investigation which found credible evidence that 11 members of the unit had allegedly engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse of four victims”, Mr. Dujarric said.

In a statement, MINUSCA said that a rapid response team had been “immediately deployed” to assess the allegations.

Responding on Twitter to the news, UN Peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said that the scourge has no place in any part of his department, adding that the upcoming repatriation “is a robust measure taken to protect victims and demonstrate our resolve to swiftly address these wrongs with the troop-contributing country.”

Sexual exploitation & abuse has no place in @UNPeacekeeping. The upcoming repatriation of a @UN_CAR peacekeeping unit is a robust measure taken to protect victims and demonstrate our resolve to swiftly address these wrongs with the troop-contributing country. #HonouringOurValues https://t.co/MhGi8fEkfb pic.twitter.com/w8Twf3Qiu9
— Jean-Pierre Lacroix (@Lacroix_UN) June 9, 2023

Victims provided care and support

“The identified victims are being provided with care and support by the Mission’s humanitarian partners. The Mission has also deployed a team to further engage with the community”, he added.

The Spokesperson said the Tanzanian Government had already been formally notified of the decision, and have themselves deployed a national investigation team to CAR.

Tanzania pledges action

“In reaffirming their commitment to zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, the Tanzanian authorities noted the seriousness of the allegations and have committed to taking the necessary action to address these matters.”

Mr. Dujarric added that the unit had been relocated away from the area where the alleged abuse took place are are now confined to barracks “in order to protect victims as well of course, as the integrity of the investigation. The unit will be repatriated once their presence is no longer required in theatre by the investigators.”

Zero tolerance

He noted that the Secretariat’s decision was in accordance with Security Council resolution 2272, which provides clear support for decisions made by the UN Secretary-General to repatriate peacekeeping personnel, of “a particular military unit or formed police unit of a contingent, when there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and abuse by that unit.”

The UN chief António Guterres announced a firm and robust policy early in his tenure of ‘zero tolerance’ towards sexual abuse by UN personnel, calling on Member States to sign a voluntary compact on preventing and addressing the scourge, in 2017.

Mr. Dujarric stressed that the UN remains committed to “robustly implementing” the zero tolerance policy at all levels.

Arrests and hate speech target Baha’i minority in Yemen

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9 June 2023

Arrests and hate speech target Baha’i minority in Yemen

OHCHR said that on 25 May, security forces stormed a peaceful meeting of Baha’is in Sana’a. Seventeen people, including five women, were taken to an unknown location, and all but one, are still being held incommunicado.

The UN rights office urged the de facto Houthi authorities in Sana’a, to immediately release the detainees.

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Call for killings

On 2 June, according to OHCHR, Shamseddin Sharafeddin, the Mufti appointed by leaders of the Houthi rebel movement accused the detained Baha’is of being traitors, and said that if they did not repent, they “should be killed”.

Baha’i is a faith that emphasizes the worth of all religions since its establishment in the 19^th century, according to the international community’s website, including “divine educators” such as Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Jesus and the prophet Muhammad.

Around one per cent of Yemen’s non-Muslim population are estimated to subscribe to the faith.

Houthi rebels, who are Shia Muslims, have controlled Sana’a since 2014, as part of the long-running conflict with officially-recognized Government forces and their allies, for full control of the country.

Sermon incited ‘discrimination and violence’

OHCHR Spokesperson briefing in Geneva, Jeremy Laurence, condemned the use of “any language that incites discrimination and violence, particularly against minorities, and often leads to forced exile and displacement”, in addition to contravening international law.

“We remind the de facto authorities in Sana’a, that they must respect the human rights of people living under their control”, added Mr. Laurence.

“Human rights guarantees minorities, among other things, the right to profess and practice their own religion and the right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial tribunal”, he continued.

He said pre-trial detention “should be the exception and should be used only if reasonable and necessary, based on an individual assessment of each case.”

Ukraine flood disaster: needs grow as long-term impacts loom

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9 June 2023

Ukraine flood disaster: needs grow as long-term impacts loom

Speaking to journalists from Bilozerka, a town on the Dnipro River about 20 kilometres west of Kherson and five kilometres from the frontline, Ms. Brown, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said that on Friday, the UN brought in a five-truck convoy to the affected areas, with desperately needed drinking water, food and equipment to help repair damaged homes.

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‘Distraught’ population

Ms. Brown has been visiting affected areas and said that people were completely taken by surprise by the flooding, which came in the middle of the night on Tuesday after the dam suffered a massive breach. Both Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for its destruction.

She stressed that people were “distraught” by the latest catastrophe to hit them, but remained resilient, even though they faced “daily shelling” – including just a day ago.

Rising needs

In many places, the waters haven’t receded yet, which is why the impact remained hard to assess and satellite imagery was “critical”, Ms. Brown said. The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Thursday that flooding would still last “for at least a week”.

For the moment, an estimated 17,000 people were affected in the flooding zone according to Ms. Brown. UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, added that this number could rise to 40,000 as the situation evolved.

‘Doing my darndest’

Asked to comment on earlier criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the UN’s relief effort, Ms. Brown said that the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) had been bringing in supplies “from day one” with commercial vehicles and that UNHCR and the UN migration agency (IOM) were also on the ground.

“I have asked that question to the Ukrainian authorities, ‘Did we get here on time?’ And the answer was yes,” she said.

Ms. Brown explained that the current situation was very difficult and fast-moving, and that the fact that UN agencies brought in relief with commercial transporters may have made them less visible to the authorities.

She also recalled her conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, focused on “what more we can do together”.

“I am doing my darndest to ensure that we do our job,” she insisted.

Call for access to Russian-occupied areas

OCHA said on Thursday that the UN was “extremely concerned” about the plight of civilians in areas under Russian military control and that it had no access to those areas in the Kherson region.

UN rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Jeremy Laurence, told reporters on Friday that just like humanitarian actors, human rights monitors cannot enter the Russian-occupied territories, as Russia had denied the Office’s repeated requests on the issue.

He reiterated the urgent call for access, along with an appeal for an independent investigation into the exact circumstances of the Kakhovka dam destruction.

Waterborne diseases on the rise

Humanitarians insisted that stagnant water in the flooded was a “major” health concern, carrying risks of cholera and diarrhoea.

UNHCR also pointed out that sewage, heavy oil and pesticides were mixing with the floodwaters and creating additional health hazards.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday about the impacts of the flooding on sanitation systems and public health services. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that WHO is supporting the authorities to prevent waterborne diseases and to improve disease surveillance.

WHO teams are on the ground, performing health needs assessments, and the agency’s Ukraine office said that in the coming days, additional supplies to strengthen access to health services will be delivered.

Landmines threat

With landmines floating downstream with the floodwaters, Ms. Brown said that a UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) mine expert had been deployed to work with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to assess the risks and that a map had been produced of the most heavily mined areas.

On Thursday, Ms. Brown discussed the situation with Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the Government’s focal point on landmines.

She said that the UN was asked to work closely with Ms. Svyrydenko to communicate the risks from unexploded ordnance in the floodwaters to the population and specifically involve UNICEF in spreading the word in schools.

Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine (centre), visits Bilozerka, one of the communities worst-affected by the floods caused by the Kakhovka Dam.

Fresh concerns for the future

While the immediate impact of the dam’s destruction is staggering, Ms. Brown expressed her concerns about “what the future holds”, amid the destruction of homes, farmland and livestock, the dramatic impact on water and energy supplies and the serious risk of environmental contamination.

To plan for the long-term effects of the disaster, the veteran aid official said that on Thursday, the UN team met with representatives of the Ukrainian Government, the European Union and the Kyiv School of Economics to look at the available satellite imagery and continue the needs assessment.

UN relief chief outlines three-phase response plan to Ukraine dam disaster

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9 June 2023

UN relief chief outlines three-phase response plan to Ukraine dam disaster

“We need to focus on an emergency response right now”, he said, highlighting a three-step plan to provide humanitarian assistance to all Ukrainians impacted, who have faced more than one year of war following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. “We need to save people and get them to places where they are safe and can eat, and get safe drinking water.”

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Latest situation report

Four days since the destruction of the dam in southern Ukraine, flooding has started to recede, although the disaster is still causing displacement and rising humanitarian needs, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Mr. Griffiths heads.

In the Kherson region which is under Ukrainian control, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 320 people have been displaced over the past 24 hours, increasing the total number who had to leave their homes, to more than 2,500.

Across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Kherson, nearly 40 villages and towns have been severely affected by the flood, with more than 3,620 houses recorded as damaged to date OCHA said, in its latest situation report released late Friday afternoon.

Three-phase response plan

Highlighting the UN’s three-phase response plan, The UN relief chief said emergency actions include getting people to safety, delivery life-saving supplies, and assessing the longer-term consequences. An appeal for emergency assistance is also in the works, he said.

Responding to media reports referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments on the slow reaction by aid agencies, Mr. Griffiths said an immediate response had always been the priority

“I understand the President’s frustration,” he said. “What we focused on was trying to get the response moving as quickly as possible.”

Providing an update on recent efforts, he said two convoys departing on Thursday had reached 30,000 people in Kherson along with another delivery made on Friday, adding that “the engine is moving”.

Phase one priorities in the coming days will be to continue to both rescue people and deliver medical supplies and food aid, including via boats operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), he said.

The next phase will aim at reaching those in need, including the 700,000 people who currently lack safe drinking water, and providing livelihood assistance.

Examining the environmental and economic consequences will make up part of phase three, he said. This may be the most “awful shock” to the people of Ukraine and the global South, because it is bound to have an effect on food security as the “bread basket” of Ukraine is most certainly going to be affected, he warned.

Denise Brown, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine (second right), visits Bilozerka, one of the communities worst-affected by the floods caused by the Kakhovka Dam.

Reaching out to Russian authorities

“We have been in touch with the Russian authorities in the last half hour,” he said, noting that his Office is seeking permission to have safe access across lines.

Turning to the ongoing mis- and disinformation campaign over responsibility and circumstances surrounding the dam disaster, he said “our obligation is to tell the truth about needs and to deliver on that.”

“Our message to the region is one of solidarity and sympathy,” he said. “The idea that you would go through more than a year of war… and then suddenly to be woken up in the middle of the night by this blast and that torrent, which takes away any future that you might have known before…under these circumstances, the message from the world is very simple: we stand by you in this time of need.”

Crisis in Sudan

Turning to the crisis in Sudan, where fierce fighting continues since rival military forces clashed in mid-April, Mr. Griffiths expressed hope that the latest imminent ceasefire, set to begin on Saturday, will work and “give us a window of opportunity”.

“We’ve agreed on cross-border operation from Chad into Western Darfur so that we can actually begin to see the level of needs,” he said.

“What is fundamentally important is the beginning of a process which brings an end to this war, which deals with the reasons it started, and which returns it to civilian rule and the proper embrace of its people by government,” he said.

“That’s what all humanitarians want: to be driven out of business by the resolution of the conflict,” he added.

Sudan crisis still having devastating impact on civilians: UN rights office

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9 June 2023

Sudan crisis still having devastating impact on civilians: UN rights office

“We are concerned by the continued devastating impact of the fighting in Sudan on civilians,” Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and military rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been locked in vicious clashes since mid-April.

Hundreds have been killed and some 1.2 million have been displaced. UN agencies and partners have repeatedly warned of the growing humanitarian crisis.

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Deadly airstrikes in Khartoum

Mr. Laurence said at least eight people died in an air strike on a busy livestock market in the capital, Khartoum, on Wednesday, allegedly carried out by the SAF. At least three of the victims were from the same family.

A child was reportedly killed in a separate incident that day after a shell struck his home in the Al-Shajraa district, in southern Khartoum.

Refugee and orphan deaths

OHCHR has also received reports of the killings of four other civilians in the capital on Monday, while at least three people from the same family, including a pregnant woman, were reportedly killed on Sunday.

Airstrikes that day near the Sport Complex in southern Khartoum, hit a refugee centre, reportedly killing at least 10 refugees. Furthermore, no fewer than 71 children have died at an orphanage in Khartoum since the fighting started due to lack of humanitarian assistance, including medical supplies.

Sexual violence, online hate

Mr. Laurence said OHCHR is also concerned by reports of conflict-related sexual violence.

“Since the fighting began, our Office has received credible reports of 12 incidents of sexual violence related to the conflict, against at least 37 women – although the number could be higher. In at least three incidents, the victims were young girls. In one case, 18 to 20 women were reportedly raped,” he said.

Growing reports of apparent enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention are another concern, he added, and journalists are also now at greater risk amid a rise in online hate speech and disinformation.

OHCHR has learnt of a list circulating on social media accusing certain journalists of being RSF supporters. Staff have also seen comments on Facebook calling for the killing of those on the list.

Appeal for accountability

“We reiterate the High Commissioner’s call on both parties to the fighting to ensure protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” he said.

“They must also ensure all violations are effectively and independently investigated and those responsible are held accountable.”