The United Nations concludes a devastating year with an unprecedented wave of violence targeting its personnel across multiple global hotspots. In a series of brutal incidents that underscore the deteriorating security environment for international organizations, six UN peacekeepers perished in a drone strike in Sudan’s South Kordofan region, while nine others sustained injuries. Simultaneously, a UN interpreter in South Sudan died under mysterious circumstances while detained by local security forces, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels escalated their crackdown by detaining ten additional UN staff members.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed grave concern about these developments, noting that the iconic UN emblem no longer provides the protection it once guaranteed. ‘We see all too often that the UN flag no longer offers the protection that it should to our colleagues,’ Dujarric stated during a Friday press briefing. He emphasized that UN personnel—whether humanitarian workers, peacekeepers, or political envoys—operate solely for peace and civilian welfare, deserving universal respect and protection.
The Security Council vehemently condemned the Sudan drone attack as ‘heinous and deliberate,’ characterizing it as demonstrating ‘egregious disregard for international law.’ The council demanded immediate investigations and justice for perpetrators, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.
In South Sudan, tragedy struck when Bol Roch Mayol, a long-serving interpreter with the UN mission since 2011, was forcibly removed from a disabled UN vehicle by five soldiers following a routine patrol. Despite engagement with authorities for his release, the mission received notification of his death in custody. South Sudanese police confirmed the arrest of three soldiers, including Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol, who allegedly confessed to the killing.
The crisis deepened in Yemen where Houthi rebels, controlling Sanaa and northern territories, detained ten additional UN staffers, bringing the total number of detained personnel to sixty-nine. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned these arbitrary detentions and demanded immediate release of all personnel, including those from NGOs and diplomatic missions. Guterres additionally called for dropping charges against three UN staffers referred to a Houthi special criminal court—the same court that recently convicted seventeen individuals of espionage in a widespread crackdown on Yemenis working with international organizations.
These incidents follow earlier tragedies including over 300 UN staff fatalities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and more than 300 personnel deaths during Mali’s decade-long peacekeeping mission, which concluded as the world’s deadliest UN operation in December 2023.