Global Pulse

分类： world

  • Dozens killed as Angola flood death toll rises

    Dozens killed as Angola flood death toll rises

    Torrential downpours sweeping across Angola have triggered catastrophic flooding that has claimed dozens of lives, displaced tens of thousands of residents, and caused widespread destruction of critical infrastructure across multiple regions of the southern African nation.

    As of the latest official updates from Angola’s Civil Protection and Fire Service (SPCB), the disaster has already left at least 29 people confirmed dead in the hardest-hit areas: the capital city of Luanda and the central provincial hub of Benguela. Of these confirmed fatalities, 23 were recorded in Benguela, with another six lives lost in Luanda. An additional 17 people have been injured by flood-related hazards, ranging from collapsed structures to falling debris. Local broadcaster Radio Solidária has since added four more fatalities recorded in Cuanza-Sul province, pushing the total national death toll to 33.

    More than 34,000 people across the country have been directly impacted by the disaster, with thousands forced to evacuate their damaged or destroyed homes. Widespread flood damage has extended beyond residential properties to cripple key public infrastructure: roadways have been washed out, bridges damaged, and utility lines toppled by floodwaters and saturated soil. A particularly critical disruption occurred when a pillar of the Hâlo River bridge collapsed, cutting off the primary transportation link between Benguela and Huambo provinces, complicating emergency response efforts in the region.

    Angolan President João Lourenço has publicly mourned the lives lost to the disaster, emphasizing that the nation is now in a urgent “race against the clock” to locate missing residents, extract trapped people from flood zones, and deliver urgent medical care and emergency aid to all those affected. In an official statement from the presidency, Lourenço confirmed that extensive damage has been done to housing, transportation networks, and core public utilities including potable water systems. He added that all relevant state agencies have been fully mobilized to coordinate relief efforts and deliver support to displaced and affected residents.

    While intense seasonal rainfall is a common occurrence across southern Africa during the annual rainy season, the frequency and severity of deadly flood events has grown in recent years. Neighboring countries Namibia and Zambia have both experienced fatal flood disasters in recent years, and Angola itself faced a similarly catastrophic flood event in 2023, when severe flooding across 15 of the nation’s 18 provinces killed 30 people and impacted more than 116,000 Angolan residents.

  • Chilean woman accused of Pinochet-era kidnaps loses extradition battle

    Chilean woman accused of Pinochet-era kidnaps loses extradition battle

    After 12 years of drawn-out legal challenges, a 72-year-old Chilean woman accused of grave human rights abuses under former dictator Augusto Pinochet has failed to block her extradition from Australia, clearing the way for her to face trial for crimes committed nearly half a century ago.

    Adriana Rivas, who has lived in Australia’s Sydney suburb of Bondi since 1978 where she worked as a domestic cleaner and nanny, has long denied involvement in the enforced disappearance and torture of seven left-wing dissidents during Pinochet’s 1973 to 1990 military rule. Before resettling in Australia, Rivas served as the personal secretary to Manuel Contreras, the head of Pinochet’s notoriously brutal secret police force, the National Intelligence Directorate, widely known by its Spanish acronym DINA.

    Human rights campaigners and relatives of the regime’s victims have spent decades pushing for Rivas to face justice. DINA was created immediately after Pinochet seized power in a 1973 military coup specifically to hunt down and eliminate political opponents of the new dictatorship. Over its years of operation, the agency carried out thousands of abductions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and systematic acts of torture, before being replaced by another equally violent military intelligence unit, the CNI.

    Chilean authorities first took Rivas into custody when she returned to her home country for a visit in 2006, but she was released on bail and returned to Australia before proceedings could advance. The Chilean government formally filed an extradition request with Australian officials in 2014, alleging that Rivas was an active DINA operative who directly participated in the 1976 abduction of Víctor Díaz, secretary-general of the Chilean Communist Party, and six other party members. Among the seven missing victims was 29-year-old Reinalda del Carmen Pereira Plaza, who was pregnant at the time of her abduction. All seven are widely presumed to have been killed while in DINA custody, and Chilean extradition documents accuse Rivas of serving as a guard and taking on operational roles during the detainees’ capture. Multiple witnesses interviewed for a documentary have labeled Rivas one of DINA’s most brutal torturers and a key member of the Lautaro Brigade, an elite hit squad tasked with eliminating the leadership of Chile’s underground communist movement. The documentary was directed by Rivas’ own niece, Lissette Orozco, who spent five years investigating her aunt’s past, and the film premiered at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.

    Rivas has consistently rejected all accusations of wrongdoing. In a 2013 interview with Australian public broadcaster SBS, she described her time working for DINA as “the best of my life,” and when asked about the widespread torture carried out by the agency, she claimed that “they had to break the people – it has happened all over the world, not only in Chile.”

    On Monday, an Australian federal judge rejected all arguments from Rivas’ legal team that the extradition request was legally invalid, bringing an end to the latest phase of her legal fight. According to local Australian media reports, Rivas still has the option to launch an appeal against the ruling before the full Federal Court, though it remains unclear whether she will be able to meet the legal requirements to proceed with an appeal.

    If Rivas does not launch a successful appeal, she will be deported back to Chile to stand trial on charges of aggravated kidnapping. Lawyers representing the families of the seven victims said relatives were overcome with joy by Monday’s ruling. The case comes amid a decades-long global push to hold surviving perpetrators of Pinochet-era human rights abuses accountable. Under Pinochet’s rule, official records confirm more than 40,000 people were subjected to political persecution, and close to 3,000 people were killed or forcibly disappeared.

  • Strait of Hormuz shipping blockade update

    Strait of Hormuz shipping blockade update

    As the Middle East conflict enters its second month following the outbreak of open hostilities between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition, the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints — remains almost completely paralyzed, sending ripple effects across global energy markets. The crisis erupted on February 28, 2026, after the United States and Israel launched a sustained bombing campaign against Iranian targets, prompting Tehran to retaliate with cross-regional strikes and impose strict restrictions on commercial shipping access through the strait. In peacetime, this 21-mile waterway handles roughly 20 percent of the world’s total crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments, making any disruption a major threat to global energy security.

  • Cameroon says Russia has confirmed 16 Cameroonian soldiers died in Ukraine

    Cameroon says Russia has confirmed 16 Cameroonian soldiers died in Ukraine

    YAOUNDE, Cameroon – In an official confirmation that shines new light on the ongoing trend of African citizens being drawn into Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, Cameroon’s foreign ministry has acknowledged that 16 of its soldiers have been killed while deployed in the war zone, according to a formal notification submitted to Russia’s diplomatic mission in Yaounde this Monday. The government statement confirms that the 16 Cameroonian service members died while operating in the area designated by Moscow as its special military operations zone, and authorities have already initiated required protocols to reach out to the deceased soldiers’ next of kin. On the same day, the ministry issued a separate, public call for the families of six other Cameroonian citizens currently residing in Russia to report to its headquarters for urgent, unspecified discussions related to their loved ones, with no additional details released about the status of these six individuals. This confirmation comes 15 months after Cameroon’s top defense official ordered military commands across the country to enforce strict emergency protocols to crack down on growing numbers of active and retired Cameroonian soldiers leaving the country to enlist in foreign conflicts. The development is far from isolated. Ukrainian officials estimate that more than 1,700 African citizens have been recruited to fight alongside Russian forces, and multiple African governments have documented cases of their people being deceived into joining the war effort through false promises of high-paying jobs or specialized professional training. Just this year, an intelligence brief submitted to Kenya’s national parliament detailed that roughly 1,000 Kenyans were lured to Russia with fake job offers, only to be redirected to frontline combat positions against Ukraine. Earlier this April, Ukraine’s intelligence service announced that two Nigerian citizens had been killed in late 2023 while fighting under Russian command. A 2024 independent investigation by The Associated Press further uncovered that African women have also been targeted for deception: lured through social media advertisements marketing study and work opportunities, they were instead sent to Russian facilities to assemble attack drones intended for use against Ukrainian forces. This pattern of deceptive recruitment has put Moscow in a difficult position amid its ongoing military manpower needs in Ukraine, while leaving dozens of African families grappling with the loss or disappearance of their loved ones thousands of miles from home.

  • Gunman killed, 2 wounded in shootout outside Israel’s Istanbul consulate

    Gunman killed, 2 wounded in shootout outside Israel’s Istanbul consulate

    On a Tuesday midday in one of Istanbul’s busiest commercial districts, a violent shootout between police and a group of armed assailants left one gunman dead and two other people wounded, with two police officers sustaining minor injuries, local governor Davut Gul has confirmed. The exchange of gunfire broke out shortly after 12:15 pm local time (0915 GMT) in the Levent business district, located on Istanbul’s European side, steps away from the Israeli consulate building.

    In the immediate aftermath of the incident, key questions remain unanswered, including whether the Israeli diplomatic mission was the intentional target of the attack. A source close to the situation told Agence France-Presse that no Israeli diplomats are currently present on Turkish territory. All Israeli diplomatic missions across the Middle East region, including those in Turkey, were evacuated shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks by Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli soil, a security precaution implemented amid rising regional tensions.

    Turkish authorities have already completed the initial identification process for all involved suspects. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed that the group traveled to Istanbul from the northwestern Turkish city of Izmit using a rented vehicle. Ciftci also noted that one of the assailants has ties to an “organisation that exploits the region”, though officials have not yet publicly named the specific group linked to the attack.

    Independent Turkish media reports have suggested the Islamic State (IS) group may be connected to the shooting. This potential link follows a deadly IS attack on Turkish police just two months prior in Yalova, a city on the Sea of Marmara roughly 55 miles southeast of Istanbul, where IS gunmen opened fire on police checkpoints, killing three officers and wounding nine more. In the wake of that December attack, Turkish security forces launched sweeping nationwide raids against IS cells, arresting more than 120 suspected militants.

    Ciftci added that the two main suspects involved in Tuesday’s shootout are brothers, one of whom has a prior criminal record for drug offenses. Unconfirmed local media reports add that three total suspects were involved in the plot, all clad in camouflage gear, carrying heavy long firearms, and transporting supplies in large backpacks.

    AFP correspondents on the ground observed a heavy, sustained police deployment cordoning off the area outside the consulate building in the hours after the shootout. Visible bloodstains were left on the pavement of an adjacent public parking lot, and footage broadcast by private Turkish news network NTV showed officers returning fire along a busy central thoroughfare, before emergency medics carried an injured victim away on a stretcher.

    Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced via social media platform X that the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office has opened a formal criminal investigation into the incident, with authorities working to piece together the full sequence of events and any broader connections to extremist networks.

  • Zelenskyy offers an Easter pause on energy strikes as Russian drone kills 4 in bus strike

    Zelenskyy offers an Easter pause on energy strikes as Russian drone kills 4 in bus strike

    KYIV, Ukraine — As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year of brutal conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a unprecedented reciprocal proposal: a temporary halt to cross-border attacks on energy facilities from both sides, timed to coincide with the upcoming Orthodox Easter holiday this weekend. In a public address delivered late Monday, Zelenskyy confirmed the offer was formally transmitted to Russian authorities through Washington, which has served as a mediator for indirect talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

    “If Russia agrees to end its strikes against our energy infrastructure, Ukraine will stand by the same commitment,” Zelenskyy stated. To date, the Kremlin has not issued any public response to the proposal. This call for a limited holiday truce comes amid a long track record of failed ceasefire attempts between the two warring nations. Last Orthodox Easter, Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally announced a 30-hour ceasefire, but the agreement collapsed within hours as both sides traded accusations of immediate violations. A year ago, Moscow also rejected a 30-day unconditional truce put forward by the U.S. and Ukraine, framing the offer as unconstructive and continuing to push for a sweeping negotiated settlement that meets its core demands. Even so, Russia has unilaterally declared multiple short-term ceasefires over the past years of conflict.

    Despite extending the offer, Zelenskyy made clear he holds little optimism that the Kremlin will accept the proposal. He pointed to current global energy market conditions, noting that Russia is reaping greater financial benefits from elevated international oil prices driven by ongoing conflict in Iran, giving it little incentive to pause strikes that undermine Ukraine’s energy stability. Beyond the truce proposal, Zelenskyy also reiterated growing concerns that a prolonged U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran will divert international attention and erode critical American support for Ukraine’s war effort. So far, U.S.-mediated indirect talks between the two nations have stalled on all core sticking points, with Washington’s policy bandwidth largely absorbed by the escalating Middle East crisis. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and Russian forces remain entrenched in brutal, ongoing clashes along a roughly 1,000-mile front line stretching across eastern and southern Ukraine.

    For months, both sides have targeted each other’s critical energy infrastructure as a core military strategy. Russia has launched sustained, large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in a deliberate campaign to break civilian morale ahead of the cold winter and spring months. In response, Ukraine has ramped up its own long-range drone strikes against Russian oil facilities, aiming to cut into the export revenue that funds Moscow’s war machine. A new assessment published late Monday by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank specializing in conflict analysis, confirms Ukraine’s expanding drone campaign is yielding tangible results. The report notes that Ukraine is successfully exploiting gaps in Russia’s overstretched air defense network, causing significant damage to Russia’s oil export capacity. “Russia’s vast geographic territory creates enormous defensive challenges, particularly when the country still relies heavily on legacy air defense systems to intercept Ukrainian drone salvos,” the ISW assessment added.

    Alongside attacks on energy infrastructure, Russian forces have continued to target civilian and public transportation networks across Ukraine, including the country’s critical rail links that serve both civilian and military supply purposes. On Tuesday morning, a Russian drone struck a civilian bus as it pulled into a stop in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Nikopol during morning rush hour, killing four civilians and wounding 15 more. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the attack in an online post, emphasizing that the strike was a deliberate tactic targeting ordinary civilians. “This brutal attack on regular civilian transportation happened during rush hour, when people were simply heading to their jobs,” Klymenko wrote. “This is no accident — this is Russia’s deliberate strategy: targeted strikes on innocent civilians.”

    Additional Russian attacks across southern and eastern Ukraine pushed Tuesday’s civilian death toll even higher. Ukrainian authorities reported three people killed and three more injured in a strike on a residential building in the southern city of Kherson. Near the eastern city of Synelnykove, an 11-year-old boy was killed in a separate drone strike, bringing the total number of civilian fatalities reported on Tuesday to eight. Following Tuesday’s wave of drone and artillery strikes, Ukrainian military and civil defense officials confirmed widespread power outages across multiple regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, a disruption that echoes the widespread energy cuts that upended civilian life across the country through the winter months.

  • Gunman killed, 2 wounded in shootout outside Israel’s Istanbul consulate

    Gunman killed, 2 wounded in shootout outside Israel’s Istanbul consulate

    A violent shootout between police and suspected assailants outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday has left one gunman dead and two other people wounded, according to the city’s governor. The clash also left two Turkish police officers with minor injuries, marking a shocking outbreak of violence in a major urban center that has already faced heightened security threats in recent years. Initial reports from Turkish public broadcaster TRT had claimed two of three attackers were killed, but official accounts have since corrected that narrative, confirming only one assailant died in the exchange of gunfire. Turkish law enforcement has already completed the identification process for all involved attackers, senior officials confirmed. Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci shared key details about the attackers’ movements ahead of the incident, revealing the group traveled to Istanbul from the northwestern Turkish city of Izmit using a rented vehicle. Ciftci also confirmed that one of the assailants has ties to an “organisation that exploits the region,” though official government authorities have declined to publicly name the specific extremist group the suspect is linked to. Despite the government’s refusal to confirm the affiliation, multiple Turkish media outlets have pointed to the Islamic State (IS) militant group as the likely connection. This speculation is bolstered by recent IS-linked violence in the nearby region of Yalova, a coastal province on the Sea of Marmara located approximately 55 miles southeast of Istanbul. In a December attack in Yalova, IS militants opened fire on a Turkish police unit, killing three officers and wounding nine others in one of the deadliest militant attacks in the country in recent months. Additional details released by Ciftci also revealed that the two attackers involved in Tuesday’s incident are brothers, and one of the pair has a prior criminal record related to drug offenses. Turkish security forces have launched a full investigation into the plot, working to uncover any broader networks that may have supported the attack and determine the full scope of the assailants’ plans ahead of the clash at the consulate.

  • Gunmen attack police near building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

    Gunmen attack police near building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

    On a Tuesday in central Istanbul, a brazen armed assault targeting police outside a high-rise building that hosts the Israeli Consulate left one attacker dead and two others wounded and in custody, senior Turkish government officials have confirmed. The incident, which unfolded in Levent, Istanbul’s bustling core commercial district, sparked an intense shootout between the three assailants and responding law enforcement, leaving two officers with minor injuries.

    Istanbul Governor Davut Gul confirmed to reporters that the attackers were armed with long-barreled weapons, with one attacker fatally shot during the exchange of fire. The two surviving suspects, who were wounded in the clash, have been taken into Turkish custody. According to Turkey’s Interior Ministry, the pair are brothers identified only as Onur C. and Enes C., with Onur holding a prior criminal record related to drug offenses. Both are currently undergoing interrogation by law enforcement authorities.

    Details of the attackers’ movements and backgrounds have begun to emerge in the hours after the assault. Interior Minister Mustafa Cifti revealed in a post on the social platform X that the three suspects traveled to Istanbul from Izmit, a city located roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the country’s largest metropolis, in a rented vehicle. Cifti also noted that one of the assailants had ties to a group that “exploits religion,” though he stopped short of naming the specific organization. Turkey has faced repeated deadly terrorist attacks from extremist groups in recent years, most notably the Islamic State group, which has carried out multiple high-profile assaults across the country.

    Notably, no Israeli diplomatic personnel were present in the consulate building at the time of the attack. Israel withdrew all of its diplomats from its Turkish missions earlier amid growing security concerns and rapidly deteriorating bilateral relations tied to the ongoing war in Gaza.

    Eyewitness accounts from people working and moving through the normally busy business district paint a chaotic picture of the 10-minute shootout. Omer Dilki, a 34-year-old local resident, told reporters that the repeated gunfire stood out in the normally noisy district. “In general, this is a noisy area, so initially we thought this might be something else. But the gunshots continued,” he said, adding that he saw officers taking cover behind parked vehicles and coordinating with one another during the clash. Ali Rıza Arpacı, who works at a business near the consulate building, described witnessing “serious clashes” unfold directly in front of him, saying “We were almost inside the clashes.”

    Mobile footage from the scene captured one armed assailant, armed with what appeared to be an assault rifle and wearing a brown backpack, hiding behind a public bus while exchanging gunfire with police. The footage also shows one officer fall to the ground after apparently being struck by gunfire, before rolling to cover behind a nearby tree. Turkish officials later clarified that the two injured officers sustained only minor wounds: one was hit in the leg, while the other suffered a wound to the ear.

    In the aftermath of the attack, Turkish law enforcement quickly sealed off the entire building and closed multiple surrounding roads to through traffic. Forensic investigators in white protective hazmat suits have since combed the attack site, collecting shell casings, DNA samples, and other potential evidence to build their case. Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that three top prosecutors, including one deputy chief prosecutor, have been appointed to lead the ongoing criminal investigation into the assault.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a sharp condemnation of what he called a “treacherous” attack, reaffirming the country’s unwavering counter-terrorism stance. “We will resolutely continue our fight against all forms of terrorism, and we will not allow the climate of security in Turkey to be harmed by vile and timed provocations like today’s,” he said.

    International condemnation of the assault followed quickly. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack condemned the attack, praising Turkish authorities for “their swift and decisive response.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement condemning the assault, and commended Turkish security forces for their rapid action that prevented the attack from causing greater harm.

    This report includes a correction to an earlier version of the story, which incorrectly cited Turkish outlet Haberturk to claim two attackers had been killed. Turkish officials have confirmed only one of the three assailants was killed, with the other two wounded and taken into custody. Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara, with additional contribution from Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul.

  • 1 killed, 2 injured in fire beneath bridge on Panama Canal

    1 killed, 2 injured in fire beneath bridge on Panama Canal

    A deadly blaze erupted on Monday beneath the Bridge of the Americas, the iconic crossing spanning the Panama Canal near Panama City, leaving one person dead and two others hospitalized with injuries, according to international wire service reporting from the Central American nation.

    The fire broke out involving multiple fuel trucks parked or operating under the bridge, triggering an emergency response from local safety and law enforcement authorities. Details of the fire’s origin and the identities of the casualties have not yet been released to the public as of Monday’s update.

    Located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, the Bridge of the Americas is a critical piece of transportation infrastructure connecting North and South America, as well as facilitating overland access across the canal itself. The incident has raised preliminary questions about safety protocols for fuel storage and transport near major canal infrastructure, though no disruptions to canal operations have been reported in the initial wake of the tragedy.

    The Spanish news agency EFE first reported the casualty toll, with the update published by Xinhua on April 7, 2026. Local emergency teams have not yet issued a full statement on how the fire started or the extent of damage to the bridge structure, beyond confirmation of the human cost of the incident.

  • Sudan drone attacks endanger civilians, strain aid response: UN

    Sudan drone attacks endanger civilians, strain aid response: UN

    As Sudan’s brutal internal conflict approaches its third year, United Nations humanitarian officials have issued a stark warning that escalating drone attacks are killing growing numbers of civilian non-combatants, destroying critical public infrastructure, and pushing an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis to new depths.

    In its latest public briefing, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that drone strikes have increasingly targeted densely populated civilian areas and healthcare facilities — core protected sites under international humanitarian law — severely limiting local communities’ access to life-sustaining essential services.

    One of the deadliest recent incidents took place last Thursday in Sudan’s White Nile State, where a drone attack on Al-Jabalain Hospital left 10 health workers dead and 22 more injured, according to on-ground reports. The strike forced an immediate shutdown of most medical operations at the facility, leaving tens of thousands of local residents without access to routine and emergency care.

    In a weekend social media statement, Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, reiterated the global body’s demand for full protection of medical personnel and facilities. He emphasized that binding international humanitarian law mandates unwavering safeguards for healthcare systems operating in conflict zones. OCHA officials added that the Al-Jabalain Hospital attack is not an isolated incident, but part of a sustained pattern of violence against healthcare across Sudan.

    Data from the World Health Organization, verified over the course of the nearly three-year conflict, confirms more than 200 documented attacks on healthcare facilities across the country that have killed over 2,000 people. Just in the first three months of 2026 alone, 13 verified attacks have left 184 people dead and nearly 300 injured.

    Another deadly strike hit civilian areas last Wednesday in Blue Nile State, where drone bombings targeted a public market in the village of Balila and surrounding communities, killing seven civilians according to initial reports.

    Beyond direct casualties, the rapidly escalating insecurity has triggered a new wave of forced displacement. Data from the International Organization for Migration shows that between mid-February and late March 2026, more than 10,000 people fled their homes in Kurmuk locality, with a large share crossing the border into neighboring Ethiopia to seek safety.

    Displaced families that have relocated to Blue Nile’s state capital Ed Damazine currently face acute shortages of food, medical care, and safe shelter, OCHA reports. Vulnerable groups including women and children are at drastically increased risk of gender-based violence and exploitation, while humanitarian aid groups still face major barriers to reaching affected communities in the region.

    Despite the mounting operational and security challenges, UN humanitarian agencies say they have not suspended life-saving work across the country. The UN Sudan Humanitarian Fund has allocated nearly $200 million to deliver critical assistance to approximately 4 million vulnerable Sudanese people to date.

    As the conflict marks its third anniversary, OCHA also noted that more than 1.6 million people have chosen to return to Sudan’s capital Khartoum in recent months, even though unexploded ordnance and widespread damage to public infrastructure continue to pose severe daily risks to returnees. In response, UN agencies are expanding their operational footprint in the capital, including reopening offices that have been closed since the outbreak of fighting in 2023.

    Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters that Pekka Haavisto, Guterres’ personal envoy for Sudan, is currently conducting a series of diplomatic engagements across the region aimed at de-escalating hostilities and protecting civilian populations. Currently based in Nairobi, Haavisto recently held talks with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, following separate negotiations last week with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s army chief and president of the Transitional Sovereign Council.

    Dujarric confirmed that the diplomatic meetings provided a constructive space for dialogue, with all parties exploring tangible, practical pathways to reduce violence and protect civilians. All negotiating parties expressed their willingness to cooperate with the United Nations’ mediation efforts, the spokesperson added.

    “This is encouraging and must swiftly translate into concrete progress towards ending the suffering of all Sudanese people, once and for all,” Dujarric said. He also confirmed that Denise Brown, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, has returned to Khartoum alongside a core operations team to scale up aid delivery, even as most OCHA staff remain based in Port Sudan for security reasons. Multiple UN agencies have now resumed operations in Khartoum after three years of closure.
    “As the three-year mark of hostilities in Sudan approaches, we reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, an immediate cessation of hostilities, and rapid, safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access,” Dujarric said. He added that the international response is currently hampered by a severe critical funding gap: Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which requests $2.9 billion to assist more than 20 million vulnerable people across the country, is only 16 percent funded, with just $465 million received by aid organizations to date.