The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have warned that essential assistance for refugees could be drastically reduced in the coming months unless a $428 million funding shortfall is urgently addressed. The agencies highlighted the growing strain on humanitarian operations as displacement from Sudan continues to rise.
Chad is currently hosting around 1.3 million refugees who have fled the conflict in Sudan, with more than 900,000 arriving since fighting began in April 2023. The country continues to receive new arrivals, including nearly 15,000 people since the start of this year, placing additional pressure on already limited resources and host communities.
In South Sudan, a Human Rights Council-appointed expert has raised alarm over what is being described as an escalating child trafficking crisis linked to ongoing conflict and displacement. With 1.4 million people fleeing violence in Sudan and nearly two million internally displaced, children are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, including forced recruitment, sexual slavery, and child marriage. The expert warned that these abuses are becoming normalized amid widespread impunity and called for urgent justice mechanisms to be implemented.
Health authorities in Burundi, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), are investigating a “mystery illness” that has killed five people and sickened 28 others in the northern Mpanda district. Patients have reported severe symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice, and blood in urine, while tests for Ebola and Marburg virus have so far returned negative. A joint UN-supported response team is working to strengthen surveillance, clinical care, and laboratory investigations to contain the outbreak.
In Serbia, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed concern over a “very worrying” decline in democratic freedoms, citing restrictions on civic space, pressure on independent media, and alleged irregularities in recent local elections. He also warned about increased targeting of journalists and called on authorities to ensure accountability, protect freedom of expression, and restore public trust through transparent investigations.
