(Migrants and Refugees – Sudan) The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) on Monday warned of a deepening crisis in Sudan’s North Darfur as violence spreads beyond the city of El Fasher. Since the Rapid Support Forces militia – which has been battling the military government – captured El Fasher after more than 500 days of siege in late October, nearly 89,000 people have fled from Tawila, Melit, Saraf Omra, and other localities. Some families have sought refuge in Tina, near the Sudan-Chad border, where already overwhelmed host communities and UN partners are preparing for new arrivals, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told correspondents in New York. Meanwhile, violence is increasing in the Kordofan region, resulting in mounting civilian casualties and new waves of displacement. The UN called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” as well as the protection of civilians and aid workers, an end to hospital and civilian infrastructure attacks and unhindered access to aid. – Sudan: 89,000 civilians have fled El Fasher | UN News
(Peace and Security) The world is facing a cross-border “chain of violence” driven by small arms and light weapons, UN disarmament and law enforcement officials told the Security Council on Monday. They urged coordinated global action to stop the illicit flows that are driving conflict, organized crime and displacement – from Haiti to the Sahel. Adedeji Ebo, deputy disarmament chief, highlighted that despite recent steps to strengthen arms control frameworks, “more than one billion firearms are in circulation globally,” sustaining conflict, terrorism and criminal networks across multiple regions. “The illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons fuels armed violence, terrorism and organized crime,” he said. “Weapons diverted from national stockpiles – or at any point throughout the supply chain – could end up in the hands of non-State armed groups.” – Illicit weapons fuelling conflicts worldwide, officials warn | UN News
(Humanitarian Aid – Gaza) A month into the ceasefire in Gaza, families continue to slowly head back to their former homes and communities wherever access is allowed, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Monday. Staff remain on the ground providing lifesaving services, and some 100 UNRWA shelters are housing more than 75,000 displaced people, according to a tweet. Following two years of deadly conflict, a “catch-up” campaign to immunise some 44,000 children under the age of three against measles, mumps and other illnesses kicked off on Sunday. They will also be screened for malnutrition. Khawla, a mother-of-three from Beit Lahia in the north, told the UN that she arrived at a vaccination point in the Nussirat area on foot “just to get my children vaccinated and to make sure my daughter stays healthy too.” – Gazans continue heading home as ‘fragile ceasefire’ holds | UN News
(Climate and Environment) COP30 opened in Belém on Monday with a clear message: the era of half-measures is over. Climate change is here, devastating communities and driving up costs, but solutions are within reach. Clean energy is surging, resilience saves lives, and cooperation can still bend the curve further. “This is the moment to match opportunity with urgency,” said Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, calling for a decisive defeat of climate denial and faster action to keep the 1.5°C goal alive. As negotiations begin at the annual two-week summit, held this year in a city at the mouth of the Amazon, UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged delegates not to “squabble”, but to focus on turning ambition into action. “Your job here is not to fight one another – your job here is to fight this climate crisis, together,” he said. “This is the growth story of the 21st century – the economic transformation of our age.” – From pledges to action: Leaders push for faster climate progress at COP30 | UN News
(Climate and Environment) At least 117 million people have been displaced by war, violence and persecution, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Monday, while highlighting how much their plight is tied to the growing climate crisis. “Whether it is floods sweeping South Sudan and Brazil, record-breaking heat in Kenya and Pakistan, or water shortages in Chad and Ethiopia, extreme weather is pushing already fragile communities to the brink,” the UN agency said. Over the past decade, weather-related disasters accounted for 250 million internal displacements, the equivalent of around 70,000 every day, or two displacements every three seconds. Returns to Syria and Afghanistan this year have contributed to lower global displacement than in 2024. – Refugee camps set to be uninhabitable by 2050 as extreme weather worsens | UN News
