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Humanitarian Workers Face Unprecedented Threats In 2024

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Humanitarian Workers Face Unprecedented Threats In 2024

2023 marked the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with a grim possibility that 2024 could be even worse. As violence against aid workers escalates, the world faces a harsh reality: it is failing those who risk their lives to serve the most vulnerable.

Despite international laws meant to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel during armed conflicts, violations persist unchecked, leaving aid workers increasingly exposed to life-threatening risks. The tragic toll of these violations underscores a glaring failure of global leadership and the urgent need for accountability.

The statistics are staggering. In 2023, the Aid Worker Security Database recorded hundreds of attacks resulting in at least 270 deaths among aid workers, with many others wounded or kidnapped. The trend has only worsened in 2024, with the deliberate targeting of humanitarian convoys, hospitals, schools, and other protected entities reaching unprecedented levels.

In Gaza, South Sudan, Yemen, and the Central African Republic, aid workers have become targets in strategic assaults by armed actors, fueled by disinformation and hostility. The consequences are devastating—not only for the workers themselves but also for the millions of civilians who depend on their assistance.

Particularly alarming are the attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories, where at least 284 humanitarian workers have died since October 2023. In Ukraine, the Russian Federation’s strikes on medical facilities, including a June 2024 attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv, have claimed countless lives and further strained the country’s embattled healthcare system.

Read also : UN, Humanitarian Organizations Assess Devastating Floods In Maiduguri, Pledge Swift Action

Sudan’s internally displaced persons (IDP) camps are another flashpoint. Repeated attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on civilian infrastructure, including IDP sites, have pushed the Zamzam camp into famine conditions. Similar violations are reported across conflict zones in Syria, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The impact on civilians is profound. Hospitals and clinics are being destroyed, access to medical care is severely restricted, and children’s education is disrupted by attacks on schools. The future prospects for countless communities are dimmed as these essential services are obliterated.

This World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on August 19th, the global community must confront these harsh realities. The 2024 campaign, #ActForHumanity, calls for an end to these violations and demands that those responsible for attacking aid workers and civilians be held accountable. As we honor the humanitarian workers who have lost their lives, we must also commit to protecting those who continue to serve, often in their home countries and at great personal risk.

The world cannot afford to stand by in silence. Attacks on humanitarian workers and civilians must not be normalized. It is time to act with renewed vigor to safeguard those who dedicate their lives to alleviating suffering and restoring hope in the world’s most dangerous places.

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Court, Congress Pile Pressure on DHS Over Minnesota Operations

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US Congress to Review Relations with South Africa, Sudan

Court, Congress Pile Pressure on DHS Over Minnesota Operations

 

US House Democrats have threatened to begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her handling of the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, unless President Donald Trump removes her from office.

 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that Democrats could proceed “the easy way or the hard way,” describing the actions of Noem’s department as “disgusting.”

 

The crisis follows the fatal shooting of US citizen Alex Pretti by a federal agent, which has triggered backlash in Minneapolis and led to the planned departure of Border Patrol Chief Gregory Borvino and some agents from the city.

 

Trump has deployed his “border tsar,” Tom Homan, to take charge of on-the-ground operations, while a Minnesota judge has ordered acting ICE director Todd Lyons to appear in court over alleged violations of court orders.

 

Trump has distanced himself from claims by senior adviser Stephen Miller that Pretti was a “would-be assassin,” saying he did not believe the victim was acting as one.

 

Video footage shows Pretti holding a phone while filming agents, not a gun, although police say he was a legal firearm owner.

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UN Raises Alarm Over ‘Spare No-One’ Rhetoric by South Sudan Army Chief

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Trafficking: Libya Deports 700 Sudanese Migrants

UN Raises Alarm Over ‘Spare No-One’ Rhetoric by South Sudan Army Chief

 

The United Nations has expressed concern after South Sudan’s Deputy Army Chief, Gen. Johnson Oluny, was heard urging troops to “spare no-one,” including children and the elderly, ahead of military operations in opposition-held areas of Jonglei State.

 

In a video posted on Facebook, Oluny, addressing members of his Agwelek militia, called for total destruction during the deployment.

 

The UN Mission in South Sudan condemned the remarks, describing them as “utterly abhorrent,” and warned that inflammatory rhetoric targeting civilians must stop immediately.

 

South Sudan’s government, however, said the statement did not amount to an official order, insisting it remains committed to protecting civilians.

 

Minister of Information Ateny Wek Ateny said civilians were being warned only to avoid being caught in crossfire.

 

The development comes amid escalating fighting in Jonglei, where forces loyal to suspended Vice-President Riek Machar have seized several areas.

 

The military has ordered civilians, UN personnel and aid workers to evacuate three counties—Nyirol, Uror and Akobo—ahead of an imminent operation.

 

The UN says more than 180,000 people have been displaced by the renewed violence.

 

Meanwhile, tensions remain high as opposition forces threaten to advance towards the capital, Juba, a claim dismissed by the army.

 

South Sudan has been unstable since a 2018 peace deal ended a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people, but lingering political rivalry and ethnic tensions continue to threaten fragile peace.

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Diplomacy

Rwanda sues UK over scrapped migrant deal payments

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Rwanda sues UK over scrapped migrant deal payments

 

The Rwandan government has initiated arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom, seeking payments it says are owed under the now-abandoned asylum partnership agreement between both countries.

 

Rwanda has filed the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, arguing that the UK failed to honour financial commitments contained in the deal signed under the former Conservative government.

 

The agreement, designed to relocate some asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda, was scrapped in 2024 by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the Home Office saying about £220m in future payments would no longer be made.

 

UK authorities insist the policy was costly and ineffective, pledging to defend the case to protect taxpayers’ funds.

 

Rwanda, however, says the arbitration concerns unmet treaty obligations and is seeking a legal determination of both parties’ rights under international law.

 

The PCA lists the case as pending, with no timetable yet announced for hearings or a ruling.

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