Global Issues

LONDON, December 30 (IPS) - Satellite images show corpses piled high in El Fasher, North Darfur, awaiting mass burial or cremation as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia tries to cover up the scale of its crimes. Up to 150,000 El Fasher residents remain missing from the city, seized by the RSF in November. The lowest estimate is that 60,000 are dead. The Arab militia has ethnically cleansed the city of its non-Arab residents. The slaughter is the latest horrific episode in the war between the RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces, sparked by a power battle between military leaders in April 2023. Read the full story, “Sudan’s Crisis: Mass Killings Continue While the World Looks Away”, on globalissues.org →

Follow our live coverage as the General Assembly and its Fifth Committee meet today to finalize negotiations and vote on the United Nations’ regular budget for 2026. The Fifth Committee is responsible for administrative and budgetary matters, including the Organization’s finances and staffing. UN News app users can click here and go here for all our in-depth meeting coverage.Read the full story, “LIVE: General Assembly decides on 2026 UN budget”, on globalissues.org →

Sudan’s deepening war is driving unprecedented levels of hunger, child malnutrition and displacement, UN agencies report, as new data from Darfur and a renewed refugee influx into Chad underscore the rapidly deteriorating situation.Read the full story, “Sudan: UN warns of unprecedented child hunger in Darfur as fighting fuels refugee exodus”, on globalissues.org →

Sexual violence against children has become entrenched, systemic and increasingly widespread across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with new data showing a sharp rise in cases since 2022, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).Read the full story, “Sexual violence against children ‘entrenched, systemic and widespread’ across DR Congo, UNICEF warns”, on globalissues.org →

Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026, UN agencies and humanitarian partners warned on Tuesday, launching a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need.Read the full story, “Afghanistan to remain major crisis in 2026, UN, partners warn”, on globalissues.org →

USERRA DAS ALMAS, Brazil, December 29 (IPS) - “The work of collecting seeds saved me from depression,” caused by her daughter’s suicide at the age of 29, said Maria do Desterro Soares, 64, who lives in the poor rural community of Jatobá in northeastern Brazil. Read the full story, “Living with nature, the climate lesson from Brazil’s caatinga”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses environmental accountability in Zambia with Christian-Geraud Neema, Africa editor at the China Global South Project, an independent journalism initiative that covers and follows China’s activities in global south countries. Read the full story, “‘Zambia Has Environmental Laws and Standards on Paper – the Problem Is Their Implementation’”, on globalissues.org →

The United Nations and the United States on Monday formalized an agreement under which the US committed $2 billion in humanitarian assistance for global relief programmes, a move the UN’s top relief official hailed as a landmark commitment to saving lives amid escalating humanitarian needs worldwide.Read the full story, “UN, US sign $2 billion humanitarian funding agreement for 17 crisis-hit countries”, on globalissues.org →

The UN Security Council meets today to hear a briefing on threats to international peace and security following Israel’s recent recognition of the northern region of Somalia as an independent and sovereign state. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here and go here for all our in-depth meeting coverage.Read the full story, “SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Briefing on threats to international peace and security”, on globalissues.org →

Severe weather conditions have led to further casualties and heightened health risks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) reported on Monday.Read the full story, “Gaza battered by heavy rains as humanitarian response continues”, on globalissues.org →