At the Doha Forum, Ukraine’s representative warned Russia’s invasions have created a ‘new law of power’ that will allow strong states to occupy weaker ones unless the international system is restored. He urged experienced mediators and stronger, enforceable rules to deter aggression.
The Lebanese army arrested six people after gunmen attacked international peacekeepers patrolling in the south of the country, as a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation was to embark on a visit to the zone.
The army said in a statement on Saturday that its intelligence directorate had detained six Lebanese suspects in connection with Thursday’s attack, which saw six men riding on three mopeds opening fire on a UN peacekeepers’ patrol vehicle without hurting anyone.
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It said it would not tolerate attacks on UNIFIL, as the UN force is called. For nearly five decades, its peacekeepers have acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, with further monitoring of a ceasefire struck in November last year between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The arrests were made after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met a visiting UNSC delegation on Friday, signalling that its members would be embarking on a tour of southern Lebanon to check “the situation on the ground”.
Aoun said the delegation’s trip south would help it to “see the real picture of what is happening there”, after discussions on escalating tensions with Israel and the army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Last year’s truce was supposed to see Israeli forces withdrawing from Lebanon as Hezbollah disarmed. However, Israeli forces continue to occupy at least five positions inside Lebanese territory and have conducted near-daily attacks across Lebanon that have killed more than 300 people, according to the UN.
Israel claims its operations are targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to prevent the armed group from rebuilding its military capabilities, but it has killed dozens of civilians in its attacks and destroyed residential buildings and critical infrastructure. UNIFIL has also recently complained of Israeli forces firing at or near its peacekeepers.
The UNSC visit to the country comes amid tentative signs of potential deeper engagement between Lebanon and Israel, with the pair holding direct discussions on Wednesday under the auspices of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
Aoun told UNSC delegates on Friday that his country had “adopted the option of negotiations with Israel” and that “there is no going back.”
Children were among at least 23 people reported killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just a day after the signing of a US-backed peace agreement between the leaders of the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda.
At the Doha Forum, Qatar’s PM said Gaza talks remain at a “critical moment,” stressing the current arrangement is only a pause, not a full ceasefire. He said key conditions including Israeli withdrawal, are still unmet, leaving the deal incomplete despite recent progress.
Colombia has signed a peace-building agreement in Qatar with the country’s largest drug-trafficking group, the Clan del Golfo or EGC, which is accused of shipping hundreds of tonnes of cocaine to the US and Europe each year.
Farchana refugee settlement, Chad – The Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) capture of el-Fasher, North Darfur state’s capital, has triggered a fresh wave of violence, destruction and displacement in Sudan’s devastating civil war.
This 30-month conflict between the paramilitary group and the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, displacing nearly 12 million people.
Thousands escaping the recent violence are seeking refuge in Chad, which already hosts more than 880,000 Sudanese refugees. Though now safe from immediate danger, many refugees struggle to survive as humanitarian funding continues to decrease.
Chad currently shelters almost 1.3 million forcibly displaced persons, including at least 760,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrived since April 2023. This massive influx, mostly women and children, strains a country already battling economic weakness, conflict and extreme weather events.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) collaborates with Chad’s government to coordinate humanitarian operations, transfer refugees from border areas to established facilities, and provide essential protection services and aid, including water, shelter, food and medical provisions. Work continues to move more than 237,000 refugees from temporary settlements near Adre to locations with better healthcare and educational access.
The malnutrition ward at the Farchana Hospital is currently treating at least 80 infants and children who need urgent care. These young patients receive continuous monitoring and specialised nutritional therapy throughout their recovery. However, funding for this vital programme will expire by late 2025, putting countless vulnerable children at risk.
“We need a lot of support to provide enough medicine for both refugees and the host community. The number of people here is overwhelming, and seasonal diseases and outbreaks make the situation even more difficult,” said Mohamed Ibrahim, a pharmacist from Al Jazeera state in central Sudan, who fled the war with his wife and children and now works at the Farchana Hospital. With resources severely limited, he becomes increasingly concerned about his fellow refugees’ health.
Water demand in the Farchana refugee settlement has risen dramatically. The dry conditions and ongoing arrival of new refugees from Sudan have worsened these shortages, with at least 41,000 new refugees arriving in 2025 alone.