Category World News

After a deadly drone attack on Friday in el-Fasher left over 70 people dead, the UN secretary-general expressed “grave” concern about the “rapidly deteriorating situation.” He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan’s Darfur region.

In a statement released by his office on Saturday, Antonio Guterres called on the conflicting parties to strike back and offer humanitarian support as the brutal civil war rages through the country in its third year.

He further stated that “the parties must return to the table of negotiations to reach a consensus.”

El-Fasher, the region’s capital, continues to be Sudan’s (SAF) and its allies’ final major stronghold in the region. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have recently launched a new offensive to occupy the city, have been under siege for more than a year.

As hundreds of thousands of people remain imprisoned without access to food, medicine, and other necessities, humanitarian organizations have raised concerns about the city’s growing hunger.

The Sudanese humanitarian situation, which has caused thousands of people to die and millions of people to flee across the nation, is the worst in the world, according to the UN. Since 2023, the country has been ravaged by the SAF’s war with the RSF.

Many people who have left the city have reported that the RSF attacked them while traveling to nearby refugee camps. An estimated 600, 000 people had been displaced from El-Fasher, according to UNICEF’s estimate in late August.

More than 70 people were killed by a drone attack on Friday during dawn prayers at a mosque, including children. The army listed the death toll as 75, with many more people being forced to flee, after the RSF received accusations of what it termed a “horrific crime” against those who practiced prayer at Al-Safiya Mosque.

According to Hiba Morgan, a journalist from Khartoum, in Sudan, it was one of the “bloodiest days in the city since the RSF began its siege in May of last year.”

She said that civilian facilities have been hit as a result of the RSF’s repeated strikes, including hospitals, schools, and displacement centers.

As world leaders gather in New York for its 80th session, prime minister of Sudan, Kamil Idris, announced that he would address the situation in El-Fasher at the UN General Assembly.

A UNICEF-supported water truck was also reported to have been struck by the attack. UNICEF’s executive director Catherine Russell reaffirmed the attack as “unacceptable” and called for the protection of children while OCHA, the UN’s human rights agency, demanded protection for children.

What he called a “heinous drone strike,” according to Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the president of the African Union, is a flagrant violation of international law.

The UN released a report claiming summary executions, targeted civilians, and ethnic violence were all worsening in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur region.

In the first half of 2025, “a number of trends continued to permeate the country, including indiscriminate attacks and sexual violence against civilians, particularly on an ethnic basis, targeting individuals accused of “collaboration” with opposing parties,” according to the report.

In the first half of this year, according to the report, 3, 384 civilians were killed, with the death toll likely going to be higher because of difficulties in finding reliable information on the ground.

More than 1, 000 children were killed in El-Fasher, according to UNICEF, while others were kidnapped or drafted into armed organizations as a result of UNICEF’s report at the end of August.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) informed the UN Security Council in July of this year that it thought Darfur was committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Rape and sexual assault are being used as weapons. Abductions are now a common occurrence, according to Nazhat Shameem Khan, an ICC prosecutor.

The United Kingdom will formally recognize a Palestinian state more than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration supported “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” and 77 years after Israel was established in the British Mandate of Palestine.

Two days before the start of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, which will focus on preserving Palestinian sovereignty after decades of occupation and apartheid, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to make the announcement on Sunday.

The UK government announced in July that it would reverse its long-standing policy of preventing recognition until a rumored moment of maximum impact unless Israel renounces its two-state solution, commits to a long-term sustainable peace process, and allows more aid into the region.

The Israeli military continues to systematically destroy Gaza City to seize it, while continuing to starve and relocate the enclave’s famine-stricken population, which has only become significantly worse over the past few weeks.

Israel is advancing its plans to annexe the Palestinian territory and “bury” the idea of a contiguous Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as daily raids by Israeli soldiers and settlers across the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli government has attacked the UK allies and more than 75% of the UN member states, claiming that their stance “rewards terrorism.”

The deputy prime minister of the UK said on Sunday that recognizing a Palestinian state would not “overnight” bring one into existence, underscoring the position of his government that recognizing it must be a part of a wider peace process, which has been in a moribund state for decades.

Any action to acknowledge it is necessary to maintain the prospects of a two-state solution, David Lammy told Sky News.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch proclaimed her desire for a two-state solution in the area, but she also indicated that she wants to work with Israel and the United States, its illustrious military, financial, and political backers.

She wrote in The Telegraph over the weekend that it is obvious that the US has made it clear that recognizing a Palestinian state at this time and without the hostages’ release would be a reward for terrorism.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, disagreed with recognition during a meeting with Starmer and a state visit to the UK last week.

The UK government should be held accountable for the decision, according to some of the relatives of the Israeli prisoners who were held in Gaza, and they wrote to the prime minister in an open letter on Saturday, warning them not to do so until the remaining 48 prisoners, about 20 of whom are alleged to be alive, are returned.

According to the article, “dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones” were made, and Hamas is celebrating its “victory.”

In a meeting held in London earlier this month, Starmer and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas argued that Hamas should not be a part of Palestine’s future leadership. Israel has stated that it will prevent Hamas and the PA from taking any sort of leadership in the future.

According to British media, the UK government is also considering taking additional measures to punish Hamas in the upcoming weeks. In the UK and a large portion of the West, the group has long been formally viewed as a “terrorist” organization.

Despite growing numbers of trustworthy international organizations and investigations, including a UN inquiry, the government has continued to fund Israel during the two-year conflict.

More and more world powers have recognized Palestine.

With the UK’s announcement, 148 of the 193 UN member states will grant Palestinian statehood, and more will follow soon.

Both France and Portugal are preparing to make a formal announcement. In light of the Gaza war, which has so far claimed more than 65, 000 Palestinian lives, they join Spain, Ireland, Norway, and other countries in making the move.

The US will remain the only permanent member of the UN Security Council who refuses to recognize Palestinian sovereignty after the UK and France’s moves are finalized.

Germany has also objected, claiming that the necessary requirements are currently being met.

A delayed one-day summit between France and Saudi Arabia will take place in New York City on Monday to discuss advancing a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.