Capitals: Europe and the Arabs
Yesterday marked 100 days since the de facto authorities in Sana’a arbitrarily detained more than 50 staff from the United Nations, international and local NGOs, civil society organizations and diplomatic missions. Four UN staff have been detained since 2021 and 2023.
A number of regional directors of UN and international agencies issued a joint press statement saying that attacks on humanitarian workers - including detentions and false accusations - violate international law, endanger their safety and seriously hinder support for the people of Yemen and the mediation efforts necessary to advance the peace process.
They urgently called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained colleagues. They stressed the need to treat them in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights, including allowing them to communicate with their families, legal representatives and organizations. According to the UN daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received on Thursday morning, UN and international agency officials called for the protection of humanitarian workers, ensuring the provision of a safe humanitarian space for work, and access to the communities they serve.

They said: “The humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire and worsening, with more than 18 million people, including 14 million women and children, suffering from worsening crises such as food insecurity and malnutrition, epidemics, climate change, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and critical economic conditions.”

Despite the enormous challenges - including insecurity, concerns about the safety of staff, declining funding, and shrinking humanitarian space - they affirmed the commitment of the United Nations, international NGOs, and national partners to continue providing much-needed humanitarian and development support to millions of Yemenis, “guided by the principles of humanitarian action and respect for Yemeni culture and customs.” Lebanon
The UN Secretary-General expressed deep concern over reports of a large number of telecommunications devices exploding across Lebanon and also in Syria on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 11 people, including children, and injuring thousands.
In a press statement, the Secretary-General urged all concerned to exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation. He also urged the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and to return immediately to the cessation of hostilities to restore stability.
A statement issued by the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations supports all diplomatic and political efforts to end the violence that threatens the entire region.
In a press conference held yesterday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the explosion of telecommunications devices in Lebanon is extremely serious, and also confirms that there is "a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon, and everything we can do must be done to avoid this escalation."
Guterres added that what happened in Lebanon is particularly serious, not only because of the number of victims it caused, but because of the indications that they were detonated “before the normal way these things are detonated because there was a risk of being discovered, and because clearly the logic of having all these devices detonate is to do so as a preemptive strike before a major military operation.”

In response to questions from journalists, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of “not using civilian objects as weapons,” adding: “This should be a rule that governments everywhere in the world can implement.” He stressed that the link between what is happening in Lebanon and what is happening in Gaza “has been clear from the beginning,” noting that Hezbollah was “very clear in saying that it launched its operations because of what is happening in Gaza, and that it will stop when there is a ceasefire in Gaza.”

Sudan
The United Nations reiterated the need for a ceasefire in Sudan, and called on all parties to abide by their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The UN Security Council held a session on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Sudan, during which it heard two briefings from the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Poopie, and the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya.
The war in Sudan has been ongoing for 17 months, with the humanitarian situation alarmingly worsening, and no end in sight. Martha Poopie said that the UN Secretary-General has been constantly calling on the parties to calm the situation in El Fasher and spare civilians further suffering, and warned of the dire consequences of this escalation.
She referred to Resolution No. 2736 adopted by the Security Council last June, which called on the Rapid Support Forces to end the siege of El Fasher and stop fighting immediately. "However, efforts to prevent further military escalation in El Fasher have failed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the city and face the risk of mass violence." She added that the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, has maintained direct contact with the warring parties, including through talks in Geneva in July, and has supported mediation efforts by the United States, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland in August. Mr. Lamamra also recently engaged with Sudanese authorities during a visit to Port Sudan in late August accompanied by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohammed.