UN reports a civilian killed every 14 minutes in 2025 armed conflicts

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs senior official Edem Wosornu told the Security Council that a civilian was killed every 14 minutes in armed conflicts worldwide during 2025. She said the real toll is likely higher in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Inter‑Agency Standing Committee warned of “blatant” violations of international humanitarian law, including systematic attacks on homes, schools, hospitals and water infrastructure, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and conflict‑driven famine caused by siege tactics. The UN also reported that more than 1,000 humanitarian aid workers have been killed in the past three years, stressing that “Wars have rules that apply to all parties to conflict. The problem is not a lack of law; the problem is the failure to uphold them consistently.”