UN urges immediate de‑escalation and humanitarian aid as crises flare in Middle East and Sudan

UN Secretary‑General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization is "very concerned" about a new surge of violence in the Middle East, highlighting Houthi threats to Saudi Arabia, attacks on hospitals and a desalination plant in Iran's Hormozgan province, and dozens of deaths with hundreds injured. He called for "an immediate de‑escalation" and urged all parties to respect International Humanitarian Law and UN Security Council resolution 2722 (2024).

The UN also warned that the humanitarian situation in Sudan is deteriorating rapidly, especially in El‑Obeid, where armed clashes have forced roughly 236,000 displaced people to rely on food assistance and left about 4,000 families in Darfur without shelter. Dujarric stressed the need for swift, flexible funding to protect civilians and restore essential services across Sudan.