Briefing the Security Council on the heels of the firing of Israeli forces on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon earlier in the day, senior UN officials warned of a dangerous uptick in violence in the Middle East, as delegates echoed their calls for a ceasefire, de-escalation and diplomacy.
One year after Hamas’ attack on Israel and the resulting military response — now extending to Lebanon — senior UN officials warned the Security Council today that efforts to dismantle the United Nations’ presence in Gaza and its surrounds would be disastrous for the people in need there, as speakers urged the Council to act.
Highlighting the recent solution to the Central Bank of Libya crisis and the resumption of oil production, the United Nations’ senior official in that country urged Libyan authorities’ and the Organization’s continued engagement to unite the still fragmented Government and to forge a path toward national reconciliation and unity.
The security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remains alarming, with the 23 March Movement (M23) rebel group and other armed groups intensifying the conflict and deepening the humanitarian situation, the UN’s top official in the region informed the Security Council today.
Two years after the September 2022 explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the Security Council met today at the request of the Russian Federation, who, in the absence of a briefer, assessed national investigations into the blasts, while criticizing the lack of conclusive findings and the 15-member organ’s collective action on the matter.
Despite persisting security challenges, Somalia continues to forge progress on national priorities, including in assuming full responsibility for its own security, senior officials told the Security Council today, as members underscored the need for counter-terrorism gains to be preserved through adequate funding and preparation ahead of the transition by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to a UN country team at the end of the month.
The partnership between the United Nations and African Union has never been more critical, several senior officials told the Security Council today, as they laid out the myriad challenges facing the continent from the world’s largest forced displacement crisis and numerous instances of political instability to territorial disputes and climate-change-driven insecurity.
Amid growing fears of an all out war in the Middle East following recent days’ escalation and exchange of hostilities, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today reiterated his appeals for a ceasefire in Gaza, a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and an end to the violence in the region during another Security Council emergency meeting.
The Security Council debated the legacy and the future of the European Union Naval Force military operation in the Mediterranean (Operation IRINI) today following the expiry of its authorization for Member States to intercept ships suspected of smuggling migrants on the high seas off Libya.
Spotlighting a marked reduction in fighting between Rwandan and Congolese forces following a recent ceasefire agreement, the Head of the Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo called for Member States’ continued engagement in peacebuilding efforts, amid the Mission’s phased withdrawal and a still tenuous security situation.
