In a plea for an immediate ceasefire, it was stated that in the past 17 days, more than 160 civilians have lost their lives. This includes a minimum of 139 individuals on March 1, allegedly killed by fighters from the Bul Nuer ethnic group in the northern Ruweng administrative area.
The High Commissioner claimed on February 21 that forces of the Juba government were responsible for the deaths of 21 civilians in Pankor village in eastern Jonglei state. It was alleged that the soldiers deceived the victims into gathering in one place under the pretext of providing food aid, only to open fire on them. These actions were suggested to potentially constitute war crimes.
Since December, both government and opposition forces, along with their allied militias in South Sudan, have launched attacks on communities in seven states. Jonglei is one of the affected regions, where over 280,000 people have fled their homes.
In Ukraine, large-scale missile and drone attacks have taken place in various regions, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure, as reported by the UN on Tuesday. The strikes between last Thursday and Monday notably impacted Kharkiv city, with damage to apartment blocks, a school, and other civilian facilities, leading to several deaths and injuries, including children.
In Donetsk, civilian casualties were also reported in areas controlled by Ukraine, particularly around Kramatorsk. The attacks damaged ambulances, fire trucks, homes, as well as energy and railway infrastructure across several regions.
The UN emphasized the importance of not overlooking the conflict amidst other unfolding crises, highlighting the ongoing need to address existing conflicts. Humanitarian agencies have been providing emergency aid, recently delivering supplies to approximately 1,000 residents in frontline communities in Donetsk.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that Palestinians in Gaza continue to face food insecurity due to limited aid entering the region. Despite the re-opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing by Israeli authorities following the conflict with Iran, humanitarian aid remains scarce. The chronic restrictions on aid deliveries have maintained the food security situation at a precarious level, with the WFP having only half rations available for roughly 1.5 million people in Gaza.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, cautioned on Tuesday that escalating conflicts in the Middle East could lead to increased returns of Afghans from neighboring countries under challenging circumstances. The situation at the border with Iran, although seemingly calm, is becoming tense, potentially resulting in heightened movements in the coming weeks.
Around 110,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since the beginning of the year, with an average of approximately 1,700 individuals returning daily since the recent escalation of regional tensions. Over the past two years, more than five million Afghans have returned from neighboring countries, including nearly 1.9 million from Iran in 2025.
UNHCR's representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, highlighted the plight of families facing repeated displacement, moving from Afghanistan to Iran due to conflict and now returning to Afghanistan, entering a cycle of uncertainty and vulnerability. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) also expressed concerns about the risks faced by children in light of increasing returns, emphasizing the need for urgent assistance and protection for families arriving at border crossings. UNICEF supported over 8,000 unaccompanied and separated children from Iran and Pakistan during the peak of returns last year.
Pakistan Story News Desk
