Very good morning to you.
Thank you for joining us here at the UN office at Geneva today, the 10th of February.
We have a very important brief as usual for you.
We have the situation in Sudan, we have briefers from UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, and we also have an important update from the Human Rights Office on Ethiopia.
Without further ado, I'll give to my colleague Ricardo of UNICEF for an update on Sudan, and it will go to our guest from the WHL.
Thank you and good morning.
No children on the planet are facing what Sudan's children are facing right now.
They are at the epicentre of the world's largest humanitarian catastrophe, and it's getting worse by the day.
In parts of North Darfur as we speak, more than half of all children are acutely malnourished.
Not projected, not modelled, Confirmed.
New IPC data released last Friday from three localities in North Arfur, Umbaru, Kernoi and Atina shows catastrophic malnutrition rates.
In Umbaru, global acute malnutrition stands at 53 percent, one of the highest ever recorded anywhere.
Famine thresholds for malnutrition have been surpassed in Umbaru and Kernoi, locations that weren't previously considered at risk.
Extreme hunger and malnutrition come for children first, The youngest, the smallest, the most vulnerable.
And in Sudan, it's spreading.
These are children between six months and five years old, and they're running out of time.
Since the fall of Al Fasher in October 2025, more than 127 thousand people have fled into these already desperate areas.
Now fresh fighting has erupted and children are caught in what possibly is the final battle for Darfur.
Kanoi town is largely deserted.
In Umbaru, families are too afraid to stay overnight.
Humanitarian partners have been forced to pause operations.
And the children who need treatment most are being pushed further and further from any help.
In Umbaru, only 23% of severely malnourished children were receiving care at the time of screening.
These children are not just hungry.
Nearly half of all children in Athena had been sick in the previous two weeks.
Fever, diarrhoea, respiratory infections, low vaccination coverage, unsafe water and a collapsing health system are turning treatable illnesses into death sentences for already malnourished children.
What concerns UNICEF most is this, the conditions that pushed Umbaru and Carnoy to surpass family family thresholds, meaning conflict, mass displacement, collapse, collapse, collapse services, blocked access.
They all exist across vast swathes of Sudan and if famine is looming there, it can take hold anywhere.
This war, this war reaches and this war reaches almost everywhere.
The time to prevent significant loss of life is running out.
Across Sudan today 33.7 million people need humanitarian assistance, half of them children.
825,000 children are projected to suffer severe wasting this year.
70% of health facilities are non functional.
In late January, UNICEF screened 85,000 children across the the three impacted localities identified over 5400 children with severe acute malnutrition.
We are running 25 therapeutic feeding programmes, operating mobile clinics and delivering supplies cross-border from Chad to one of the last remaining life lines into N Darfur.
But let me be honest, Access is shrinking, funding is desperately short and the fighting is intensifying.
The violence must stop, humanitarian access must be granted, and the world must stop looking away from Sudan's children.
More than half the children in Umbaru are wasting away while we watch.
That is not a a statistic.
Those are children with names and a future that are being stolen.
Thank you very much, Ricardo.
And we're very pleased to have with us Doctor Shibli Sahmani, who is WH OS representative based in Port Sudan, who happens to be in Geneva and he's taking this opportunity to speak with you.
So we're very grateful to have you here.
If you could deliver some opening remarks.
I'm glad to be here with you for a briefing on on Sudan and specifically on attacks on healthcare in Sudan.
In two months from now, we will mark three years of war in Sudan, a green milestone.
The war has caused the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with violence, displacement, anger and disease and inevitably health that sorry.
Over 33.7 million people, which is 2/3 of the population, require humanitarian assistance and about 21 million people require health assistance.
With 13.6 million displaced due to the war.
Sudan remains the largest displacement crisis in the world.
9.1 millionaire displaced internally and 4.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries.
The newly displaced populations, including returnees, require urgent health interventions which the weakened health system is unable to cope with.
The health system has been ravaged by attacks, loss and damage of equipment and supplies, a shortage of health workforce and operational funds.
Since the Since the start of the war in April 2023, W2 has verified 205 attacks on healthcare that have led to 1924 deaths and 529 injuries.
Unfortunately, each year the attacks on healthcare grow deadlier.
IN202364 attacks led to 38 deaths in 2024.
7272 attacks led to 200 deaths.
IN202565 attacks caused 1620 deaths, which is 82% of deaths from documented attacks on healthcare globally.
82% in the 1st 40 days of 20264 attacks LED already to 66 deaths just in January and half of February 2026.
Such attacks deprive communities of care for years to come in staying terror in patients and health workers and creating and surmountable barriers to life saving treatment.
The country, meanwhile, is facing multiple disease outbreaks including cholera, malaria, dengue, measles, in addition, of course to malnutrition and life threatening conditions.
WHO is supporting the response to these outbreaks through disease surveillance, deployment of rapid response teams, strengthening case management, infection prevention and control, improving access to water and hygiene, water quality, testing and vector control, community mobilisation, vaccination and so on.
In 2025, WHO has reached millions of people with supported health interventions.
More than 12 million people were protected with oral cholera vaccines.
Malaria vaccines introduced in two states in 2024 were scaled up to two more states in 2025 and additional localities to protect close to 220,000 children from severe malaria.
WHO and supported partners provided care to up to 6 million people at hospitals, primary healthcare facilities and mobile clinics.
This has been complemented with community based interventions to prevent and control disease outbreaks.
Almost 920 metric tonnes of critical mid season and supplies were distributed to all 18 states including through cross line from Port Sudan and cross-border from Chad and South Sudan for hard to reach areas like Darfur and Cordovans.
Malnutrition is widespread with children, pregnant and breastfeeding women bearing the brands.
As it was mentioned earlier, the recent IPC alert warns the malnutrition continues to deteriorate in 2026, with nearly 4.2 million estimated cases compared to 3.7 million in 2025.
In 2025 alone, close to 44,000 children with severe accurate malnutrition with medical complications were admitted to 148 stabilisation Centres across Sudan.
WHO works closely with the stabilisation centres?
We deliver essential supplies, build capacity, provide technical expertise and assist in care for mothers of patients, giving them space to care for their critically I'll children.
WHO is on the ground in all accessible states responding to the most pressing needs, but we still face severe access constraints and funding shortfalls.
We call on humanitarian and development partners and donors who whose generosity has remained A lifeline for Sudan's people to stand with us.
We especially need resources to keep up the supply chain of essential medicines and medical supplies.
We call for the protection of healthcare in line with international humanitarian law.
Patients, health workers, healthcare facilities and health assets must be protected from attacks.
Patients and healthcare workers should not risk that while seeking and providing care.
Above all, we call for peace.
Peace is longer due for Sudan.
Doctor Safwani, over to your questions.
Yesterday, the UN human rights chief told the Human Rights Council about the situation in El Fascia, that what happened there was an entirely predictable and preventable catastrophe and that he feared the same may be happening in in Kordofan.
Is that how you see it, that that there is a predictable and preventable catastrophe on the cards in Kordofan?
Yes, I think what we're seeing in Sudan is in terms of the conflict and the areas that are being impacted, it's somewhat preventable.
Obviously access for humanitarian workers remains very constrained.
And with that we we have less information and and monitoring to be able to take more decisive and impactful action that would come with that.
So as we've seen with malnutrition, places that we thought were not at risk all of the sudden start showing indicators that surpassed the famished, the famine threshold.
When it comes to the court of funds, we've been raising the alarm for a while that that the violence that we've seen in Darfur could easily and somewhat predictably move to the court of funds and and we need to act fast to prevent that.
But again, speaking for UNICEF, there is a limitation to what we can do to prevent this catastrophe.
We can keep flagging and alerting to to the concerning issues that are impacting children, including in their protection and health and and and safety and the displacement that keeps happening.
But when it comes to military action, obviously that there's very little we can do other than call the world to pay more attention to what's happening before it's, it's too late for children.
Just to add on that, what happened in Alfrescher was not expected and no one was expecting that the different parties will lead to that situation.
But from health perspective, we were really concerned about how we can reach this population and the patients there, either to have access to Alfrescher, which was besieged, I remind, for almost 2, two years.
We were calling for either to access to Al Fisher or at least to allow these people to move and to access the services in Powila and in Zamzam camp and so on and so forth.
It's also a lesson learned for us.
So with regards to the Cordovans, we were more proactive.
Of course, we call for peace, we call for humanitarian access, but also we had to be proactive and to preposition supplies to deploy our teams on the ground to be prepared for any situation.
But again, all this contingency planning is just like a little response.
It's a small drop in the sea, and we call for peace and humanitarian access.
Yes, Jeremy, ready for international.
You you you mentioned the increase in attacks against healthcare along the years.
I was wondering if you see the same pattern against humanitarian personnel.
A couple of days ago it was a convoy by WFP that was attacked by a drone from the FSR.
So I'd like to know if you have a recent example UNICEF or WHO that yourself have been the targets of an attack from drone or whatsoever.
Thank you for this very important question.
Actually attacks on Healthcare is part of the attacks on humanitarians and we are really concerned about that.
And that's why I called more than protecting healthcare workers and health facilities is to respect the international humanitarian law with which includes of course, the protection of humanitarian workers.
With regards to your question, yes, I mean the examples are, are, are everywhere and we can share so many examples.
But most importantly is to say that when we talk about attacks on healthcare or humanitarians, it's not only about the physical attack.
It's also preventing this humanitarian aid to reach the places where it should be, but also preventing the humanitarian workers to be deployed in, in some parts of the country.
Also humanitarians who have been detained in many places.
And you've, you've heard about the medical medical team who were detained in the Darfur's and in other places.
So for us, there are so many examples.
You mentioned the attacks on the WFP contracted truck in, in, in Cordovans.
This is very sad, but unfortunately, which is more sad is that it's happening very often in the context of Sudan.
Both of you have painted a bleak picture.
I'm just wondering why it hasn't improved slightly given the breaking of the sieges of Dilling and Kadugli, which then allowed medical supplies to get into those cities.
Could you just explain why that hasn't helped the situation in Sudan?
Thank you very much for your question.
Actually, yes, we are really concerned about the situation in Kadugli and in Ill Fisher earlier and so on.
But remember that there are 18 states in Sudan.
It's a huge country with needs everywhere.
But with regards to Kadugli, unfortunately two months ago we had to evacuate all UN staff and international NGO staff due to the attacks on the peacekeeping mission, you remember.
And many people, unfortunately, have died on the blue helmets, and we strongly condemn that.
When it comes to supplies, as I said before, we were quite proactive and we sent supplies and so on on the ground.
But when we talk about medical care, supplies are not enough.
We should protect the humanitarian workers.
It's not like the NF is that you can distribute to the population.
You need service providers to be there and to provide the healthcare and to provide this medical supplies.
So we call again for the protection of the health workers to be able to be present there.
I am as as I said during my intervention is that we have a footprint in the 18 states.
But still when the security, the insecurity is very high, we have to withdraw from that, from that place because this is the basis of the humanitarian response and we call for access and protection to be able to deliver our services.
Thank you again for the questions in the room.
Before we go there, I just want to make sure.
We'll take a question therefore from Antonio of Spanish News Agency.
So I have first one question for UNICEF.
If you have any available information on how many children have died or are currently at high risks of dying as a result of malnutrition, especially in Darfur, but also in the rest of Sudan.
And for WHOII would like to know if you have any information regarding possible existence of mass graves near hospitals or other locations in Alpha Share following the violence in October.
We remember that WHO denounced the mass killing in in the maternity hospital.
Thanks, Antonio for your question.
I don't have that figure in front of me, but I can follow up separately with you and and provide you with the latest.
Just to note that all the these figures that we shared with you from our colleagues are being shared with you.
The notes are being shared with you.
And thanks for getting back on this other question, Doctor.
With regards to your question, it has two parts.
Unfortunately, the first part is beyond WHO mandate with regards to the mass graves.
But I can refer you to the statement made by Mr Volcker yesterday, the announcing the the use of one of the paediatric hospitals to detain people and all what happened in the neighbouring in the neighbourhood.
Now, with regards to the maternity hospital in Al Fashari, yes, we strongly condemn that and remember that more than 400 people were killed directly.
It wasn't a collateral damage, but they were killed directly inside the hospital, including health workers, patients and their families.
Of course, we condemn this.
We keep monitoring through our system to monitor the health held the attacks on the healthcare and that's why I'm in Geneva.
Actually, we have a global meeting now in WHO with regards to the attacks on healthcare.
And we do all what we can in terms of advocacy, in terms of preventing and responding to these attacks, including the one in old fashion.
Thank you once again for the questions, colleagues.
Yeah, just just on, on that hospital in in Al Fascia, what is it's current state of functionality at the moment?
Actually, unfortunately, after what happened in Al Fascia, most of the population have moved to Tawela and now we are focusing our services in Al Tawela because this is where the population is now.
With regards to the maternity hospital in Alfash areas, it needs a lot of rehabilitation and so on.
But again, our concern is not to rebuild and invest in a hospital which is not providing services but rather to move the services to where the population is and most of it is in Towila.
And for the whole UN system, not only for WHO Towila now is one of the top priorities and it's among the 17 priority locality for the UN system in Sudan.
We have a question from John Azar Costas France Funcat in The Lancet.
I was wondering if perhaps Ricardo or Doctor Sabani can give us some insights on what you're doing or, or to support the country's neighbouring the conflict zones of Sudan, for instance, like Chad, which are also in dire straits.
How are you helping these countries?
Yeah, thanks for the question, John.
Indeed, this has been ongoing work since the conflict erupted and and large movement of displaced people started crossing the border into Chad, which of course is already an area with with big humanitarian needs as well and and very depleted with stretch communities equally fighting for survival day after day.
So what we're doing as UNICEF is trying to help sheltering the displaced, provide very basic services for children, including from malnutrition, but also also protection children who've been separated from their families while fleeing the Darfur or other areas of conflict in Sudan, and psychosocial support as well.
So the very basics, not only to those who are arriving in Chad and crossing the border, but also to the communities who are there already also stretched thin and need us to step up to, to to make sure that that these populations and especially children are accommodated and have the most basic services.
So that the very usual response that UNICEF provides in such circumstances.
Of course, I'm here as WR for Sudan, I'm based in Port Sudan, but of course I have my colleagues who are based both in Juba and another one in Jamina who are dealing with the two countries.
But on behalf of them, I would say that there is a coordinated response for all the refugees who are fleeing to the neighbouring countries.
But most importantly is the coordination that we are having to address the needs of Sudanese on both sides, either in in in Sudan or outside Sudan.
This starts from the coordination in terms of information sharing, people who are moving their health conditions and so on, but also in terms of health security and informing them about the epidemics and vice versa, and also in terms of humanitarian response and the logistics coordination.
Remember that in my statement I was mentioning the cross-border, cross-border logistics and sending supplies to Darfur's and corridor fans through South Sudan and Chad, and this is done in close coordination with them.
I want just to highlight one thing is that the coordination between countries is very important.
One month ago, I, I met with the minister online, the Minister of Health in Chad, with the WR in Chad and the two RCHCS from both sides to discuss this kind of coordination.
Because cholera was spreading, you know, that the epidemics, they don't know the barriers or the frontiers.
So we need such coordination to make sure that the health security is ensured on both sides of the, of the borders.
I think we'll take a follow up from John and then back to Antonio.
Yes, Doctor Sabani, I was wondering, Sir, can you give us the latest on how many health facilities have closed, whether it's hospitals or or Primary Health centres due to the conflict and how many have been partially destroyed or completely destroyed?
And secondly, you mentioned you're here for a conference on attacks on health.
Is that with colleagues from other WHO country representatives?
With regards to the first question, we have what we call the Herams, which is the health resources availability and the mapping of services.
And this is something that we do on periodically.
The last one was done in December.
It's not yet released because it has to be endorsed by by the government.
But the previous one in July, it has shown that, it has shown that the third of the facilities are not functioning in the country and the other third is partially functioning.
It means exactly if you want the exact numbers is 37% are non functioning at all.
I've been in Khartoum one month ago.
I've been through the different facilities and so on.
And people there, they were saying that during the war out of 56 hospitals, only four were functioning in Khartoum.
Now many of them are being either rehabilitated.
And I want to hear to thank here our donors who are really interested in the rehabilitating and the restructuring the health sector.
And through this programme we are opening new facilities.
But I would I would like to say that to be able to do so, we need peace and we need access how to we were able to do so because we have access and there is peace in other places.
We have a purely humanitarian approach because we cannot invest in in rebuilding health system which is being attacked on a regular basis.
And they refer to the previous question on the maternity, so the maternity hospital in in Alfrescher.
With regards to the second question, yes, we are here with different WRS from different different countries, but also I mean countries who are in emergencies.
Of course, also with the colleagues from regional offices to discuss the issue of the reporting and monitoring the attacks on healthcare.
And of course, this cannot be done without our partners WHO mandate is to monitor, to verify through a wide network of partners of community health workers and and so on.
And this is what we are trying to to strengthen and to make sure that all the countries are reporting on time and accurately.
I know you have to leave soon, doctor.
I just want just if you have time for just one last quick question from Antonio and then maybe we'll have to call it quits from that point.
My question is on Sudan, but maybe is for Ocha because yesterday Mr Turk in his speech mentioned that the made-up made-up with dam in the Nile has been attacked by, by Resaf multiple times.
And I, I would like to know if well, this, this is one of the biggest stamps in, in Africa.
And I would like to know if it's in risk of collapse because of these attacks and how are the humanitarian implications on these attacks?
Has this caused displacement nearby?
How is this affecting to the energy supply in in, in the whole Sudan?
Because Turk mentioned that it gave 70% of the electricity to the country.
Since doctor has to leave, maybe he can add one comment and then I'll see if Jens is online.
I think he might be, but go ahead, Doctor.
As you rightly said, maybe this question is mainly for Ultra, but I want just to address it from health point of view.
I, I, I mentioned the attacks on healthcare, but of course we are concerned about the attacks on all the infrastructure.
And remember, just like a few months ago when there was an attack on the dam, plus the electricity plant in, in in Khartoum, we noticed an increase in the cases of cholera.
And if we want to protect civilians, we have to protect also the infrastructure.
But I think your your question can be better addressed by by Ocha.
But before I do that, I know you have to leave darts want to say thank you very much for coming here, especially your base in Port Sudan.
We've had you online before.
We hope that we'll have you online again.
Thank you very much and the important work you're doing and of course, Ricardo.
But let's let's go back to Jans on this other question, a very important question from you, Antonio.
Jans, I see your camera is on, so over to you.
Yeah, thank you very much and good morning every everyone to give you a proper reply.
Antonio, would you mind sending your question to me by e-mail or WhatsApp, whatever, so I can check in with the, with the country office what we can say?
But I, I, I want to stress what we just heard from from our colleague there that attacking and destroying infrastructure is costing lives.
That's the direct link and that's why we advocate so strongly against it.
But please do send me your question.
Thank you very much, Jens.
Of course, just just to note, of course, that I mean, any attacks on health services are unacceptable and obviously have life threatening consequences for the people we serve around the world.
The doctors said peace and access and that's something that we could say of just about any crisis, any theatre that where we work.
So thank you very much again for that important commentary.
OK, we're going to shift gears.
Ricardo is going to stay with us, but we have Arina from the human rights office who's going to address the situation in Tigre in Ethiopia.
You should have received the press release from our office on the situation in Tigray in Ethiopia.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of Okoturk calls on all parties to take urgent steps towards de escalation amid the precarious situation in the Tigray region.
Recent fighting between the Ethiopian army and regional forces has highlighted the risk of a deepening human rights crisis in the north of the country.
The situation remains highly volatile and we fear that it will deteriorate, worsening the region's already precarious human rights and humanitarian situation.
There must be concerted and sustained efforts by all parties with the help of the international community to de escalate tensions before it's too late.
Political dialogue and confidence building measures are urgently needed.
Not renewed resort to armed conflict Clashes between the Ethiopian National Defence Forces and the regional Tigray Security Forces intensified on the 26th of January, particularly in the areas of Selemti and Leilai Selemti in the region's northwest, close to the Amhara border.
The TSF withdrew from the Selemti area on the 1st of February.
Drones, artillery, and other powerful weapons were used by both sides.
Several arrests and detentions by both the ENDF and the TSF have been reported during the clashes, and subsequently civilians are once again caught in between escalating tensions, with both the TSF and the ENDF reportedly carrying out arrests for perceived affiliation with the opposing side.
In the South and southeast of the Tigray region, near the Afar border, clashes between the TSF and the Tigray Peace Forces, a rival faction, continue unabated.
Over 1,000,000 civilians remain internally displaced from the 2020 to 2022 Tigray conflict that left many people dead and uprooted more than two million.
The exact death toll remains unclear, with widely differing estimates from different sources.
Over 1,000,000 civilians remain in So Sorry.
Both sides must step back from the brink and work to resolve their differences through political means.
Alleged serious violations or abuses must be promptly and independently investigated, irrespective of the perpetrators.
The High Commissioner has also expressed concern at recent tensions between Ethiopia and neighbouring Eritrea, warning that they risk exacerbating the already serious human rights and humanitarian challenges in both countries and across the wider Horn of Africa.
And I see that the notes have indeed been shared, so thanks for that.
Those those alleged serious violations and abuses, could you shed a bit more light on on what those might be?
And secondly, could you say a bit more about the the use of drones in this, in this conflict and their their impact and their effect and what they're being used for?
In terms of violations, we have seen clashes between the war between between the parties leading to violence against civilians.
We have seen displacement.
We've also seen arrests targeting by both sides, targeting people for their perceived affiliation with one side or another.
And from past experience, we know that these arrests often lead to I'll treatment in detention facilities that where the conditions are are very difficult.
What we are concerned about is that while the recent clashes did largely come to an end, the situation is so tense and so volatile that at any point further clashes could erupt and this could have really dire consequences for the civilians.
As I said, over 1,000,000 civilians remain internally displaced, so these could have really dire consequences for that.
And so we're calling on, on all parties to recommit to the Pretoria agreement, the secession of hostilities agreement that was signed, I believe in 2022 and to take confidence building measures, for example, facilitating the return of ID PS to their homes.
This is something that was part of of the agreement, but it hasn't proceeded as smoothly as it should.
Sorry, apologies for that.
On the drones, yes, we, we are seeing the the use of drones and heavy artillery during these confrontations.
We have a lot of reports.
It is very difficult to verify them.
So I can't get into detail on the the exact impact of these attacks, but they're clearly taking place and we're trying to get information as we can given the security situation and access restrictions as well.
Did I see your hand up over here?
Yes, Emma, Reuters, it's sort of related.
Reuters had a investigation out this morning on how Ethiopia is building a secret training camp to train Sudan's RSF fighters.
You probably haven't seen it yet, but I was just wondering if you could say something general about your concerns of other neighbouring countries getting involved in this war and, and, and what that could mean.
I haven't seen that report, but we'll certainly look into it.
In general, on the conflict in Sudan, as you know, we've been very concerned about the involvement of many different countries, whether they're directly involved, whether there are mercenaries on the ground from different countries, whether they're providing arms, intelligence, funding or other support, whether they're involved in the political economy of the conflict in Sudan.
We have been very concerned about the the participation of regional and international actors.
And the High Commissioner has repeatedly called on all states with influence to exercise that influence to bring the conflict in Sudan to an end.
On Ethiopia, there have, of course, been reports regarding the presence of Eritrean troops and heightened tensions between those two countries.
So we are calling on the Ethiopian and the Eritrean authorities to use diplomatic channels to resolve the disputes and to not further escalate the situation.
And you know, the violence is never the solution, but on specifically The Ethiopians, the training camp, I don't have information, but we can look into your report and and get back to you on that.
Of course, I would just echo what Ravine has said about de escalation of tensions.
We're working obviously the Secretary general and his his envoys, we're working closely with representative of that African Union as well to de escalate tensions.
And we've also heard about coordination.
Our previous brief has talked about the importance of coordination with actors on humanitarian fronted also in political dialogue.
So this is obviously supremely important.
It was actually just on Turk speech on Al Fascia yesterday and he mentioned how thousands were still missing and he mentioned that he thought that thousands had been transferred to the Tigris prison in South Darfur.
I was just wondering if you had any more on that prison and how many you think are there and, and what might be going on inside?
And then just finally a housekeeping question.
He mentioned a fuller report.
So I was just wondering about when and and how that will be released.
Yes, just to so that everyone is aware, she's referring to a line in her speech yesterday where you said thousands were reportedly transferred to Tagris prison in Nyala in South Darfur, where we know that the conditions are horrendous.
And my colleagues have my colleagues in the Sudan office have interviewed people who've been able to give them testimony about, about the conditions in these prisons.
I don't think we have exact numbers.
Again, it's very difficult to verify exact numbers, but there should be more information coming soon.
The the report that you refer to the IT should be published on Friday, most likely on Friday.
This is a report on El fascia.
We'll, we'll certainly look out for that report.
Yes, Robin, just just picking up on something you said that you, you spoke about the presence of of Eritrean troops.
What is, what is their role and their involvement in this, in this conflict and how does, how does that risk exacerbating human rights challenges in, in Tigray?
So I refer to reports that Eritrean troops are present and continued public statements by by the Ethiopian authorities as well in this regard.
We have not been able to verify the latest developments on that front.
So I'm not sure it would be appropriate for me to give a detailed response to that question.
But again, there are disagreements between Ethiopia and Eritrea, particularly regarding the the situation in Tigre, and we're calling for these disagreements to be resolved through political dialogue and not resort to violence.
We all saw what happened in 2020-2021 when there was a full blown conflict in the Tigre region, which led to, we still don't know how many deaths.
Estimates vary so widely, but it's clear that a lot of people were killed, 2 million people were displaced, 1,000,000 remain displaced from that conflict.
So we cannot afford a return to that.
We have a couple of questions online for you.
If you could stay with us, John, and then Antonio.
Yes, good morning, Ravina, coming to that very issue, I was only if you have human rights monitors on the ground in Ethiopia.
And secondly, with reference to the conflict in 20/21/2021, there've been reports that up to 600,000 people were killed in that civil war.
How many have you been able to verify from your triangulation of sources as having been killed, especially civilians?
We have a regional office that's that's based in Addis Ababa and we do maintain a presence in the conflict affected regions and hotspots including the Tigray region.
We have two offices, in Mckelly and in Cherie and in Amhara.
We've got 2 offices as well, in Bahadar and Desi, in Oramiya and Afar as well as in Hawassa and Jajika.
It might be easier, given the need for accuracy, for me to just send you these by e-mail as well.
On the figures, yes, exactly.
There are widely differing estimates, so I have seen the figure that you indicated.
There are other indications and other figures out there.
We have simply not been able to verify the death toll, which is unfortunate.
Every death should count, but we we haven't been able to verify the death toll.
Even you might recall, John, we had put together a report with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission as well.
And they've been working on this too.
But I understand that there's no real verified death toll that's been compiled.
We have a couple more questions still, if you could.
So Antonio and then over to Nick.
I don't know if I can let's let's let's go back to that maybe afterwards.
Is that for Ravina though on Venezuela?
So let's let's go to Nick, New York Times.
Yeah, my, my question is also not on, on Ethiopia.
So do do you want to go ahead with Antonio's question first?
Yeah, maybe I'll do that then.
But let me just say before we do that, if I may, just sticking on the subjects which we just heard about, Sudan and South Sudan are the subject of consultations at the Security Council in, in New York today.
And there are reports from the Secretary General which are being presented in a public meeting.
In fact, there are also consultations to precede that.
And also wanted to draw your attention to a statement that we shared with you on Sunday.
It's, it's a couple of days old now, but it speaks to the situation in South Sudan, which very much needs, needs attention, where nearly 10 million people, more than 2/3 of the population in South Sudan, need life saving humanitarian assistance and continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
This is lifted from the Secretary General statement which we issued on Sunday.
Once again, the SG calls on all parties to immediately and decisively halt all military operations, deescalate tensions through dialogue, uphold international law, protect civilians, and ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access and the security of aid workers and the United Nations peacekeeping personnel and their assets.
And also just to mention that since after that statement was issued on Sunday, our peacekeepers, part of Onmis, this is the UN mission in South Sudan, did manage to get to the area near Bor, which is central South Sudan, the capital of Jonglei State.
They managed to get to the town of Duc Padiet over the weekend.
This was a significant mission in that this is the first time they've been able to get there in a long time.
They assess the security situation, the human rights conditions and reports of conflict related sexual violence while also monitoring humanitarian access.
It was important that we also draw attention to these situations in the neighbouring countries.
So without that, now I think we can turn to your questions.
We'll start with Antonio for on Venezuela for you, Ravina and then back to you, Nick.
So Ravina, can you update about the situation of your office in Venezuela?
I would like to know whether your staff has been able to return and if not, if you are in contact with the authorities to facilitate the return also, because yesterday the the fact finding mission made comments about the amnesty that Venezuela government is prepare and I, I wonder if your office has any comments to these preparations.
Sure, thanks for that, Antonio.
You might be aware that we actually had deployed A-Team to Venezuela recently.
So the High Commissioner had a meeting with the Venezuelan leader Delci Rodriguez, in which he offered our support to help Venezuela work on a road map for dialogue and and reconciliation in which human rights should be at the centre.
As you know, the High Commissioner has always been ready to engage with the the Venezuelan authorities and to open an office presence in the country.
So the High Commissioner deployed a team.
They met a lot of civil society organisation, they met some authorities.
They also met with family members of people who had been who are still in detention, stressing the point that not everyone has has been, not everybody who should be released, not everyone who has been arbitrarily detained has been released yet.
We also had meetings with several high profile individuals, including recently released human rights defenders, and the talks are continuing regarding reopening our presence in the country on the Amnesty Law.
It's a positive step to further social cohesion, national reconciliation and coexistence.
However, the terms of the law must be compliant with international human rights standards.
The legislation should encompass all individuals arbitrarily detained and be part of a broader strategy that includes reparation, accountability, and legal reform.
OK, I think is that an old hand?
Do you have a follow up, Nick on this?
Oh, I'm sorry, Antonio, your hand is still up.
Do you have a follow up on this?
Yes, only maybe I I missed that in the press.
It was already maybe it was already published, but when was the the talks between Mr Turk and Elsie Rodriguez?
And if the team is is working there, that means the office is already open or we cannot say this yet.
I I don't have my dates with me.
I am checking what the exact date was.
I'll I'll get back to you on that.
And in terms of a presence, talks are ongoing to establish a proper presence.
So the High Commissioner deployed a team to Venezuela for discussions for including for for meetings with human rights defenders and those who've been recently released as well as the families of those who remain detained.
So talks are continuing on on re establishing the presence.
26th January, 26th January.
The call with between the High Commissioner and Elsie Rodriguez was on the 26th of January.
First, on Iran, I wonder if you've yet got a OHCHR yet has some conclusive findings on the scale of the casualties and specifically on people who were wounded in the in the suppression of the protests and, and but subsequently killed us.
Some reporting coming out on that.
I wonder if OHCHR can shed any light on that.
Second question, I'd understood that there was going to be a statement coming from Gina Romero, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly on Minneapolis.
That statement never came.
I'm wondering if you could say why it didn't come and if we're still going to get it.
On Iran, sadly, no, we don't have further information about the scale of the number of people who were killed.
It is clear that thousands were killed, but we've not been able to establish anything further on that.
We continue, of course, to insist on accountability.
They need to be proper investigations and there needs to be accountability for all alleged human rights violations that that have been recorded on Minnesota.
I think I know what you're referring to it.
As you know, we have the High Commissioner has issued a statement recently on the US, on the crackdown on migrants in the US.
And in that statement, he also made reference to the unnecessary use of force during protests that were that took place in Minnesota in, in protest against the actions of the immigration enforcement forces.
So we have issued statements on the situation in the US, on migrants, on the crackdown.
Special procedures has also gone out with statements on this.
You're referring to a specific statement that's still undergoing internal processes.
Yeah, we'll, we'll certainly update you on any, any developments there on maybe going back to Iran.
I think Ricardo, the one to mention something in the context of children in Iran.
Just to mention we put out a statement on Friday not only on Iran, but the situation of children overall in in the Middle East and and North Africa who've had a terrible 2026 so far.
And as, as Ravina mentioned, it's really difficult to get information from, from our colleagues on the ground for many different reasons.
Obviously, we're, we're keeping track of the impact on children, which we know is, is severe, not only on, on the youngest, but also adolescents and their parents for that matter.
And we know that more than 144 children have reportedly been killed so far, while many others have been reportedly injured or detained.
So we're strongly advocating with the authorities for the protection of children from violence, of course, including to end any arrest or detention of children because the the fear or or further escalation in Iran is taking a very heavy toll on them and their families.
So thanks for that, Ricardo.
And of course, Ravina, just to mention that Iran will very much be on the the agenda of the upcoming Human Rights Council session with the rapporteur on Iran.
And we also the fact finding Mission Iran who are expected to present her reports to the upcoming session.
Nick, is that a follow up for Ravina?
Yeah, just to confirm Ravina then is, is that statement from Gigio Romero still coming out and do you have any timeline on that?
As you know, special procedures mandate holders are independent of our office.
So there are internal processes where we facilitate the the issuance of these statements.
But it is not for for me to speak on behalf of of special procedures.
There have been several statements, as I said, that have come out on the excessive and unnecessary use of force in the US in Minnesota specifically against protesters on specific statements.
It's it's not for me to speak just there are often there's a statement proposed by a rapporteur, others rapporteurs are then invited to join this statement.
And those processes can take time.
But again, I don't speak on behalf of them.
So I can't tell you if a statement is coming out or not.
Thank you very much, Ravina, and we'll certainly let you know if we hear anything from our end.
Further questions before we release our colleagues here.
I think no, that's not the case.
So thank you very much, Ravina for addressing very important points on multiple subjects in the same to you at Dicardo.
As always, colleagues, just a couple of quick questions.
Just wanted to make sure you're aware of.
Well, firstly, just wanted to make sure you saw the statement we shared last night on the West Bank, which was which was recited in fact by our spokesperson in New York concerning the the SGS grave concern over the reported decision by the Israeli security cabinet to authorise a series of administrative and enforcement measures in areas A&B in the occupied West Bank.
This is a statement we shared with you last night.
We have meetings of the Human Arts Treaty bodies taking place, as you well know, this week.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, otherwise known as CDOL, is reviewing today the report of Argentina.
This session continues throughout next week.
And we have also the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which began its session yesterday and it's this morning is concluding its reports as a review of its report on Kenya.
And this afternoon it will review the report of Uruguay.
And then just the last couple of notes.
We have a few observances which for which we shared as Secretary General messages.
One is the first one is for tomorrow, the 11th of February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
And then we have another message for an observance being observed on Thursday the 12th, which is International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as when conducive to terrorism.
SO2 important observations that we've shared messages for with you.
Do we have any questions for me by chance?
So I wish you a good afternoon.
