UN Security Council hears of ‘unimaginable suffering’ in Sudan

Khadidja Issa Khamiss, 90, a Sudanese woman who fled the conflict in Geneina in Sudan's Darfur region, looks around as she walks outside her makeshift shelter in Adre, Chad. (Reuters)
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Updated 10 August 2023
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UN Security Council hears of ‘unimaginable suffering’ in Sudan

  • Officials call for coordination of initiatives to end the conflict, and for humanitarian aid workers to be granted full access to help those in need
  • They also warned that developments in Darfur could engulf country in ethnic tensions that might spill into neighboring countries

NEW YORK CITY: The people of Sudan continue to face “unimaginable suffering” amid continuing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rival militia the Rapid Support Forces in several parts of the country, “with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains,” UN officials said on Wednesday.

Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the country that the ongoing violence has resulted in the widespread displacement of civilians. She also expressed concern about the escalation of the conflict in key areas, and the designation of civilian neighborhoods as “areas of operations” by both sides, which is exacerbating a desperate humanitarian crisis.

Indiscriminate and targeted attacks on civilians and infrastructure continue in Khartoum, Darfur and North Kordofan, Pobee added, and calls for the protection of civilians and to ensure that human rights and humanitarian law are not violated are being ignored.

Widespread sexual violence, victimization of children and the risk of forced recruitment into fighting forces continue, she said, along with the increased threat of abduction and the killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum.

The effects of the conflict on the Darfur region is a particular concern, Pobee continued, as she highlighted the rekindling of simmering ethnic tensions and the “brutal violence” in areas such as El-Geneina and Sirba.

“The parties have exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region (where) the fighting continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tensions of past conflicts in the region,” she said.

“This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict, with regional spillovers.”

Pobee welcomed a recent initiative by Chad to convene a meeting of stakeholders from Darfur, and stressed the need for broad participation, including by armed groups, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, and women’s groups.

She also welcomed efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to help resolve the conflict, and applauded mediation initiatives by the US and Saudi Arabia, as well as Sudan’s neighbors. She stressed the “vital” importance of coordination between regional and international entities for effective mediation.

Edem Wosornu, director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Operations and Advocacy Division, speaking on behalf of the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also painted a grim picture of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan, including the displacement of millions, widespread sexual violence, lack of access to medical care, and severe food insecurity.

She stressed the urgent need to fully fund the $2.6 billion Humanitarian Response Plan, which has so far reached only 25 percent of its target, to ensure vital assistance reaches those in need.

Lamenting lack of coverage of Sudan in the global media, Wosornu said: “Nearly four months into this conflict, millions of people remain trapped in a humanitarian calamity that continues to grow.

“More than 4 million people have now fled from their homes — 3.2 million people displaced internally, and close to 900,000 people who have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries.

“The alarming accounts of sexual violence that I heard from people who have fled to Port Sudan are just a fraction of those being reported at a sickening scale from conflict hot spots across the country. People are finding it more and more difficult to access urgent medical assistance, with 80 percent of hospitals across the country not functioning.”

Wosornu continued: “14 million children in Sudan, half of all children in the country, need humanitarian support. More than 20 million people, over 40 per cent of the population, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The conflict is disrupting livelihoods and physical access to markets. It is also fueling steep increases in the price of commodities.

“The banking system has been heavily disrupted, as have public and civil institutions. This is leading to severe disruption of public services and less and less money circulating within the economy. Electricity blackouts are extensive. Education services are interrupted. It is the story of a country and its people being driven to the point of collapse.”

Humanitarian access to those in need remains challenging in Khartoum, Wosornu said, with only limited local resources available to provide some small measure of assistance, and humanitarian convoys to replenish supplies have not been guaranteed since June.

Although aid organizations are eager to help, they require regular access facilitated by the parties involved in the conflict and the removal of bureaucratic obstacles, she added, and the current limited deliveries are a result of “intricate negotiations,” often supported by the Jeddah process.

Wosornu called for direct contact with the warring factions to be urgently reestablished to negotiate access for humanitarian workers and safeguard their operations, and said that swift and large-scale assistance “hinges on necessary permits and visas.” She urged Sudanese authorities to ease this process and accelerate approvals.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US permanent representative to the UN, expressed deep concern about the Sudanese government’s alleged threat to eject the UN Mission in Sudan from the country if Volker Perthes, the special representative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres participated in Wednesday’s briefing.

Perthes has been declared a persona non grata by the Sudan’s government but the UN said that its officials must not be subjected to such a status.

“One of the worst chapters of recent history is repeating itself and it’s beyond horrifying,” Thomas-Greenfield said in reference to the situation in Darfur.

“The Security Council, and the entire international community, has a responsibility to demand the parties comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law regarding the protection of civilians.

“We have a responsibility to ensure humanitarian assistance can reach people in dire need. And we have a responsibility to urge the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately put down their weapons.”

She called for coordinated diplomatic efforts by regional and international actors to help end the conflict, emphasized the commitment of the US to efforts to provide humanitarian assistance, and urged the international community to support the people of Sudan during this time of crisis.

“At this perilous moment, the Security Council and all member states must stand on the side of peace and on the right side of history,” she said.

“Let us do everything in our power to end the bloodshed. Sudan’s political future belongs to the Sudanese people, not to the men with guns who are prolonging human suffering.”


Why BCG’s involvement in Gaza marks an all-time low for consulting firms

Updated 37 min 44 sec ago
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Why BCG’s involvement in Gaza marks an all-time low for consulting firms

  • FT investigation examined Boston Consulting Group’s role in Gaza aid planning, including plans for Palestinian relocation
  • BCG has disavowed the work and fired two senior partners — but the scandal sheds light on the wider industry’s irresponsibility

LONDON: A Financial Times investigation, published on July 4, found that a consulting firm connected to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secured a multimillion-dollar contract to help shape the initiative and a proposal for the possible “relocation” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

The Boston Consulting Group was found to have played a central role in designing and managing the US- and Israeli-backed project, which aimed to replace the UN as the primary coordinator of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Amid growing criticism, BCG denied any ongoing involvement in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a June 7 statement, the firm said it initially provided “pro bono support” in October 2024 to help launch “an aid organization intended to operate alongside other relief efforts.”

BCG has faced heavy scrutiny for its role in Gaza’s postwar reconstruction, mainly through its work with the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. (AFP file)

The firm said two senior US-based partners who led the initiative “failed to disclose the full nature of the work” and later engaged in “unauthorized” activities outside the firm’s oversight.

“Their actions reflected a serious failure of judgment and adherence to our standards,” the firm said. “We are shocked and outraged by the actions of these two partners. They have been exited from the firm.

“BCG disavows the work they undertook. It has been stopped, and BCG has not and will not be paid for any of their work.”

The company emphasized it is strengthening internal controls to prevent future breaches. “We deeply regret that in this situation we did not live up to our standards,” the statement said. “We are committed to accountability for our failures and humility in how we move forward.”

FAST FACTS:

• A Financial Times investigation examined BCG’s role in Gaza aid planning, including controversial proposals for Palestinian relocation.

• BCG disavowed the work and fired two senior partners, but documents suggest deeper involvement and lapses in internal oversight.

• The scandal underscores wider concerns about consulting firms’ ethics, with similar controversies involving PwC, KPMG, EY and McKinsey.

Following the FT story, BCG issued another statement on July 6 disputing aspects of the reporting. “Recent media reporting has misrepresented BCG’s role in post-war Gaza reconstruction,” the firm said.

BCG reiterated that the initiative was not an official company project and was carried out in secret. “Two former partners initiated this work, even though the lead partner was categorically told not to,” the statement read.

“This work was not a BCG project. It was orchestrated and run secretly outside any BCG scope or approvals. We fully disavow this work. BCG was not paid for any of this work.”

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel on July 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

However, individuals familiar with “Aurora” told the FT that BCG’s involvement ran deeper. The report revealed that BCG created a financial model for Gaza’s postwar reconstruction that included scenarios for mass displacement.

This revelation intensified scrutiny of the consulting industry’s ethical boundaries.

“Consulting companies… are held to a higher standard of professionalism and ethics than other lines of work,” Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, wrote in an April opinion piece for Arab News.

He warned that without corrective action, major firms risk alienating clients.

Displaced Palestinians carrying relief supplies from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) return from aid distribution centers in Rafah to their tents in the southern Gaza Strip on May 29, 2025. (AFP)

ndeed, in recent years, top consulting firms like McKinsey, PwC, KPMG, and EY have faced growing scrutiny for putting profit over ethics, with scandals revealing conduct lapses worldwide.

McKinsey, for instance, faced heavy backlash for its role in the US opioid crisis. The firm was accused of helping Purdue Pharma and other manufacturers to aggressively market addictive painkillers, including OxyContin, The New York Times reported.

Aluwaisheg noted in his op-ed that some of these ethical lapses “are quite common throughout the consulting business.”

However, he added, “big firms are more likely to commit them,” citing sprawling operations that limit senior management oversight.

The industry’s core business model may be the issue: consulting firms adopted law firms’ high-fee model for expert advice — without their legal liability.

Despite this, demand for consulting services remains high. Aluwaisheg believes governments and businesses will continue to need outside expertise.

People walk by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) New York headquarters. (AFP)

Still, accountability concerns have prompted some governments to take action. In February, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund banned PwC from taking on new advisory and consulting contracts for one year.

Some media outlets reported that the decision was related to an ethical violation tied to an alleged recruitment of a senior-level employee from the client’s side. The suspension did not impact PwC’s auditing work.

These events highlight ongoing concerns over consulting firms’ roles in controversial actions. In April 2024, KPMG’s Dutch arm was fined $25 million after over 500 staff cheated on internal training exams, Reuters reported.

Yet the BCG case may represent a new low for the industry.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s model bypassed traditional organizations like the UN, restricted aid distribution to limited sites under Israeli oversight and relied on private security contractors. This move has had deadly consequences.

According to Gaza’s health authority, at least 740 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,900 injured while attempting to reach aid centers, drawing condemnation from humanitarian organizations and UN officials.

Displaced Palestinians look around on alert in the wake of gunfire shots as they receive food packages from a US-backed foundation pledging to distribute humanitarian aid in western Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025. (AFP)

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher called the initiative a “fig leaf for further violence and displacement” of Palestinians in the war-torn enclave.

In a July 10 letter to the FT editor, BCG’s CEO Christoph Schweizer pushed back against the allegations that his firm endorsed or profited from projects related to Gaza.

“None of that is true,” Schweizer wrote, adding that “a few people from BCG were involved in such work. They never should have been.”

Adding another layer to the controversy, FT reported on July 6 that staff from the Tony Blair Institute were also implicated in postwar planning that included scenarios for mass Palestinian displacement — despite being prominent advocates for peace in the Middle East.

Christoph Schweizer, CEO of Boston Consulting Group. (Supplied)

The plan, seen by the FT, imagined Gaza as a regional economic hub, complete with a “Trump Riviera” and “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone,” based on financial models developed by BCG.

While the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change denied authoring “The Great Trust” blueprint, it acknowledged two staff joined Gaza planning calls and chats. It also denied backing population relocation.

Arab News approached the TBI for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Nevertheless, its involvement has triggered additional concerns about the ethics of postwar reconstruction planning and the role of consulting firms in shaping policies with far-reaching humanitarian consequences.
 

 


Syrian, Israeli officials meet in Baku: Diplomatic source in Damascus

Updated 12 July 2025
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Syrian, Israeli officials meet in Baku: Diplomatic source in Damascus

  • Meeting marked major step for two countries which have been foes for decades

DAMASCUS: A Syrian and an Israeli official met face to face in Baku Saturday on the sidelines of a visit to Azerbaijan by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a diplomatic source in Damascus said.

The meeting marked a major step for the two countries which have been foes for decades, and comes after Israel initially cold-shouldered Al-Sharaa’s administration as jihadist because of his past links to Al-Qaeda.

“A meeting took place between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of Al-Sharaa’s visit to Baku,” the source said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation which neighbors its arch foe Iran.

Al-Sharaa himself did not take part in the meeting, which focused on “the recent Israeli military presence in Syria,” the source added.

After the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets falling into the hands of the Islamist-led interim administration headed by Al-Sharaa.

It also sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the opposing forces in the strategic Golan Heights, from which it has conducted forays deeper into southern Syria.

Al-Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbors, and has instead asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.

His government recently confirmed that it had held indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement which created the buffer zone.

Late last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was interested in striking a peace and normalization agreement with Syria.

A Syria government source quoted by state media responded that such talk was “premature.”

But during a visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said: “The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel.”

After meeting Al-Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump told reporters he had expressed hope that Syria would join other Arab states which normalized their relations with Israel.

“(Al-Sharaa) said yes. But they have a lot of work to do,” Trump said.

During his visit to Baku, Al-Sharaa held talks with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev, the two governments said.

Azerbaijan announced it would begin exporting gas to Syria via Turkiye, a key ally of both governments, a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency said.


5 children playing soccer killed in Yemen explosion

Updated 12 July 2025
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5 children playing soccer killed in Yemen explosion

  • Two local residents who were eyewitnesses, Ahmed Al-Sharee and Khaled Al-Areki, said that the children were playing soccer when the explosion happened

ADEN: Five children in southwestern Yemen died after an explosive device detonated in a residential area where they were playing soccer, rights groups and eyewitnesses said on Saturday.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths on Friday night in Al-Hashmah subdistrict of Taiz province remain unclear. 
A spokesperson for the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said that they are aware of reports about the incident but can’t verify the facts at the moment.
Two local residents who were eyewitnesses, Ahmed Al-Sharee and Khaled Al-Areki, said that the children were playing soccer when the explosion happened.
At least three people with minor to moderate injuries were also taken to the hospital. 
Mahmoud Al-Mansi, another eyewitness, said the explosive was directed from an area where forces allied with the Islah party were present.
The Yemen Center for Human Rights condemned the incident in a report that included graphic photos of the children’s torn bodies.  Citing health care sources at Al-Rafai Hospital, where the victims arrived unresponsive, the group said they died from shrapnel injuries. 
Two of the children were 12 years old, while two others were 14 years old, according to the group. The age of the fifth child is unknown.

 


US envoy Tom Barrack clarifies Syria comments, denies they were threat to Lebanon

Updated 12 July 2025
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US envoy Tom Barrack clarifies Syria comments, denies they were threat to Lebanon

  • Reports cited Barrack warning that Lebanon risked “going back to Bilad Al-Sham”
  • Syrian government also moved to quash speculation that it was planning escalatory steps against Lebanon

LONDON: US Special Envoy Tom Barrack has sought to clarify remarks made during his recent visit to the region, saying that his comments praising Syria’s progress were not intended as a threat to neighboring Lebanon.

“My comments yesterday praised Syria’s impressive strides, not a threat to Lebanon,” Barrack posted on X on Saturday.

“I observed the reality that Syria is moving at light speed to seize the historic opportunity presented by @POTUS’ lifting of sanctions: Investment from Turkiye and the Gulf, diplomatic outreach to neighboring countries and a clear vision for the future. I can assure that Syria’s leaders only want coexistence and mutual prosperity with Lebanon, and the US is committed to supporting that relationship between two equal and sovereign neighbors enjoying peace and prosperity,” he added.

The clarification comes after reports in Lebanese media, including from MTV Lebanon, cited Barrack as warning that Lebanon risked “going back to Bilad Al-Sham” if it failed to act quickly on regional realignment.

The term Bilad Al-Sham, historically referring to Greater Syria, encompasses present-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine under the Ottoman Empire; a sensitive concept in Lebanon given fears over sovereignty and outside interference.

Barrack’s comments were widely interpreted by some local outlets as a warning that Lebanon could fall under renewed Syrian influence if it failed to align with shifting regional dynamics.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Syrian government also moved to quash speculation that it was planning escalatory steps against Lebanon over the issue of Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons.

A Syrian Ministry of Information official said that the detainee issue remains “a top priority” and that Damascus is committed to resolving it “swiftly through official channels between the two countries.”

Earlier reports had cited unnamed sources close to the Syrian government suggesting that diplomatic and economic retaliation was under consideration in response to what Damascus saw as Lebanon’s neglect of the detainees’ plight.

However, the Information Ministry source denied this, saying there were no such plans and reaffirming Syria’s commitment to bilateral resolution.

In an interview with Arab News on Friday, Barrack had made remarks reflecting growing US concern over Lebanon’s political inertia and the evolving role of Hezbollah.

“If Lebanon doesn’t hurry up and get in line, everyone around them will,” Barrack warned, pointing to a broader regional shift sparked by the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.

He framed the moment as pivotal for Lebanon, with pressure mounting for a new political order.

Addressing questions about Hezbollah’s future, Barrack said the group consists of “two parts,” an Iran-backed militant faction designated as a terrorist organization, and a political wing operating in Lebanon’s parliament.

He added that any disarmament process “must be led by the Lebanese government, with the full agreement of Hezbollah itself.”

Barrack said: “That process has to start with the Council of Ministers. They have to authorize the mandate. And Hezbollah, the political party, has to agree to that. But what Hezbollah is saying is, ‘OK, we understand one Lebanon has to happen.’ Why? Because one Syria is starting to happen.”

On Syria, Barrack described the lifting of sanctions on May 13 as a “strategic fresh start” for the war-ravaged nation and said that the US was not intending to pursue “nation-building or federalism.”

He called the Middle East a “difficult zip code at an amazingly historic time,” and told Arab News that the Trump administration’s new approach was designed to offer “a new slice of hope” to the Syrian people.

“President (Trump)’s message is peace and prosperity,” he said. “Sanctions gave the people hope. That’s really all that happened at that moment.”


Fuel shortages in Gaza at ‘critical levels,’ UN warns

Updated 12 July 2025
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Fuel shortages in Gaza at ‘critical levels,’ UN warns

  • Seven UN agencies said in a joint statement that “fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza”

GENEVA: The United Nations warned Saturday that dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip had reached “critical levels,” threatening to further increase the suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

Seven UN agencies said in a joint statement that “fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza.”

Fuel was needed to “power hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations,” they said, highlighting that bakeries also needed fuel to operate.

The besieged Palestinian territory has been facing dire fuel shortages since the beginning of the devastating war that erupted after Hamas’s deadly attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023.

But now “fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels,” warned the agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and the humanitarian agency OCHA.

“After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity,” they pointed out.

“When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation.”

The UN said that without adequate fuel, the agencies that have been responding to the deep humanitarian crisis in a territory swathes of which have been flattened by Israeli bombing and facing famine warnings, “will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely.”

“This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid,” the statement said.

“Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts,” it warned.

“Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets,” it added.

“These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza’s most vulnerable even closer to death.”

The warning comes days after the UN managed to bring fuel into Gaza for the first time in 130 days.

While a “welcome development,” the UN agencies said the 75,000 liters of fuel they were able to bring in was just “a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running.”

“The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment,” they said.

“Fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations.”