UN Rights Chief Urges Warring Sides in South Sudan to 'Pull Back from the Brink'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk speaks during a press conference on his last day of an official visit to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk speaks during a press conference on his last day of an official visit to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
TT

UN Rights Chief Urges Warring Sides in South Sudan to 'Pull Back from the Brink'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk speaks during a press conference on his last day of an official visit to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk speaks during a press conference on his last day of an official visit to Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The United Nations rights chief urged on Friday for warring sides in South Sudan to pull back from the brink, warning that the human rights situation risks further deterioration as fighting intensifies.

"The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation, and undermining the country’s fragile peace process,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, Reuters said.

"All parties must urgently pull back from the brink," he added.

Since May 3 fighting has intensified, with OHCHR citing reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardments and river and ground offensives by the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces SSPDF on Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA-IO) positions in parts of Fangak in Jonglei State and in Tonga County in Upper Nile.

At least 75 civilians were killed and 78 others injured by the fighting, which displaced thousands from their homes between May 3-20, the agency said. Civilian-populated areas have been targeted, including a medical facility operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), it added.



Egypt FM Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Iran-Israel War

Egyptian Foreign Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
TT

Egypt FM Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Iran-Israel War

Egyptian Foreign Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged an immediate ceasefire on Tuesday in the war between Iran and Israel during two separate phone calls with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Abdelatty stressed during the phone calls the importance of a return to negotiations as the only way to reach a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry.

OSZAR »