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The convoy, operated by the John Dau Foundation, was transporting humanitarian staff returning from an Action Against Hunger exercise when they were attacked on Monday along the route between Payuel Payam and Pajut, in the Duk region.
Four other people were injured, and several civilians were also reported dead or injured.
“Humanitarian workers dedicate their lives to saving others and reaching people in dire need. They should not be targeted,” he said. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnanwho called for a swift and impartial investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice
The danger is getting bigger
The killings bring the number of humanitarian workers and contractors killed in South Sudan this year to 29, underscoring the growing danger they face while providing life-saving aid.
UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric described the attack as “unacceptable” and called for an immediate investigation to ensure those responsible are held to account.
The attack occurred during a UN peacekeeping mission, DON’T MISSwarned of worsening violence across the country.
More than 760 civilians were killed between January and March, an 89 percent increase compared to the previous quarter, while conflict-related sexual violence also rose sharply, according to a report. report released by the UN Mission on Tuesday.
DON’T MISS chairman Anita Kiki Gbeho urges all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
Congo: Ebola outbreak threatens more than one million livelihoods
That Ebola the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could push nearly a million people into poverty, threatening jobs, livelihoods and economic stability across the region, the UN Development Program (UNDP) warned on Tuesday.
The agency estimates the outbreak could endanger 300,000 jobs and cost African economies up to $3.6 billion if the crisis spreads and broader regional shocks intensify.
“We see the impact in real terms: jobs are disappearing, markets are slowing and families are increasingly marginalized,” said UNDP Representative Damien Mama.
“When people lose income and access to basic goods, they face impossible choices. In some cases, the pressure to survive makes them abandon quarantine or isolation measures, increasing the risk of infection.”
More than 1,400 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo Ebola virus, including 350 deaths, have been reported in Congo and Uganda. More than 90 percent of infections are concentrated in Ituri province, which is a major cross-border trade hub with Uganda.
Apart from health emergencies
The UN spokesperson added that women bear a disproportionate economic and health impact, while the crisis threatens to lose tens of thousands of jobs and disrupt education and health services.
Even if the outbreak is contained, Congo alone could lose more than $1 billion and 55,000 jobs, according to the UNDP.
With six in 10 people living below the poverty line, the agency is working with the Government and local communities to strengthen the health response and economic recovery.
The UN remains firmly opposed to the death penalty
The UN continues to strongly oppose the death penalty in all circumstances, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk notified World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris on Tuesday.
“The death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and human rights, including not only the right to life, but also the right not to be treated cruelly, inhumanly or degradingly,” Türk said.
Organized by the French organization Together Against the Death Penalty and sponsored by France, this congress is a triennial event that brings together global stakeholders who oppose the death penalty.
Countries often use the death penalty in “capricious and discriminatory” ways by targeting political dissidents and disproportionately executing people from poor and marginalized communities, Türk said.
The High Commissioner noted that the death penalty has never been proven to deter crime. On the contrary, decades of criminological research shows that this does not make society safer.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaking to the World Congress by videoscalled the death penalty an “inhumane form of punishment” that “has no place in the 21st century.”
A worrying trend
The High Commissioner highlighted the fact that almost 90 percent of countries have ended the death penalty both in law and in practice.
However, he expressed concern that some countries have recently reintroduced the death penalty or expanded the range of crimes that may be subject to the death penalty.
He specifically identified Israel, Burkina Faso, Iran and China as countries of particular concern, either because of their recent expansion of the death penalty or the lack of transparency surrounding its application.
“I urge all countries, everywhere, to join the large, principled global consensus that the death penalty must end everywhere for all offenses,” Türk said.
He also encouraged pharmaceutical companies to ensure their products are not used to execute people.
