World News in Brief: UN to evacuate Kadugli base in Sudan, celebrating migrant contributions, ending colonialism

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) will evacuate its logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan, in the wake of the “heinous attack” this past weekend that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and seriously injured eight others. 

“The decision, which was communicated to the relevant authorities, follows an extensive assessment of the prevailing security situation in Kadugli which has disabled the capacity for the UN to function in the area,” the Mission said in a statement on Thursday.

UNISFA was established in 2011 in Abyei, the disputed oil-rich region between Sudan and South Sudan. Its mandate includes monitoring and verifying the redeployment of forces from the region, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and protecting civilians.

Last month, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee told the Security Council that progress on the political track has been slow since the start of the Sudan war in 2023 and increasing political stability in South Sudan.

She also said the operational environment in Kadugli “has become untenable” and the fighting was putting peacekeepers at risk.

UNISFA underlined commitment to the implementation of the mandate of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM).

The Mission is “closely monitoring the developments on the ground” and “will reconsider the resumption of our activities in Kadugli when the situation permits.”

International Migrants Day: Celebrating contributions, highlighting challenges 

Venezuelans living in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean contribute more than $10.6 billion every year to local economies mostly through spending on food, education and healthcare.

The finding comes in a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published on Thursday, International Migrants Day.

The analysis is based on research conducted since 2021 in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Aruba.

Other findings show that Venezuelans make valuable tax contributions, representing approximately just over one per cent of total tax revenue in these countries.  In Colombia alone, this has exceeded $529 million in a single year.

Globally, there are more than 300 million migrants, according to UN estimates. 

Millions forced to move

While the International Day provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on their invaluable contributions, it also highlights the increasingly complex environment in which migration occurs.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that conflicts, climate-related disasters and economic pressures continue to drive millions to seek safety or opportunity outside their homelands.

“This past year saw record levels of internal displacement, rising humanitarian needs across ongoing and new crises, and, tragically, the highest-ever death toll of migrants in transit,” he said in his message to mark the Day.

“By supporting regular pathways for migration, we can enable opportunities for migrants, better protect their rights, and contribute to greater prosperity in the countries migrants come from and those that host them.” 

General Assembly marks first International Day against Colonialism

Meanwhile in New York, the UN General Assembly observed the first-ever International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations which supports the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted 65 years ago.

Since then, the UN helped more than 60 territories – home to over 80 million people – pursue self-determination and emerge as independent states.

However, “that legacy is unfinished,” said the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Elizabeth Spehar.

Today, 17 non-governing territories remain and “vestiges of colonialism persist – not only on maps, but in the architecture of global power.”

Institutions like the Security Council and the international financial system “bear the imprint of a world that no longer exists – a world of empires, not of equals,” she said.

Ms. Spehar, who spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General, recalled that the UN was created 80 years ago to save succeeding generations from war, uphold human rights, and advance progress in larger freedom.

“Let us renew that promise – not only by ending colonialism in its traditional forms, but by dismantling its remnants wherever they endure.”