Hundreds are feared missing or dead amid reports of shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean.
This article is published in association with United Nations.
The UN migration agency, IOM, expressed deep concern on Monday over multiple deadly shipwrecks that are believed to have taken place over the past ten days across the Central Mediterranean.
In Lampedusa, Italy, three deaths have been confirmed following a search and rescue operation involving a boat that departed from Sfax, Tunisia. Survivors from the same operation reported that another boat departed from the same location and at the same time as theirs but never arrived.
Separately, reports indicate that at least 51 people are feared to have lost their lives after a shipwreck off the coast of Tobruk, Libya.
Information remains incomplete and IOM is working to clarify the reported fatalities.
Smuggled during storm
“These tragedies once again underscore the lethal consequences of migrant smuggling and trafficking networks that continue to operate with impunity,” the IOM said.
The reported shipwrecks occurred during Cyclone Harry, an exceptionally violent Mediterranean storm.
The agency recalled that smuggling migrants on unseaworthy and overcrowded boats is a criminal act and is ‘even more reprehensible’ under these circumstances, as people were knowingly sent to sea under conditions amounting to a near-certain risk of death.
UN welcomes recovery of the remains of last Israeli hostage in Gaza
The United Nations has welcomed reports that the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza have been recovered.
At his regular press briefing on Monday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Organization extends its condolences to the family of Ran Gvili, the Israeli national whose remains were reportedly recovered.
“From day one, the Secretary-General and the rest of the UN leadership had been calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all those being held as hostages in Gaza,” Mr. Dujarric said.
Mr. Gvili was among more than 250 Israeli and foreign nationals abducted by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups during their attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. More than 1,250 Israeli and foreign nationals were also killed.
Ceasefire implementation ‘absolutely critical’
The Spokesperson also emphasised that full implementation of the ceasefire arrangements in Gaza is “absolutely critical”.
The Secretary-General is urging all parties to move forward “in good faith, and without delay” with subsequent phases of the US-led ceasefire plan, he added, including facilitating sustained and unhindered humanitarian access, notably through the Rafah crossing, and upholding international humanitarian law.
The UN will continue supporting the full implementation of the agreement, Mr. Dujarric underscored.
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ICC: Former Philippines president found fit to take part in pre-trial proceedings
The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been found fit to take part in pre-trial proceedings, the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Monday.
Mr. Duterte faces charges of committing crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder in the Philippines as part of his so-called “war on drugs” campaign between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, which he was in office.
At the ICC, pre-trial proceedings are when judges confirm a suspect’s identity and ensure that charges are understood. This phase comes after an investigation and is later followed by the actual trial.
The court brings criminal cases against individuals for war crimes or crimes against humanity. Read our explainer on the court, here.
Indefinite suspension call
Mr. Duterte’s lawyers had sought to suspend the pre-trial proceedings indefinitely, arguing that the former president was not fit to take the stand.
After a medical examination by a panel of independent experts, however, the pre-trial division decided Mr. Duterte is able to take part in the proceedings, which are due to begin in late February.
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Haiti crisis: FAO leads 90-day planting project to boost resilience
In Haiti, spiralling gang violence has created a severe hunger crisis that UN teams are working to solve. One quick-fix solution is a 90-day seed-to-harvest campaign supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
The initiative responds to the fact that much of Haiti’s rural population relies on farming to make a living and enables highly vulnerable families to grow food within just 90 days, even in the midst of crisis.
Over 100,000 people supported
The agency supported more than 140,000 people last year by distributing over 210 tonnes of seeds to 76,000 farmers.
This resulted in more than 7,500 tonnes of food in a country where more than 5.7 million Haitians face high levels of acute food insecurity.
“In Haiti, where families endure relentless shocks, farming remains the daily anchor sustaining households and the seedbed for rebuilding resilient livelihoods,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol.
The UN agency needs $108 million to support 860,000 people in Haiti through its emergency food production and livelihood protection projects.
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