World News in Brief: Violence hampers Ebola efforts, aid delivery in Darfur and Gaza, Nicaraguan activist’s death in custody

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to impact civilians and efforts to fight Ebola, UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Tuesday. 

At least seven civilians were killed in villages in Mambasa Territory, Ituri province, on Sunday, humanitarian partners reported. 

The attack followed weeks of mounting violence in the province, bringing the death toll to more than 170 in May alone. 

Violence also continued in North and South Kivu provinces, where armed clashes prevented people from accessing their fields and hampered humanitarian and health workers carrying out Ebola response, as the outbreak continues to expand. 

There were 321 confirmed cases and 48 deaths as of 31 May, according to the authorities, while at least six people have recovered from the disease. 

Support on the ground 

UN support to the Congolese health authorities continues, including by establishing Ebola treatment centres, delivering daily meals to patients and frontline workers, transporting medical supplies and strengthening surveillance. 

OCHA also highlighted a positive development as the DRC Government announced the re-opening of the airport in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. 

The airport had been closed for commercial flights since 23 May, although humanitarian cargo and flights by the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) had been allowed on an exceptional basis. 

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Uganda has risen to 11, including two confirmed deaths as of 1 June, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some of the cases have been linked to cross-border transmission from the DRC. 

Aid reaches millions as violence escalates in Sudan’s Darfur region 

Despite worsening insecurity, restricted access and severe funding shortages, UN agencies and humanitarian partners continue delivering aid across Sudan as the humanitarian crisis deepens. 

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In April alone, more than three million people received food assistance, including nearly 800,000 in areas facing or at risk of severe hunger.  

In North Darfur state, emergency food and nutrition support reached nearly half a million displaced people in Tawila, which hosts one of the largest populations of internally displaced people in Sudan. 

Intercommunal violence intensifies 

At the same time, intercommunal violence continues to escalate in the Darfur region.  

Clashes across parts of Central and West Darfur reportedly killed dozens over the weekend, while new unrest spread to additional communities.  

Drone strikes also reportedly hit South Darfur, including the town of Kabum and areas of the state capital, Nyala. 

The UN calls on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, while ensuring safe and sustained humanitarian access for people in need. 

Aid convoys face delays at new Gaza checkpoint 

The United Nations on Tuesday raised concerns over new obstacles affecting aid deliveries in Gaza, warning that recently introduced Israeli screening procedures are slowing the movement of life-saving supplies into the war-ravaged enclave. 

Addressing journalists at his regular briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Israeli forces had begun directing UN aid convoys through a new route and checkpoint to reach the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing, currently the only cargo crossing available for humanitarian operations. 

According to the UN relief coordination office OCHA, convoys encountered significant operational difficulties over the past two days, including delays, congestion, equipment malfunctions and slow screening procedures.  

“As a result, only some of the supplies planned to be collected from the crossing could be picked up,” Mr. Dujarric said. 

The continued closure of the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza – which has remained shut for a second consecutive week – has further compounded the challenges. 

UN agencies are engaging with Israeli authorities to secure smoother access to crossings along Gaza’s perimeter and to re-open additional routes for humanitarian deliveries. 

West Bank update 

Mr. Dujarric also spoke about the situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces extended a military order closing three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm.  

According to the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees, UNRWA, more than 33,000 Palestinians displaced from the camps have been unable to return since January 2025. The latest order extends their displacement until at least 31 July. 

“We call for the lifting of movement restrictions and other policies that cause or prolong displacement, or hinder access to basic services and sources of livelihoods,” Mr. Dujarric said. 

Nicaragua: Rights chief urges probe into indigenous leader’s death in custody 

UN human rights chief Volker Turk has called for Nicaragua to conduct a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into the death in custody of prominent Indigenous leader and activist Brooklyn Rivera, his office OHCHR said on Tuesday. 

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Relatives of the Miskitu leader and president of the dissolved Yatama party were informed on 30 May that he had died after more than 32 months in State custody. 

Mr. Rivera participated in the annual UN meeting on indigenous issues in May 2023 after which the Nicaraguan authorities prevented him from returning to the country. 

“He was recognised as a victim of reprisals for his cooperation with the UN, as per the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 and 2025 reports on such reprisals,” OHCHR spokesperson Marta Hurtado told journalists in Geneva. 

Detained in 2023 

Mr. Rivera made a clandestine return to Nicaragua in September 2023 and was arbitrarily detained. 

“Despite requests, authorities refused to acknowledge his fate and whereabouts until his death, which amounts to enforced disappearance,” said Ms. Hurtado.  

“The specific conditions of his detention over the years, including whether he had access to adequate medical care, and the exact sequence of events that led to his death, remain unclear.” 

She recalled that over the years, OHCHR has reported on a continuing pattern of serious allegations of torture and mistreatment of inmates in Nicaraguan prisons.  

Since last August, the Office has registered three other cases of deaths in custody that also appear related to poor detention conditions and insufficient medical care.