The United Nations has endured a devastating and deadly week, marking a grim end to a challenging year. A series of separate incidents across conflict zones has resulted in the deaths of six peacekeepers and a local interpreter, while dozens more UN staff remain in detention.
A Week of Attacks on UN Personnel
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric described a "very worrying trend," stating that the organisation's emblem "no longer offers the protection that it should to our colleagues." He highlighted the severe toll, including more than 300 UN staff members killed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and over 300 personnel killed during the decade-long UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
"UN personnel, whether they are humanitarian, whether they are peacekeepers, whether they’re political envoys, are there for peace," Dujarric asserted. "They are there for the people. They need to be respected."
Sudan Drone Strike and South Sudan Custody Death
The UN Security Council strongly condemned what it called a "heinous and deliberate" drone attack on a UN logistics base in Sudan's war-torn South Kordofan region on 13 December. The strike killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured nine others. The council labelled the attack an "egregious disregard for international law," called for a swift investigation, and reiterated that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.
In a separate shocking development in South Sudan, a UN interpreter died while in the custody of the country's security forces. Bol Roch Mayol, a South Sudanese national who had worked for the UN mission since its 2011 inception, was taken from a UN vehicle on Monday 18 December following a routine patrol near Wau. The UN was negotiating for his release when informed of his death in custody.
South Sudanese police spokesman Saninto Udol stated that Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing. Mayol's body was discovered in a residential area on Thursday 19 December.
Escalating Detentions in Yemen
Further compounding the crisis, Yemen's Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, detained 10 more UN staffers on Thursday 19 December. This action brings the total number of UN personnel being held by the group to 69.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the "arbitrary detention" and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all staff, along with dozens of other detainees from NGOs and diplomatic missions. Guterres also demanded that charges against three UN staffers recently referred to a Houthi special criminal court be dropped. This court convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments in late November.
The consecutive blows underscore the mounting dangers faced by international organisations operating in some of the world's most volatile regions, where the principles of neutrality and protection are increasingly under threat.
