This latest incident, which occurred on Thursday, brings the total number of UN staff currently being held by the Houthis to 69.

These detentions have rendered the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Houthi-controlled areas untenable, directly affecting millions of people in need and limiting their access to life-saving assistance, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained personnel from the United Nations, but also from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), from civil society and from diplomatic missions,” he said.

“Mr. Guterres calls on the Houthis to rescind the referral of UN personnel for prosecution,” he added, further calling for the respect of international law, including the privileges and immunities of the UN and its personnel, “which are essential to enabling humanitarian action in a secure and principled environment.”

The Secretary-General and the UN will continue our sustained efforts with Member States and with the Security Council, as well as through direct engagement with the Houthis, to secure the release of all detained UN colleagues.

Bodies of Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in Sudan attack repatriated

The bodies of six UN peacekeepers killed in a drone attack on their camp in Kadugli, South Kordofan, Sudan, last weekend were transported on Friday to their home country, Bangladesh.

The peacekeepers, serving with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), included Corporal Muhammed Masud Rana (37), Private Muhammed Sabuj Mia (29), Private Muhammed Jahangir Alam (29), Private Santo Mondol (26), Private Shamin Reza (28), and Private Muhammed Mominul Islam (35).

“We once again send our deepest condolences to their families, to their colleagues, to the Government and people of Bangladesh,” UN Spokesperson Dujarric told reporters in New York.

He reiterated that attacks against UN peacekeepers “are not only unacceptable, but they may constitute a war crime,” stressing that accountability in this case and all other cases must prevail.

Mr. Dujarric further noted that eight of the nine injured peacekeepers are receiving medical treatment in Nairobi, Kenya, and one has been discharged after receiving care at the Mission’s medical facility in Abyei.

Attacks disrupt critical services in Ukraine

A new wave of Russian attacks severely disrupted critical services in Ukraine, aggravating humanitarian needs amid harsh winter conditions, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) has reported.

Between Thursday and early Friday morning, several fatalities and more than 30 people were injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.

A bridge and a railway station were struck in Odesa, where one woman was reportedly killed, while her three children and several other civilians were injured. In the same region, attacks on energy infrastructure have left some 270,000 customers without water, approximately 85,000 without heating and 75,000 without electricity.

As of October, humanitarian organizations, including the UN, reached 4.4 million people with assistance, according to OCHA. Humanitarians also deployed emergency teams to provide first aid to those affected by the recent attacks.

On Friday, a humanitarian convoy delivered seven metric tonnes of medicines, hygiene supplies and other essentials to a front-line community in Kherson. So far this year, OCHA and partners have dispatched 29 humanitarian convoys to the region, reaching more than 30,000 residents.

Burundi sees worsening conditions amid refugee influx

More than 84,000 people have crossed into Burundi from South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since earlier this month, increasing the total number of Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers in the country to more than 200,000.

Citing reports from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Dujarric said that transit centres and informal sites hosting new arrivals have surpassed capacity – in some cases by more than 200 per cent.

“Local resources, as you can imagine, have been overwhelmed,” he added.

Across the border, violence in South Kivu has forced more than 500,000 Congolese from their homes. Where access permits, the UN refugee agency and their partners continue to conduct protection monitoring and provide assistance.

UNHCR is seeking $47 million over the next four months to assist 500,000 internally displaced people in the DRC and up to 166,000 refugees in Burundi, Rwanda and other neighbouring countries to which Congolese men, women and children have sought refuge.