Week in Review

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Week in Review 21 February 2026

Sudan's war enters a dangerous new phase Sudan dominated the week at the United Nations, as top officials, human rights investigators and humanitarians delivered some of the starkest warnings yet about a war now nearing its third year. At the Security Council, senior UN officials cautioned that "no corner of Sudan is safe", pointing to intensifying violence, looming famine and an alarming risk of further mass atrocities. Ambassadors were presented with mounting evidence of atrocities in Darfur and the growing danger of regional spillover, alongside urgent calls for a ceasefire and stronger international action. Beyond New York, fresh findings from the UN fact-finding mission painted an even darker picture. Investigators reported "hallmarks of genocide" in El Fasher, detailing ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence and enforced disappearances. The UN human rights chief also raised alarm after deadly drone strikes killed dozens of civilians. The humanitarian fallout continues to ripple across Sudan and beyond. With millions displaced, the UN refugee agency and its partners launched a $1.6 billion appeal to support refugees in seven neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, our on-the-ground reporting captured the human cost of the war – from children growing up without school or safety. For deeper context, explore our News in Focus section on Sudan, bringing together the latest reporting, analysis and multimedia coverage of a crisis that shows no sign of easing. Read on for the rest of this week's key developments from across the UN system.

Fears of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank: UN rights report Increased Israeli attacks and the forced transfer of Palestinians have sparked concern over ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report issued on Thursday.  Read more Human Rights Ukraine's women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitarians Four years into Russia's full-scale invasion, millions in Ukraine struggle to keep the lights on and heat their homes, with the crisis taking a particular toll on women, humanitarians warned on Friday. Read more Humanitarian Aid 'Alarming increase' in recruitment of children into gangs in Haiti There has been an "alarming increase" in the number of children being recruited into gangs in Haiti with "devastating consequences" for children, families and society as a whole, the UN reported on Friday. Read more Law and Crime Prevention Epstein files: 'No one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law'; rights experts demand accountability The large-scale disclosure of materials known as the "Epstein Files" has revealed "disturbing and credible evidence" of what independent human rights experts describe as a possible global criminal enterprise involving systematic sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of women and girls. Read more Human Rights UN report exposes torture, rape in Southeast Asia's multi-billion-dollar scam centres A sprawling online scam industry worth an estimated tens of billions of dollars a year is being powered by trafficked workers subjected to torture, sexual abuse and forced labour inside heavily guarded compounds in Southeast Asia, a new UN human rights report has found. Read more Human Rights

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