UN Chief describes Gasa truce as fragile, repeatedly violated
“The ceasefire in Gaza is fragile, is repeatedly violated, but it is holding. And I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be fully respected and to pave the way for the negotiations of phase two, leading to the creation of the conditions for the self-determination of the Palestinian people and the creation of the two-state solution,” Guterres said during a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.
He noted that humanitarian operations in Gaza are expanding despite ongoing obstacles, stating, “We are indeed, at the present moment, substantially increasing, even still, with some obstacles and difficulties that are not yet removed, that we are substantially increasing our humanitarian aid in Gaza.” He added that the next steps for the UN will be defined by the Security Council.
Guterres made his remarks alongside African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf after the 9th African Union-UN annual conference. He voiced concern over conflicts across Africa, highlighting mass atrocities and human rights violations in Sudan’s El-Fasher and rising violence in North Kordofan. He stressed that external flows of weapons and fighters must be cut off and called for immediate humanitarian aid to civilians in Sudan, urging the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to engage with his envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, to pursue a negotiated settlement.
Responding to a question about US President Donald Trump’s claims regarding killings of Christians in Nigeria, Youssouf said, “Let me say this first: There is no genocide in northern Nigeria.” He noted that the situation in northern Nigeria differs significantly from atrocities in Sudan or eastern DRC, cautioning against oversimplified accusations.
On November 1, Trump announced that he had directed the Pentagon to explore military measures in Nigeria to protect Christian communities, threatening to cut aid if killings continued. Nigeria rejected the claims, with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar stating that there is no government-supported religious persecution, emphasizing the complexity of the region’s security challenges, which involve terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, armed gangs, ethnic militias, and herder-farmer conflicts rooted in economic and social tensions.
Guterres’ statements underscore the UN’s call for respecting ceasefires, delivering humanitarian aid, and pursuing negotiated solutions in conflict zones across the Middle East and Africa.
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