World News in Brief: Haiti gang massacre, Taliban crackdown continues, Ukraine’s civilian death toll rises

According to local reports, the elderly victims were massacred under the orders of a gang leader in the area who consulted a voodoo priest after his son fell ill and died, who pinned the blame for the mystery illness on elders using witchcraft.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the continued gang violence and loss of life in Haiti,” said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, conveying Mr. Guterres’s “deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of victims of this horrific act”.

The Secretary General also urged Haitian authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that perpetrators of these and all the other human rights abuses and violations are brought to justice”.

International support boost

Mr. Guterres also emphasised the urgent need for international support calling all “Member States to provide Multinational Security Support mission the financial and logistical support required to successfully assist the Haitian National Police in addressing gang violence”.

UN human rights chief, Volker Türk also condemned the killings and highlighted the toll of gang-related violence which arose amid a political vaccum, noting that “5,000 people have now been killed in the Caribbean Island State this year alone”.

He called on governments to “stem the flow of arms into Haiti” as well Sudan and Myanmar.

Afghanistan: UN condemns Taliban ban on medical training for women

Independent UN human rights experts have condemned the Taliban’s recent step to tighten the already draconian ban on education for women and girls in Afghanistan by barring female students from education at medical institutions.

The restriction comes at a critical time, as Afghanistan continues to struggle with an ongoing humanitarian crisis and a fragile healthcare infrastructure, the Human Rights Council-appointed experts said.

The ban threatens to severely impact Afghanistan’s healthcare system, where only female medical professionals are permitted to treat women and girls.

“If implemented, the reported new ban will be yet another inexplicable, totally unjustifiable blow to the health, dignity and futures of Afghan women and girls,” the experts said on Monday, describing it as “a direct assault on the rights of women and girls”.

Healthcare crisis

Since taking control in August 2021, the Taliban has systemically stripped women and girls of their fundamental rights, including freedoms of movement and speech and the right to live free from violence.

The experts – who are not UN staff and received no salary for their work – warned  that this decision could lead to “unnecessary suffering, illness, and possibly deaths of Afghan women and children and now in future generations, which could amount to femicide”.

Afghanistan already suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. This latest restriction threatens to create a devastating healthcare consequence for future generations of Afghan women and children. The experts noted that “maternal and paediatric healthcare in Afghanistan is already in crisis, with high levels of maternal and infant mortality”.

The experts have urged immediate action from the international community, calling for unity “in solidarity and action with Afghan women and girls”. They also emphasised that the Taliban are held “accountable for their actions”.

“The world must unite in solidarity and action with the Afghan women and girls to ensure that their fundamental rights are upheld and that the Taliban are held accountable for their actions,” they declared.

Civilian death toll rises in Ukraine as attacks continue

Dozens of civilians, including several children have been killed or wounded in attacks across Ukraine’s front-line regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

This is happening as humanitarian conditions deteriorate amid dropping winter temperatures. 

“Local authorities are telling us that attacks have killed or injured dozens of civilians including several children,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at Monday’s noon briefing.

The attacks have damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, including schools and gas pipelines, exacerbating hardships as winter temperatures continue to drop.

Heat and water, major concerns

In response to this, UN humanitarian workers are providing hot meals, drinks and psychosocial support as well as shelter kits and supplies for home repairs.

“Humanitarians in Ukraine are increasingly concerned about disruptions to water and heating services in the front-line regions in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy,” said Mr. Dujarric.

He added that “repairs and winter support are urgently needed to help vulnerable populations this winter”.