News Links - 2 March 2026

 

Pakistan

UN Offices burned and protestors killed - Protesters torched UN offices in Skardu and Gilgit on March 1st, as demonstrations against US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei turned violent across Pakistan. Eleven people died in Skardu, where the Army Public School, the Superintendent of Police's office, and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme headquarters were also set ablaze. Pakistan deployed the army and imposed a three-day curfew in both cities; all foreign tourists were moved to safe locations.

Gaza

Crossings closed - Israel closed all border crossings into Gaza, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt, following the launch of US-Israeli strikes on Iran. World Central Kitchen founder Chef José Andrés warned his organization would run out of food within days, saying his group was cooking one million hot meals daily for families in the enclave. Despite Israel's claim that existing food stocks would suffice, more than three-quarters of Gaza's population face crisis levels of food insecurity.

South Sudan

Twenty-six MSF humanitarian workers have gone missing following clashes in South Sudan's Jonglei state, with many staff sheltering in remote areas with limited food, water, and basic services. Violence has halted all medical services in Lankien and Pieri towns, leaving around 250,000 people without health care. Fighting between government forces and the SPLA-IO has intensified since December in northern Jonglei.

Insurgents killed at least 169 people, including 90 civilians — women and children among them — in a raid on a village in Abiemnom county, Ruweng Administrative Area, on Sunday. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack, with peacekeepers patrolling through the night. The assault, attributed to elements of the White Army militia and forces linked to opposition leader Riek Machar, is the latest in escalating violence that the UN estimates has displaced 280,000 people since December.

Nigeria

Children kidnapped or recruited -  UNICEF reported on Red Alert Day, the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, that in 2024 armed groups in Nigeria's North-East kidnapped and / or recruited a total of more than 1,120 children — 525 boys and 595 girls — as soldiers and sex slaves across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. UNICEF's child protection manager called the practice a grave violation of international law and urged that children associated with armed groups be treated primarily as victims and transferred to civilian protection authorities.