Published on: 2026-07-24
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 24, 2026 UN
Top news of the day at the UN and worldwide: resumption of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, critical situation of sailors in the Strait of Hormuz and other regions, shortage of clean water and sexual violence in Sudan, sharp increase in the scale of forest fires in Europe.
Attacks by the Houthis
The UN Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the resumption of attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea. According to him, this threatens to draw Yemen even further into the regional conflict. In a statement issued by the UN chief’s press service, António Guterres calls for an immediate de-escalation and strongly urges the Houthis to refrain from new attacks and other actions that could lead to further deterioration of the situation. He added that freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait area and adjacent waters must be fully restored.
The situation of sailors
Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for urgent measures to protect thousands of sailors caught in a severe crisis in the Strait of Hormuz area. The UN Human Rights Office received information that some shipowners had abandoned their crews at sea, leaving sailors without support, a way to return home, or any resources. Additionally, Türk expressed concern about the situation of sailors in other parts of the world, including the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, where attacks on civilian merchant vessels continue.
Crisis in Sudan
In El-Obeid, going to fetch water poses a serious danger for women and girls: during the day, water supply sources are attacked by drones, and at night, Sudanese women face threats of harassment, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. This was stated on Friday by the UN Women agency. With the peak of the rainy season approaching, the shortage of clean water increases the threat of infection spread. Cholera has already affected several areas of Sudan: according to the World Health Organization (WHO), at the beginning of July, 1,330 cases of the disease were registered in the country.
Wildfires
According to new data, over the past four years, the area of forests destroyed by fires in the WHO European Region has increased by 57 percent. This was stated by Hans Kluge, Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Last year, forest fires covered 2.2 million hectares in the region. For comparison, in 2022 this figure was 1.4 million hectares. At the same time, from January to July this year, a sharp increase in the scale of forest fires was registered in several countries. In Portugal and Spain, they grew more than twice compared to the same period in 2025.
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