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January 26, 2026 Refugees and migrants

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep concern over reports of several deadly shipwrecks in the Central Mediterranean. According to preliminary reports, hundreds of people may be lost at sea or have died. Poor weather conditions have significantly complicated search and rescue operations. The IOM is updating its information.

Such tragedies once again highlight the deadly consequences of migrant smuggling and trafficking networks, the IOM said in a statement. Criminals continue to operate with impunity, deliberately sending people to sea in unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. The organization calls on the international community to intensify efforts to dismantle these criminal networks and prevent further losses.

Death from hypothermia

A search and rescue operation off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa has confirmed the deaths of three people on a boat traveling from Tunisia. Among the dead were twin girls, approximately one year old, who, according to their surviving mother, died of hypothermia shortly before disembarking. A man also died of hypothermia shortly after arrival.

Survivors reported that another boat left the same port and at the same time as their vessel, but never arrived at its destination.

IOM continues to investigate the fate of the passengers. According to the latest information received from Malta, one of the survivors rescued by a commercial vessel reported surviving the shipwreck, which left at least 50 people missing or dead.

Search for missing persons

The Italian Coast Guard is coordinating search operations to locate other boats believed missing or in distress at sea. At least 51 people have died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. While the IOM is still awaiting official confirmation of the incident, the scale of the estimated losses points to yet another major tragedy in the Central Mediterranean.

The most recent shipwrecks occurred during Cyclone Harry, an exceptionally powerful Mediterranean storm. Transporting migrants in unseaworthy and overcrowded boats is a criminal offense. People were deliberately sent to sea in conditions that effectively meant an almost inevitable risk of death.

The Central Mediterranean route remains the deadliest migration corridor in the world. In 2025 alone, at least 1,340 people died in the Central Mediterranean.

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January 26, 2026 UN

Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking Monday at the UN Security Council open debate on strengthening the international rule of law, said that peace, justice and effective multilateralism depend directly on states fulfilling their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.

He recalled that the principle of the rule of law underlies the entire system of international security created after the Second World War.

According to the UN chief, for 80 years International law has helped humanity avoid another world war and mitigate the consequences of numerous regional conflicts. This system, he emphasized, is binding on all states and is based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of countries.

Blatant violations

The Secretary-General recalled that in 2024, UN member states adopted Pact for the Future, reaffirming his commitment to international law. However, today, he warned, the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

"All over the world, the rule of law is being replaced by the law of the jungle," Guterres said.

He pointed to "flagrant violations of international law and brazen disregard for the UN Charter" – from the unlawful use of force and attacks on civilian infrastructure to the denial of vital humanitarian aid. Such actions, he said, create dangerous precedents and undermine trust between states.

"From Gaza to Ukraine, from the Sahel to Myanmar, in Venezuela and elsewhere, international law is increasingly being treated like a menu, with only the most convenient options being chosen," the UN chief noted.

Responsibility of UN Security Council members

Guterres emphasized the special role of the Security Council, calling it the only body empowered by the UN Charter to make decisions on peace and security matters binding on all states. Therefore, he noted, reforming the Security Council is essential to enhance its representativeness and effectiveness.

The Secretary General identified three key areas of action.

First, all states must fulfill the obligations they have undertaken: “The purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations are not optional.”

Secondly, he called for more active use of the mechanisms for peaceful settlement of disputes provided by the UN Charter—negotiations, mediation, and arbitration—and for strengthening cooperation with regional organizations to prevent conflicts. Peace, he added, is impossible without investment in development and the fight against poverty, inequality, and corruption.

Third, Guterres emphasized the importance of independent justice and accountability. He called on states to recognize the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and to ensure the independent operation of the International Criminal Court.

In concluding his speech, the Secretary-General also recalled the role of UN Security Council members, who, he said, “bear a special responsibility to set an example” in the matter of compliance with the provisions of the UN Charter.

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January 26, 2026 Refugees and migrants

Attacks on United Nations facilities in the occupied Palestinian territory have reached an "unprecedented" level, said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), commenting on the arson attack on the agency's headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem on social media.

According to Lazzarini, the UNRWA building was "broken and destroyed" by Israeli authorities and then set on fire. He called this another attempt to "downgrade the status of Palestinian refugees and erase their history."

The head of UNRWA stressed that the issue of refugee status must be resolved through a “genuine political process, not criminal actions.”

UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949. Its mandate is to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees until a just and lasting solution is achieved.

The agency operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. More than 75 years after the events of 1948, tens of thousands of Palestinians continue to live in displacement, deprived of permanent housing and livelihoods.

UNRWA provides education and healthcare services to refugees, provides social support, and implements infrastructure projects. The agency's funding depends almost entirely on voluntary contributions from donor governments.

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January 26, 2026 International law

The risk of mass violence against civilians and further derailment of the peace agreement in South Sudan has sharply increased. The UN Commission on Human Rights in the country warned on Monday in response to recent inflammatory statements by senior South Sudanese military officials and reports of force mobilization in Jonglei State.

UN experts noted that public statements by commanders and others with de facto control over the armed forces, coupled with the active deployment of troops, represent a dangerous escalation at a time when the political foundations of the peace process are already seriously weakened.

International criminal liability

Under international law, military and civilian leaders who incite the commission of crimes or exercise effective control over forces may be held criminally responsible. Liability also applies to those who failed to prevent crimes or punish those responsible if they knew or should have known about the violations being committed.

"Rhetoric calling for the killing of those no longer involved in the fighting and civilians, including the elderly, with claims that 'no one should be spared' is not only shocking but also extremely dangerous," said Commission Chairperson Yasmin Sooka.

She recalled that in the past, such statements preceded mass atrocities.

"When such statements are made or tolerated by those in positions of command, it is perceived as a license to commit violence and removes any expectations of restraint," Sooka warned. "In a context where civilians have already been forced to flee, traumatized and defenseless, such calls put entire communities at serious risk."

The Cycle of Violence

The Commission emphasized that what is happening is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader political crisis associated with systematic violations of the peace agreement and a weakening of discipline within the command structures.

According to Commission expert Barney Afako, the mobilization of forces in such a situation, accompanied by ethnically charged statements, could trigger a spiral of violence that could quickly spiral out of control.

"If there is no immediate intervention at the highest level to rein in the armed forces, achieve de-escalation, and return to consensus politics, South Sudan risks rapidly sliding into a new phase of large-scale violence," Afako said. "In addition to measures at the national level, what is happening urgently requires the involvement of regional leaders at the highest level to facilitate the restoration of the transition process in South Sudan. Time is running out."

Incitement to crime

The Commission emphasized that, under international humanitarian and criminal law, command responsibility extends not only to those who give criminal orders, but also to those who incite crimes or fail to prevent them.

"The peace agreement was created precisely to prevent such a descent into violence," noted Commission member Carlos Castresana Fernández. "Public orders or statements encouraging attacks on civilians, including rhetoric portraying entire communities as legitimate targets, may give rise to individual criminal liability under international law."

The experts called on all parties to immediately cease inflammatory statements and the mobilization of forces, and on the country's leadership to take measures to de-escalate the conflict. They also emphasized that President Salva Kiir bears heightened responsibility for ensuring effective control over the forces acting on his behalf. A similar responsibility rests with the Chief of Staff of the South Sudanese Armed Forces, the Minister of Defense, and other officials exercising operational control over military operations in Jonglei State and other parts of the country.

The commission called on regional and international partners to urgently resume active engagement to preserve the peace agreement and exert pressure on South Sudan's leadership. The experts warned that without this, the country risks sliding into full-scale interethnic conflict and a new, preventable tragedy.

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