UN: At Least 21 Staff Members Killed In Malicious Attacks In 2025

NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Bernama-dpa) -- At least 21 United Nations (UN) staff members were deliberately killed in the line of duty last year – more than in the two previous years combined, the UN staff union committee said on Thursday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Of those killed, 12 were UN peacekeepers deployed to help maintain peace in various parts of the world, the committee said. The rest were civilian staff.

The 21 deliberate killings exceed the roughly five recorded in 2024 and at least 11 in 2023, the data showed.

Those killed in 2025 were nationals of Bangladesh, Sudan and South Sudan, South Africa, Uruguay, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kenya, Zambia and the Palestinian territories.

The highest number of deaths was recorded in the Abyei area along the Sudan–South Sudan border, where six personnel were killed, while three deaths each occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

In addition, figures showed that 119 staff members of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were killed during the Gaza war last year, although they were not deliberately targeted.

--BERNAMA-dpa