Children

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday that Nigeria’s food security crisis is worsening faster than anticipated. Armed conflict is pushing some northern states, particularly in the northeast, toward levels of hunger not seen in nearly a decade.  A recently completed food security analysis shows that more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected states in northern Nigeria are experiencing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger.

The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State, according to a major new report released Wednesday by Amnesty International. The human rights organization is now calling for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent deployment of an international force to protect civilians.

The humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) reports an alarming increase in the number of children with severe acute malnutrition and medical complications requiring lifesaving treatment in its therapeutic feeding centers in southern Afghanistan. The non-governmental organization (NGO) is calling on donors, health authorities, and other relevant organizations to prioritize and restore funding for nutrition programs across Afghanistan.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, with new displacements recorded across several departments due to armed violence. Meanwhile, more than 117,000 people have been forcibly returned to Haiti in the first six months of 2026, despite the ongoing emergency and calls by high-ranking UN officials and independent human rights experts to halt these returns.

The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) issued a report on Tuesday that documents widespread conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan since hostilities began in April 2023, and its profound long-term impact on victims, families, and communities. The report finds that sexual violence has accompanied the geographic spread of the conflict and widespread displacement, consistently being used as a tactic to terrorize and traumatize the civilian population.

A United Nations commission of inquiry has released a new report stating that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as well as war crimes in the West Bank. These findings follow the commission's conclusion last year that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian group in Gaza.

Three leading Christian organizations — the World Council of Churches (WCC), Caritas Internationalis (the Catholic Church's humanitarian arm), and World Vision International (WVI) — warned in an open letter on Monday that the current wave of conflicts and economic instability is pushing millions into severe hunger, even though global food production is at record levels. The faith-based organizations assert that “hunger amid abundance is a moral failure”.

The United Nations reports that Israeli military forces continue to kill civilians, including children, with impunity and a total lack of accountability in both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, despite active ceasefire agreements. Persistent Israeli military attacks have repeatedly violated the eight-month-old truce in the Gaza Strip and breached the newly announced ceasefire covering Lebanon and Iran.

Following reports of a significant troop build-up by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied forces around the town of El Obeid in Sudan, as well as intensified drone strikes and artillery shelling, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, issued a stark warning on Thursday that an imminent offensive could result in the commission of further serious international crimes, further deepening the already catastrophic impact on the civilian population.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher warned the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is rapidly accelerating, with over half of the population facing acute hunger and needing immediate international support. Briefing the 15-member Council, Fletcher stressed that without urgent intervention, "hunger will deepen. Suffering will grow. More lives will be lost."

The deadly Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread, with a spike in child infections becoming increasingly likely in the coming days, according to a warning issued by United Nations agencies on Friday. Since the outbreak was confirmed less than a month ago, more than 670 cases and 130 deaths have been reported.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued an urgent appeal to the UN Security Council, warning that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening due to rising needs, operational restrictions, and severe underfunding. During her briefing on Monday, OCHA Director Edem Wosornu emphasized that sustained international support and adherence to the humanitarian exception are essential for averting famine and safeguarding vulnerable populations, especially women and girls.

The United Nations in Lebanon issued an appeal on Friday for an additional US$331.5 million to provide assistance to 1.4 million people from June through August. The appeal comes amid escalating Israeli attacks and expanding displacement orders, which are taking a heavy toll on Lebanese civilians. The revised Flash Appeal brings the total request from March through August to nearly $640 million to sustain life-saving efforts.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 24 million people across the Sahel region of Africa are in critical need of life-saving aid, as escalating violence, climate shocks, and a severe funding shortage push millions to the brink of survival. OCHA warns that donor contributions have hit a ten-year low, forcing aid agencies to slash rations or halt critical operations entirely.

Amidst the approaching ninth anniversary of the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) appealed to the international community on Tuesday not to abandon the 1.2 million refugees currently living in Bangladesh, primarily in makeshift camps in Cox's Bazar. UNHCR warned that significant humanitarian needs persist, and that without continued international solidarity, the situation of Rohingya families will deteriorate.

Despite a nominal ceasefire that has been extended for another 45 days, escalating Israeli attacks and expanding displacement orders continue to take a heavy toll on the Lebanese people. When the ceasefire was announced in mid-April, it raised hopes of a return to normal life. However, instead of families living in safety, the killing, injuring, and displacement of civilians continues unabated.

Nearly 1.5 million people in Haiti have been internally displaced following escalating gang violence and widespread instability, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Wednesday. This marks an unprecedented level of internal displacement due to armed violence in Haiti, further intensifying the suffering of millions as insecurity continues to plague the Caribbean nation.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned on Monday that families in Mali are struggling to access the food, healthcare, water and basic services they need to survive one month into a major escalation in armed conflict. According to the humanitarian organization, needs are rising rapidly across the Central Sahel country, where 5.1 million people were already in need of assistance prior to the latest surge in violence.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that millions of people across Nigeria are bracing for one of the worst lean seasons on record. Conflict, violence, insecurity, economic pressures, and unprecedented funding constraints are pushing families to the brink. This has made Nigeria one of the world’s largest hunger and malnutrition crises, with the north of the country bearing the overwhelming burden.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher announced on Friday the allocation of up to US$60 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to step up the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the wider region. The first tranche of $10 million will support affected and high-risk populations in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, with a focus on health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

The United Nations, its humanitarian partners, and the Bangladeshi government are calling for renewed international support to address the urgent needs of Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar camps and on Bhasan Char in Bangladesh, as well as those of local host communities. Wednesday’s appeal comes amid growing global instability and rising humanitarian pressures, which have forced difficult prioritization and threatened essential services for vulnerable people.

In a rare joint statement on Wednesday, the world's humanitarian leaders strongly condemned the growing and blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in conflicts across the globe. They warned that the problem lies not in the absence of legal rules, but in the failure to uphold them, the erosion of accountability, and the refusal to act, even in the face of atrocities.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that critical funding shortfalls, severe operational restrictions and continued Israeli military operations are compounding the humanitarian emergency across Gaza and other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), leaving millions grappling with acute hunger and limited access to essential services. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office released a report on Monday detailing war crimes, crimes against humanity and potential genocide in Gaza.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday that approximately 19.5 million people — two out of every five in Sudan — are currently experiencing crisis-level acute hunger or worse nationwide. Sudan is also facing a severe nutrition crisis, with an estimated 825,000 children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

Leading United Nations agencies and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have jointly issued a warning about a rapidly intensifying hunger emergency in Somalia, which is pushing 6 million people — nearly a third of the population — towards critical levels of acute hunger. The country now has one of the world's worst malnutrition crises, affecting around 1.9 million children, of whom 493,000 face severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo) continues to face one of the world’s largest and most severe hunger crises. This warning follows the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, which shows that over 26.5 million people—nearly one in four Congolese—are struggling to meet their basic food needs.

United Nations agencies warned on Tuesday that Israeli military operations and surging settler attacks in the occupied West Bank are killing and maiming Palestinian children. Meanwhile, in Gaza, tens of thousands of people with life-changing injuries lack access to prosthetics or rehabilitation care. Among them are around 10,000 children who remain unable to receive essential treatment as shortages of medical supplies and rehabilitation equipment continue to worsen across the enclave.

Major funding cuts and shrinking humanitarian access are pushing Yemen closer to a catastrophic health and hunger crisis, with aid organizations warning that millions of people are at immediate risk due to aid agencies' inability to provide lifesaving support. These warnings come as Yemen continues to suffer from one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement is warning that the situation in South Sudan is becoming increasingly dire, with armed conflict, violence, diseases and natural disasters wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the country. According to the United Nations, the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan has left 9.9 million people in need of life-saving assistance, while critical funding shortfalls are exacerbating the situation.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains fragile and volatile despite the ceasefire being extended until mid-May. Hostilities are continuing to cause civilian casualties. On Thursday, Lebanese authorities reported multiple airstrikes and military activity across towns in southern Lebanon, resulting in at least nine deaths and 13 injuries.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that the humanitarian situation in North Kivu Province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo), continues to deteriorate amid renewed clashes between armed groups. Since early February, intensified violence has triggered large-scale displacement, forcing thousands to flee multiple times in search of safety.

Twenty years after the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region first sparked global outrage, children in the region are once again trapped in a catastrophic cycle of violence, hunger, and displacement — but this time, the world is failing to take notice, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday. The UN agency warns that, while the horrors of 2005 are repeating, the scale of the crisis is far greater now, and international attention is dangerously lacking.

The non-governmental organization (NGO) World Vision reports that health facilities across Somalia supported by the NGO have recorded a sharp increase in the number of children admitted with severe malnutrition. In the first three months of this year, more than 3,500 children were diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) — marking a 60 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025, when just over 2,000 cases were reported.

Despite signs of political progress, Haiti remains gripped by insecurity, with international support seen as critical to enabling long-delayed elections, the United Nations Security Council was told Thursday. As the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) begins its phased deployment and the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission prepares to leave at the end of April, officials warned that whether recent gains can hold depends on how security conditions evolve.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that more than 41,000 people in central and northern regions of the Central African Republic (CAR) will lose access to vital healthcare services by June due to funding shortfalls. The UN's primary health partner, the International Medical Corps, which assists displaced individuals in these regions, is expected to cease operations due to a lack of funding.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that a humanitarian operation was launched on Tuesday to deliver assistance to previously inaccessible areas of Afghanistan's eastern Nuristan province. Ongoing armed conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has left thousands in these communities without access to basic supplies and essential services for more than seven weeks. Meanwhile, cross-border mortar shelling continues.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being overlooked as the world’s attention shifts to other parts of the Middle East. Meanwhile, conditions in Gaza are deteriorating at an alarming pace. On Monday, the IRC said there is a real risk that funding will decline, which would slow the already constrained humanitarian response at a time when needs are extremely high.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on Friday, Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief, described South Sudan as a nation in despair. Renewed fighting has forced more than 410,000 people to flee, including 110,000 to neighboring Ethiopia. Hostilities have continued to escalate across parts of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states, with airstrikes and armed clashes reported in the past week.

The United Nations and humanitarian organizations cautiously welcomed the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon that took effect at midnight local time on Friday. According to aid agencies, some displaced families have begun returning to Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports that its peacekeepers have not detected any projectiles fired from north to south or airstrikes in their area of operations since midnight.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed deep concern on Wednesday regarding reports that approximately 250 people are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea. The trawler departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh, bound for Malaysia, and reportedly sank last Thursday amid heavy winds, rough seas, and severe overcrowding.

Three years of war in Sudan have created the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. Tens of thousands of children, women and men have been killed, starved, and maimed. With no signs of the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan and its regional impacts abating, United Nations leaders expressed alarm on Wednesday at the insufficient funding and diplomatic attention being given to the conflict and its consequences.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday that UN agencies and their partners, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), are continuing to support the government-led response in Iran as humanitarian needs rise sharply. The recent US-Israeli military assault has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, and caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure across the country.

Two leading United Nations agencies are warning that more than a million Sudanese refugees in Chad face immediate and life-threatening cuts to food, water, shelter, protection, and health care as the conflict in neighboring Sudan approaches the three-year mark. Earlier this week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that they will drastically scale back essential assistance to refugees in Chad unless the US$428 million funding gap is filled.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that, six months after the ceasefire agreement took effect in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian response led by the UN and partner aid agencies remains constrained, leaving people in dire conditions. According to OCHA, people across Gaza are still exposed to lethal force and the risk of further casualties, destroyed property, and displacement, which deepens humanitarian needs.

Ahead of the third anniversary of the start of the devastating war in Sudan, humanitarian organizations are warning that essential services and survival-critical systems are collapsing. As the conflict approaches this grim milestone, they are drawing particular attention to the needs of those displaced by the war, both within the country and across borders, as well as to the urgent needs of children and women, who are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing emergency.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that aid agencies are working closely with the Lebanese government to support affected communities amid mounting needs, while the death toll continues to rise at an alarming rate.  According to Lebanese health authorities, at least 1,497 people, including 130 children, have been killed since Israeli attacks resumed on March 2.