Humanitarian News

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed deep concern on Thursday regarding the escalating violence in Sudan’s Kordofan region. Escalating fighting has killed and injured civilians, destroyed homes and hospitals, and damaged other civilian infrastructure, further constraining humanitarian access.

Intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have caused widespread displacement and a rising death toll, following the escalation of hostilities sparked by the U.S.-Israeli initiation of war against Iran. The attacks, which began Monday, have displaced tens of thousands and raised urgent humanitarian concerns throughout the country.

Hundreds of civilians have been reportedly killed following large-scale United States and Israeli missile and air strikes across Iran, according to Iranian state media and humanitarian sources. On Saturday evening, Iran’s Red Crescent reported to state media that more than 200 civilians were killed and more than 700 were injured during the first day of strikes across 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that stepped-up fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan puts civilian lives at risk. In a major escalation on Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes and ground attacks on targets inside Afghanistan, aggravating the country's severe humanitarian and human rights crises.

The international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) is calling for a massive scale-up of life-saving assistance and unhindered humanitarian access amid the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, where lives continue to be lost due to sustained violence and persistent aid restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities. Despite the March 1 deadline for 37 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to leave the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT, Palestine), MSF affirms its commitment to staying and providing assistance.

The latest escalation in the protracted South Sudan crisis has seen intense clashes between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army – In Opposition (SPLA-IO), displacing over 280,000 civilians across Jonglei State. Violence has escalated since late December 2025, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, United Nations officials reflected on the immense human cost of the conflict, appealing to the world to “never get used to war”. The invasion on February 24, 2022, shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, said Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday.

Delegates from over 120 countries gathered in Geneva on Monday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), amidst escalating global instability and conflict. Recognizing the dizzying geopolitical uncertainty marked by ongoing conflict and war in Gaza, Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the HRC members to hold the line on human rights, which he warned were under a "full-scale attack."

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is sounding the alarm that its lifesaving emergency food and nutrition assistance in Somalia is at imminent risk of grinding to a halt without immediate new funding. The organization's resources are expected to be depleted within weeks without urgent replenishment, as Somalia faces an "extremely worrying humanitarian situation" with 4.4 million people experiencing acute hunger.

A joint United Nations convoy led by the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reached Dilling and Kadugli, two cities in Sudan’s South Kordofan State, carrying life-saving supplies for over 130,000 people. This 26-truck convoy marks the first major delivery of aid to the area in three months, as high levels of insecurity along the route had previously prevented such deliveries.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners released the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Burkina Faso on Tuesday, supporting the country's national humanitarian efforts. The HNRP requests US$658.5 million for key sectors, including food security, health, and essential services, as approximately 4.5 million people require humanitarian assistance.

Just ten days after Tropical Cyclone Fytia unleashed heavy rains and flooding across the island nation, Madagascar was struck again — this time by the far more powerful Tropical Cyclone Gezani. On Tuesday evening, Gezani made landfall along Madagascar’s northeastern coast, directly hitting Toamasina, the country’s second-largest city and principal port.

Amid continued violence and mass displacement in Haiti, the recruitment and use of children by armed groups surged 200 percent in 2025, according to a new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Published on Thursday, the report underscores the deep protection crisis facing children in Haiti.

Amid the country's protracted political, security, and humanitarian crises, the United Nations envoy for Yemen, stressed the urgent need on Thursday to relaunch a comprehensive and inclusive political process to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Briefing the UN Security Council, Hans Grundberg also expressed serious concerns about the continued detention of UN staff and other personnel by the Houthi de facto authorities.

As the brutal war in Sudan shows no signs of ending after nearly three years of raging conflict, UN human rights chief Volker Türk called on the international community on Monday to intervene immediately and stop mass killings and other flagrant war crimes against civilians. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, UN aid agencies warned that famine and malnutrition continue to spread across Sudan, with children wasting away while the world looks away.

At least 53 migrants and refugees, including two babies, died or went missing in the latest tragic incident off the Libyan coast, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). On Friday, a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized north of Zuwara, Libya, leaving only two Nigerian women alive. One survivor reported losing her husband, and the other reported losing her two babies.

The United Nations, its humanitarian partners, and the Chadian government launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, on Friday, with the goal of supporting millions of people across the country. The plan requests US$986 million, including $540 million for refugees, to assist 3.4 million of the most vulnerable people in Chad.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Central African Republic government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) this week, calling for US$264 million — the lowest requested amount in recent years — to help 1.3 million of the most vulnerable people in the country. Although humanitarian needs remain staggeringly high, aid organizations are forced to focus on the most urgent, life-saving priorities due to a global collapse in funding.

Due to a series of attacks on a WFP river convoy and escalating violence impacting humanitarian organizations across South Sudan, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended operations in Baliet County in Upper Nile State. Separately, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that an airstrike attributed to government forces struck one of its hospitals in Jonglei State, while another facility was looted.

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its 2026 Global Health Emergency Appeal on Tuesday to ensure that millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts have access to healthcare. The appeal seeks nearly US$1 billion to respond to 36 emergencies worldwide, including the world’s most severe crises, ranging from sudden-onset to protracted crises where health needs are critical.

South Kordofan State is now the epicenter of the war in Sudan, which has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, warned the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Monday. Civilians in this part of southern Sudan face intensified hostilities and a nearly total blockade of humanitarian supplies after a year of starvation and bombardment, said NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland at the end of his visit to South Kordofan.

The European Union (EU) announced on Friday €63 million (US$75 million) in humanitarian aid to help millions affected by the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, as well as nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in neighboring countries, primarily Bangladesh. The European Commission’s allocation comes as the crisis sparked by the military coup in Myanmar enters its sixth year.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partner organizations, alongside the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), launched this year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) on Wednesday. They are calling on donors across the world for a funding total of US$1.4 billion, which would provide assistance to 7.3 million people in a country where nearly 15 million still need humanitarian aid — a figure that is widely considered underestimating the actual need.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian situation in South Sudan's Jonglei State is deteriorating rapidly due to escalating conflict. This conflict is forcing people to flee their homes and shrinking access for aid workers. Since the end of December, renewed clashes in Jonglei have displaced more than 250,000 people, according to local authorities.

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Somali government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) on Monday to support millions of people across Somalia this year. The launch comes at an unprecedented time for the country, as funding shortfalls are squeezing humanitarian programs while the country is facing a severe drought.

The United Nations, alongside its humanitarian partners and the Nigerian government, is urgently appealing for US$516 million to respond to the most critical needs of 2.5 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria this year. Women and children are particularly affected by the humanitarian crisis, accounting for eight out of ten people in immediate need.

Amid the launch of the US administration’s “Board of Peace” and ongoing reconstruction talks on the Gaza Strip, United Nations aid agencies insisted on Friday that Gazans need immediate relief from the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. People across the territory continue to struggle to meet their basic needs as Israel's ongoing violations of international law severely obstruct the humanitarian scale-up.

A new report by Action Against Hunger reveals that Nigeria, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC/DR Congo) are among the ten most critical hunger hotspots globally. The report shows that two out of three people suffering from acute food insecurity worldwide live in just ten countries, with over 196 million facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 600,000 people have been affected by recent floods in Mozambique. The catastrophic flooding has caused massive disruption to lives and livelihoods across the country, increasing the risk of disease and exposing urban areas to crocodiles.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that Yemenis are silently suffering from hunger and malnourishment amid a severe lack of funding and ongoing insecurity that are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. Yemen is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world and now has the highest number of people facing emergency levels of hunger.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that, without urgent resources and action, the most vulnerable people in the Sahel region are headed for another dire year. A staggering 53 million people in the region are expected to experience crisis-level hunger, or worse, during the lean season from June to August 2026. Over 13 million children are also expected to suffer from malnutrition.

As the war approaches its fifth year, the UN and its humanitarian partners on Tuesday launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), which calls for US$2.3 billion to provide life-saving aid to more than 4 million people across Ukraine. An estimated 10.8 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance this year, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other populations affected by the war.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is warning of a rapidly escalating global hunger crisis, as nearly 318 million people are currently facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. On Monday, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain called for immediate action from world leaders to address the root causes of food insecurity and end man-made famines.

Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday, issuing a stark reminder that the conflict has caused the world's worst hunger crisis and largest emergency of forced displacement. Every day, civilians have been paying "the price for a war they did not choose," said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, renewed conflict and airstrikes in Jonglei State have forced over 100,000 people to flee, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The majority of those displaced are women, children, and older people. The insecurity has also led several humanitarian organizations to relocate their staff, disrupting essential activities.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that a snowstorm has affected thousands of displaced people in Syria, while humanitarian funding continues to shrink. Last week, the storm hit 90 displacement sites in the north of the country, affecting over 150,000 people. According to aid agencies, two infants died due to the extreme cold in Harim, a town in northern Idlib.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN Security Council on Monday that there must be "full respect" for the UN Charter in the face of a US military intervention in Venezuela, as well as the seizure and abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. Guterres also expressed deep concern about the possible intensification of instability in Venezuela, the potential impact on the region, and the dangerous precedent this intervention could set for international relations.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed extreme concern over the impact of escalating violence on civilians in Sudan, especially in Kordofan and North Darfur. On Friday, OCHA reported that the humanitarian situation in the besieged towns of Dilling and Kadugli in South Kordofan has continued to deteriorate.

Following the Israeli government's announcement on Tuesday to suspend the operations of leading international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies and over 200 international and local NGOs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) called on the authorities to reconsider this decision. The aid agencies stressed that international NGOs play a critical role in delivering life-saving assistance and that suspending them would severely undermine the humanitarian response.

Since the last attack on El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur State at the end of October, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that tens of thousands of refugees and returnees have crossed into neighboring Chad. The Saharan nation is currently hosting approximately 903,000 Sudanese refugees who escaped the conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023.

The United Nations and the United States government signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, in which the US committed a meager US$2 billion to UN-managed humanitarian funds in 2026. It comes after the United States slashed its contribution to global humanitarian aid by more than $10 billion in 2025, leaving millions without lifesaving aid and dismantling the world's largest government aid agency.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that drought continues to impact millions of people across Somalia.  Somali authorities estimate that more than 4.6 million people, or around a quarter of the population in Somalia, are being affected by the ongoing drought, with more than 104,000 people displaced in November alone due to the extreme dry conditions.

United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher allocated US$13.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on Wednesday to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo). In the midst of a severe funding crisis, $10 million will support the delivery of immediate, life-saving assistance for displaced people in DRC, while $3.5 million will bolster urgent refugee response efforts in neighboring Burundi.

As the flames of war continue to engulf Sudan, the United Nations Security Council was urged Monday to prevent the horrors of this conflict from recurring and to stop those enabling the violence from spreading instability further across the region. Escalating violence in Sudan is placing civilians at extreme risk and triggering new waves of displacement, particularly in the Kordofan region.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), hostilities in Ukraine this weekend resulted in additional civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure.  Between Friday and early Monday morning, Ukrainian authorities reported that more than a dozen civilians were killed and over 70 others were injured, including two children. Disruptions to basic services were reported in over 270 towns and villages.

According to the latest findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), there have been notable improvements in food security and nutrition in the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire in October and a significant reduction in conflict. Yet, the situation remains critical. In August, the IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) had confirmed a human-made famine in the Gaza governorate, where over half a million people were experiencing famine.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday that the scale and severity of hunger and malnutrition in Afghanistan is worsening. New food security figures from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report show that over 17 million Afghans are facing acute hunger this winter — three million more than last year.