The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning about widespread hunger and child malnutrition in the north-east of Nigeria as the lean season is set to begin next month. Some 4.3 million people in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe are projected to face severe hunger between June and August.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, despite a reduction in hostilities, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains fragile. Ongoing military activity continues to endanger civilians, impede the safe return of displaced people, and prolong humanitarian needs. Israeli military airstrikes, demolitions and localized military operations in the south and Nabatieh governorates are still being reported.
Nine years after the peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was signed, the humanitarian situation in Colombia is still marked by large scale internal displacement and insecurity due to armed violence, with 10.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2026. The country has endured more than half a century of intense armed conflict, perpetuated by widespread illegal drug production and trafficking and rooted in territorial control by armed groups. The increased impact of natural hazards related to climate change and the integration of 2.9 million Venezuelan refugees are also driving humanitarian needs in Colombia.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have launched on Monday a combined US$ 4.2 billion appeal to donors to bring relief aid to some 10.8 million people in the war-affected communities in Ukraine but also to Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in the region throughout 2024. A recent wave of Russian attacks underscores the devastating civilian cost of the war, while a bitter winter is ratcheting up the urgent need for life-saving humanitarian assistance.
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.
Children from displaced families are dying of starvation in parts of Yemen, according to the United Nations, as extreme hunger and malnutrition take hold. Over 17 million people in Yemen are acutely food insecure, a figure expected to surpass 18 million by February 2026 amid a critical crisis in humanitarian funding.
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine’s Khersonska oblast on Tuesday has left at least 40 towns and villages partially flooded, which will likely have grave consequences for hundreds of thousands of people in southern Ukraine. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has described the destruction as a “monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe”, resulting directly from Russia’s invasion of the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday that attacks across Ukraine over the past two days have caused significant civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including in large urban centers such as Kyiv and Odesa, which lie farther from the front line. These attacks follow a weekend that saw scores of civilian casualties.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains critical with the population continuing to face insecurity, while the ongoing conflict in Sudan is exacerbating the situation in CAR’s northern region.
This Sunday marks 100 days since the devastating war in the Gaza Strip began, killing tens of thousands of civilians – among them more than 10,000 children - and displacing millions of people, following the major attacks that Palestinian armed groups carried out against Israel on October 7 last year. United Nations officials say Palestinians in Gaza are in a state of desperation after three months of being militarily battered and left without sufficient supplies of food, water and medicine.
United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Martin Griffiths on Tuesday released US$100 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support underfunded humanitarian emergencies in seven countries in Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. The crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan and Syria top the list, receiving $20 million each.
Israel's relentless bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, causing further civilian deaths, injuries, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure. The United Nations has expressed grave concern over Israel's latest evacuation order for large parts of Khan Younis, which covers about one-third of the Gaza Strip and affects up to 250,000 civilians.
Aid workers on the front lines of the world's conflicts are being killed in unprecedented numbers, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday, marking World Humanitarian Day. At least 280 aid workers were killed in 33 countries last year, making 2023 the deadliest year on record. 2024 could be on track to be even deadlier.
More than 60,000 Somalis, mainly women and children, have fled to Ethiopia’s Somali region in the past few weeks to escape violent clashes and insecurity in the city of Laascaanood (Laas Caanood), in Somalia’s Sool region, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports. More than half of them arrived earlier this week, UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado Mur said Friday at a news conference in Geneva.
Colombia's Catatumbo region has descended into an acute humanitarian crisis following intensified violent clashes between non-state armed groups (NSAGs), in particular the National Liberation Army (ELN) and splinter groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). With more than 80 people killed in armed violence, President Gustavo Petro Urrego suspended peace talks with the ELN.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the humanitarian community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been forced to reprioritize its response plan due to critical funding shortfalls. The move is part of a "Humanitarian Reset," following a dramatic drop in funding triggered by the United States' brutal cessation of most contributions and cuts to humanitarian assistance by other major donors around the world.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the deadly Bundibugyo virus outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to expand. Rising numbers of cases and deaths are putting mounting pressure on health services and humanitarian efforts to respond.
Two weeks after 7.7 and 6.4 magnitude earthquakes struck Myanmar, the United Nations and humanitarian partners on Friday launched a $275 million flash appeal as an addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) to reach 1.1 million people with urgent assistance. The devastating earthquakes have killed at least 3,600 people and left 2 million in critical need of assistance and protection.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, has strongly denounced a wave of Russian attacks that began Thursday night and lasted through Friday on populated areas across the country. At least 30 civilians were reportedly killed, with more than 150 others injured. Ukrainian authorities said the death toll will likely increase further as rescue operations continue.
The world is plagued by further humanitarian crises that should neither be forgotten nor neglected. Though DONARE presently does not compile a complete crisis profile, here are snapshots of some of these humanitarian situations. The emergency situations include: the crisis in Madagascar due to ongoing food insecurity and vulnerability to climate-related disasters; the crisis in Malawi due to drought and flooding; and the ongoing crisis in the Western Sahara.
