World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Arun Kumar N

They include attacks in Odesa region on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old boy, according to UN child rights agency UNICEF which called for an “end to attacks on civilian areas and the infrastructure children rely on.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that attacks on the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday had recommenced on Thursday.

Aid deliveries

“Teams delivered shelter materials to cover damaged homes and provided protection services to the affected residents,” OCHA said in a tweet, stressing that “the cold weather is worsening the needs, requiring urgent aid.”

Russia continues to target energy infrastructure in Ukraine, knocking out heat, electricity and water supply, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday.

“Civilians are bearing the brunt of these attacks. They can only be described as cruel. They must stop,” he said.

Nigeria: Looming food aid cuts put one million at risk

More than a million people in northeast Nigeria could lose emergency food and nutrition assistance unless funding can be found “within weeks”, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday.

Nigeria is facing one of the worst hunger crises in recent times, with nearly 35 million people projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season.

They include roughly 15,000 people in Borno state who risk falling into catastrophic hunger, which is one step away from famine. These are the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade, WFP said. 

The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves.

‘Catastrophic’ consequences

“Now is not the time to stop food assistance,” said David Stevenson, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director. 

He warned of “catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences” for Nigeria’s most vulnerable people, who had been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter.  

WFP is urgently seeking $129 million to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months, warning that this work could shut down unless funds are received.

People living in Turkana in northern Kenya are dealing with the impact of drought.

Kenya drought impacts over two million people

More than two million people in Kenya are facing worsening food insecurity in the wake of the October to December 2025 rainy season – among the driest on record, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

The prolonged drought has led to rising malnutrition rates, increased risk of disease outbreaks and disrupted access to essential health services.

Regional drought

The impacts are also being felt in neighbouring Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, where millions more people are at risk due to similar weather patterns and water shortages.

In Kenya, 10 counties are currently experiencing drought conditions, one of which is in the “alarm” phase. Furthermore, another 13 counties in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions are showing signs of drought stress.

While severe, the emergency was part of a known seasonal risk, WHO said. The UN agency has supported the Kenyan authorities including by providing cholera kits, pneumonia kits and essential supplies, as well as pre-positioning equipment in high-risk counties before the drought intensified.

WHO stressed the need to mobilize urgently to ensure both people and livestock have access to adequate food supply and safe water, and to prevent the situation from worsening.

Source link

Gaza: Looming offensive and restrictions on humanitarians

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

In the past 24 hours in Gaza, there have been more reports of casualties in shootings along aid convoy routes, where desperate crowds of civilians often wait to take supplies from the back of trucks.

Meanwhile, hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are also escalating. In the past 24 hours, air strikes and shelling have occurred across five neighbourhoods in Gaza City, with reports of tanks and ground troops advancing.

UN and partner officials in Gaza warned on Monday that the Israeli offensive would result in further mass displacement and “have a horrific impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of the basics needed for survival.”

Additionally, starvation persists in the enclave as supplies remain insufficient and inaccessible.

Restrictions on international NGOs

OCHA also reported that the new requirements for international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are preventing many humanitarian partners from bringing supplies into Gaza.

To secure registration and bring in materials, international NGOs must share sensitive personal information about Palestinian employees, often contrary to their countries’ domestic legislation, which affects their ability to protect civilians.

Upcoming humanitarian work

The UN and its NGO partners stressed that their teams will remain in Gaza City to provide life-saving support, reminding parties of their obligation to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and safeguard humanitarian infrastructure.

“Every day and every night, aid workers in Gaza courageously put themselves in harm’s way to keep others alive. At the same time, they also struggle to feed themselves and feed their own families,” said Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, reporting on the situation in the context of World Humanitarian Day at Tuesday’s daily press briefing in New York.

“The world cannot look away while attacks on aid workers and on the very people they try to help have become routine.”

The humanitarian community welcomes the Israeli announcement that tents and shelter equipment will be allowed into Gaza, aiming to utilise this lifting of the ban to bring in tents, shelter materials and other items into the Gaza Strip. However, the UN and partners said it is deeply troubling that this lifting is in connection with a looming offensive.

They called for a significant scale-up of private sector operations and a full facilitation of deliveries from local and international humanitarian organizations, with supplies allowed to enter through all crossings.

No fuel, no aid, no escape: UN agencies warn of looming collapse in Gaza

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

“Fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza,” said the statement. “Without fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people.”

UN humanitarian workers stressed that fuel powers everything from hospitals and water systems to bakeries and ambulances.

Without a steady supply, “maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move.” The fuel shortage, they said, has left Gaza’s population – already facing severe food insecurity and the constant threat of violence – on the edge of catastrophe.

They warned that “without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely,” meaning “no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.”

Inadequate fuel injection

The agencies noted that for the first time in 130 days, a small quantity of fuel was allowed into Gaza this week. While welcome, the amount – just 75,000 litres over two days – is far from enough to meet the daily needs of the population and vital civilian aid operations.

Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York late Friday, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric described the overall situation as “dire and worsening by the day.”

“Every day without a ceasefire brings more preventable deaths – children dying in pain, and hungry people shot while trying to reach the trickle of aid that is allowed in,” he said.

Life-threatening

Mr. Dujarric also expressed deep concern over continued Israeli restrictions on aid access. “Yesterday, our teams could provide hospitals with some of the fuel that came in – but only in the south. That’s because Israeli authorities denied our attempt to bring fuel to the north,” he said. “Such denials are life-threatening.”

He added that the fuel shortage also affects water treatment, ambulances and waste management. “All of these services are at risk of collapsing,” he said.

Out of 15 humanitarian missions that required coordination with Israeli authorities on Thursday, only six were fully facilitated. Five were denied outright, while four faced obstacles that delayed or prevented delivery.

One mission, to rescue injured people trapped under rubble in Gaza City, was only approved two days after the initial request – too late to save lives. “By the time the mission was finally allowed through yesterday, no one was found alive,” Dujarric said.

On top of this, essential items like tents and shelter materials have been blocked from entering Gaza for over four months, leaving thousands exposed to the elements.

Close call

Aid workers are also at risk. “Five strikes landed just a few hundred metres from where aid workers were operating this week, including UN staff,” Mr. Dujarric said. No injuries were reported, but several Red Crescent workers were shot while attempting to assist an injured colleague.

UN agencies are calling for the immediate and consistent delivery of fuel at scale, and for full, safe access to all parts of Gaza. “The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” they said. “Without fuel, Gaza faces a complete collapse of humanitarian efforts.”

Sudan: UN warns of soaring displacement and looming floods

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Arun Kumar N

At Tuesday’s regular briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric relayed warnings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA), citing urgent concerns across the country.

“Across Sudan, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing fighting, which is escalating displacement and driving needs even higher,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Conflict driving displacement

Clashes between rival militaries – Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – continue to uproot civilians, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan states. Fighting in El Fasher alone has displaced more than 400,000 people since April, according to OCHA.

In June, nearly 8,000 displaced people from North Darfur arrived in Ad-Dabba, putting pressure on overstretched resources and limited access to healthcare, shelter, clean water and food.

In North Kordofan, over 16,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Bara between 26 and 29 June alone, while another 16,000 to flee Babanusa in West Kordofan on 27 June, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Flood warnings

Separately, OCHA warned of increased flood risks as Sudan enters its rainy season, which runs through October. Forecasts point to above-average rainfall, heightening the threat of both riverine and flash floods – especially in areas already facing limited infrastructure and access.

“Any flooding could disrupt road access, hamper aid delivery, and heighten the threat of disease outbreaks during the ongoing lean season,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting that an ongoing cholera outbreak could worsen with the floods.

Nearly 500,000 people were affected by floods last year. With the likelihood of a repeat or worse this season, Mr. Dujarric said humanitarian agencies are ready to respond “where access and resources allow,” but warned that critical funding gaps are hampering preparedness.

UN relief visits Sudan

Mr. Dujarric also highlighted the importance of recent discussions between Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and senior SAF and RSF officials.

Mr. Fletcher appealed for a humanitarian pause to allow lifesaving aid to reach people in El Fasher, which has been besieged by the RSF and cut off from assistance since last April.

“Our humanitarian colleagues underscore that we will continue our engagements with the aim of facilitating the swift and safe delivery of aid to all those who need it,” Mr. Dujarric said.