UN agency delivering food assistance and school meals worldwide
El Niño has intensified, prompting authorities to warn of droughts, floods and rising humanitarian needs. Countries are mobilising financing, strengthening early warning systems and adjusting policies as temperatures and rainfall patterns shift, with aid budgets under pressure.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has accelerated since May, with thousands of confirmed cases and deaths across six provinces. Authorities are restarting schools in parts of the region, while health workers and communities push for stronger protections, vaccines, and international funding to contain the fastest-growing outbreak in history.
The World Food Programme has condemned drone strikes on aid convoys in Sudan, destroying more than 50 tonnes of food and disrupting relief for thousands. The strikes have damaged logistics, endangering lifesaving aid to tens of thousands as fighting continues. UN agencies warn that civilian harm is escalating while calls for protection and accountability persist.
El Niño has formed in the Pacific and is expected to strengthen through late 2026, with a 63% chance of reaching a very strong level. Forecasts warn of hotter global temperatures and extreme weather, while impacts will vary by region. Scientists urge preparation and climate action as nations monitor evolving conditions.
A FAO-WFP joint report warns that acute food insecurity could worsen from June to November 2026, with about 266 million people affected. Conflicts and violence remain the main drivers across hotspots, while funding cuts and El Niño risks compound the crisis. Gaza’s situation remains fragile but improved since late 2025.
The Catholic Church’s canonization of Cabrini is used to illustrate migration as a shared global issue. The pope’s Sant’Angelo Lodigiano trip underscores a call for global citizenship and collective action on migration, climate, health crises, and economic instability.
Pope Leo has urged governments to boost funding and cut bureaucratic barriers to fight hunger, calling access to food a fundamental human right. He warns conflicts and funding shortfalls threaten global food security, stresses WFP's work, and highlights efforts to reach millions with meals and nutrition programs.
Kenya has ordered a halt to preparations for a U.S.-run Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base after the health minister was found in contempt for defying a prior court stop-work order. Protests have persisted, and the U.S. has pledged funding for Ebola preparedness; debates center on public health risk and colonial overtones.
The European Union has invited Taliban officials to Brussels for talks on irregular migration and readmission of Afghans without a right to stay. The meeting, coordinated by the European Commission with Sweden, is described as technical and not a recognition of the Taliban. Rights groups warn the engagement could legitimise a regime that has curtailed women’s rights and humanitarian conditions.
The earthquakes have left thousands dead and tens of thousands missing. International rescue teams are aiding civilian efforts while humanitarian agencies warn of a growing health and displacement crisis. The government reports rising casualties, while responders emphasize ongoing search-and-rescue operations amid aftershocks.
The fighting between the SAF and RSF has intensified around El-Obeid in North Kordofan, disrupting power and water supplies, threatening civilians, and triggering new displacement. UN and aid groups warn of escalating humanitarian needs as drone strikes and sieges press civilians and aid workers.
Saudi Arabia has championed an international pledge to empower women in cybersecurity and strengthen cooperation on cyber policy at a UN Human Rights Council session. The resolution, submitted by Riyadh’s Geneva mission, builds on a 2020 crown prince initiative and aims to boost participation, skills development and safe digital environments worldwide.
South Sudan marks 15 years since independence as violence and economic strain persist. Leaders face delayed elections, inflation bites, and ongoing intercommunal clashes, with calls for accountability and reforms to unlock progress.
Refugee camps across East Africa and the Sahel are facing deepening challenges as funding shortfalls reduce aid, disrupt health services, and force difficult choices on displaced Sudanese and other refugees. New arrivals strain systems already stretched by years of conflict. The situation risks a wider humanitarian crisis if funding does not rebound.
Monsoon floods have struck Nuristan, Afghanistan, damaging Parun and surrounding areas. Authorities report dozens dead, hundreds missing or injured, as forecasters warn of more heavy rainfall. Rescue teams are struggling amid rugged terrain and limited infrastructure; international aid agencies are mobilising.
The UN has condemned Hamas for obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries in Gaza, with reports of armed groups entering food-distribution points and a WFP warehouse. The EU commits almost 900 million euros to early recovery and reconstruction, while donors seek conditions for disbursement amid ongoing conflict and calls for Hamas disarmament.
Drought and rising malnutrition have prompted the government to distribute relief food across Karamoja, amid warnings of a renewed hunger crisis. Authorities say 1.5 million people are affected, with children and the elderly most at risk. Emergency aid aims to reach vulnerable households within days, while long-term resilience measures are promised.
The Sudan conflict between the army and the RSF has escalated, intensifying a humanitarian crisis. WFP reports food rations are stretched as aid access narrows; millions remain displaced, with fears of renewed attacks around key cities like El-Obeid and El Fasher. International bodies warn of mass atrocities and rising hunger.
Climate models have shown an unusually powerful El Niño forming in the tropical Pacific that has a high chance of peaking this year or into 2027. Forecasts have indicated record ocean temperatures, widespread risks to food and water supplies across Africa and Latin America, and added pressure on prices and supply chains already strained by conflict and heatwaves.
The latest SOFI report shows 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, a drop from 2024 but still above prepandemic levels. Africa now hosts the most hungry people in absolute terms, with 309 million, while Africa and other regions face rising food insecurity driven by conflict, climate extremes and higher costs. Nutrition indicators remain poor, with stunting, obesity and low diet diversity continuing to challenge progress.
The IPC reports that food security and child nutrition have improved in Gaza as access to humanitarian aid expands, but conditions remain crisis-level across governorates. Israel’s restrictions and ongoing fighting continue to threaten gains, with crossings limited and prices high.
Footage from Gaza City shows a mosque strike amid reported weapons storage claims; international attention focuses on ceasefire breaches as fighting continues. Al Jazeera reports bombardment across Gaza, while UN agencies warn of food insecurity; discussions on ISF deployment and humanitarian access intensify.
Refugee-hosting states have tightened controls and pushed a limited repatriation plan while Rohingya camps in Bangladesh are reporting worsening conditions. Malaysia has begun screening Myanmar nationals for a 5,000-person return scheme and has detained and processed groups of Rohingya; rights groups warn returns could put people at risk. Cox's Bazar refugees are protesting and aid cuts are worsening hunger.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC has intensified, with WHO confirming rapid spread across 48 health zones in five provinces. WFP warns that food assistance is frontline in containment, while UN agencies scale flights, meals, and rations to affected communities amid rising hunger and movement restrictions.
Meteorological agencies and the UN have reported a very strong El Niño that has continued to intensify in August 2026. Forecasts show record-warm Pacific sea-surface temperatures, rising global heat and an elevated risk of droughts, floods and food insecurity that will push tens of millions more people into acute hunger this year and next.
A record summer of heat, drought and wildfires has prompted an emergency Cobra meeting and voluntary retailer suspensions of disposable-barbecue sales. Green groups have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to call the crisis 'climate change' and stop new North Sea drilling; Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has questioned net zero and urged adaptation and celebration of warmer weather.
Fighting and humanitarian collapse intensify in Sudan’s North Kordofan as El Obeid faces encirclement, displacement rises, and aid deliveries struggle amid funding gaps. Civilians seek safety while the UN and partners press for de-escalation and sustained access.
Rains have kept Brahmaputra and other rivers above danger levels in Assam, displacing hundreds of thousands and submerging farmland. Relief camps are operating as authorities assess damage and plan payouts amid mounting health and food security concerns.
The World Food Programme has warned that funding gaps threaten nutrition aid in Afghanistan, with 142 health centers closed in 2025 and over 13,000 children cut off from nutrition treatment. 3.7 million Afghan children are at risk this year, alongside 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women. Disruptions from conflict, high food prices and funding shortfalls have halted distributions through peak malnutrition season; $540 million is urgently needed over the next six months.
Nigeria's security forces have freed 308 hostages abducted in recent months, including 163 from Woro in Kwara state and 145 from Niger state. The operation involved the military, police, and counter-terrorism units and is described by officials as the largest rescue carried out in a single day.
The DRC has recorded the largest-ever Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, with more than 5,600 confirmed cases and over 2,700 deaths, and international agencies are racing to respond. WHO and partners have allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses—20,000 for a Phase III trial and 50,000 for frontline workers—while CEPI has awarded up to $16.5m to advance a Minapharm Bundibugyo vaccine into early human trials. Uganda has received MBP134 antibody vials as a precautionary measure.
Somalia faces a deepening hunger emergency as drought, conflict and displacement collide with severe funding cuts. The World Food Programme and UNICEF warn millions of people, including nearly 1.9 million children at risk of malnutrition, will feel the impact unless funding improves. Health facilities are closing, and aid delivery is increasingly constrained as prices rise and households reduce meals.
Since mid‑May the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded more than 5,600 Ebola cases and about 2,700 deaths; the outbreak has spread across six provinces and is covering an area larger than France. The UN and aid groups have warned infections are rising faster than the international response, funding is running short and frontline workers face attacks and heavy losses.
The Sudanese war enters a new phase as SAF advances in key fronts, RSF defections rise, and regional powers face ongoing calls for a humanitarian truce. Drones and long-range strikes continue to target civilians and critical infrastructure, prompting fresh international concern.
The 12‑day conference has launched a rangelands initiative that mobilizes $1.2 billion for 45 projects, aiming to restore degraded land and bolster food security in fragile ecosystems. The effort, highlighted during Mongolia talks, aligns with broader UN goals to combat desertification and climate impacts.
The World Food Programme has reduced aid in the West Bank from 400,000 to 200,000 and cut cash support to Gaza by 40%, warning that further cuts will be unavoidable without new funding. Other UN and aid groups report similar funding constraints as Western donors tighten budgets.
The Kordofan region faces a worsening humanitarian impact as fighting disrupts trade and access to food. Refugee and aid agencies report rising prices, dwindling incomes, and growing hardship for residents, with El Obeid at the center of displacement and economic strain.
Kenyan authorities have moved to restrict foreign nationals from small informal businesses, with President Ruto backing a bill to reserve hawking and petty retail for Kenyan citizens. The government says the aim is to protect locals and ensure compliance with work permits, while opponents warn of xenophobia and investment risk. Reactions are mixed ahead of elections.