“The humanitarian situation continues to worsen with each passing year due to ongoing conflict, recurring disasters and continued economic decline,” the U.N. humanitarian aid agency, OCHA, said in a statement on Monday.
Although aid reached 6.3 million people in 2025 (including 1.7 million after a major earthquake in March), access challenges, reduced funding and insecurity are making it increasingly difficult for humanitarian agencies to provide sufficient support.
Funds needed to support millions
With more than 3.6 million people displaced across the country, humanitarian organizations will focus in 2026 on 2.6 million people in Myanmar with the most dire needs.
The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan calls for $890 million to reach 4.9 million people with life-saving protection and assistance services.
OCHA warned that underfunding risks “pushing people to make impossible decisions… exposing them to serious risks simply to survive” if essential needs are not met.
Fears grow over a return to all-out civil war in South Sudan as fighting spreads to Akobo region
UN aid workers in South Sudan have expressed deep concern over an order by government forces ordering civilians and aid agencies to leave the town of Akobo, near the border with Ethiopia, ahead of planned military operations.
Since fighting intensified in December 2025, after opposition forces seized government positions in Jonglei State, many civilians have sought refuge in Akobo County.
The county is now home to some 270,000 displaced people (more than half women and children), making it “a critical refuge for people fleeing violence.”
Risk of humanitarian crisis
“Any military action in or around such a densely populated area would expose civilians to grave danger and risk triggering a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Akobo County,” the UN Humanitarian Country Team warned.
Aid agencies reiterated that civilians should never be attacked or forcibly displaced and that all parties must fully respect international humanitarian law.
Humanitarian partners have recently expanded life-saving assistance to displaced people and host communities, but disruptions to aid delivery could put thousands of people at immediate risk.
“We urge all parties to refrain from military operations in populated areas and resolve their differences through dialogue. The people of South Sudan need peace,” the team said.
Women in Afghanistan are almost four times less likely than men to have access to formal justice mechanisms.
Women in Afghanistan are almost four times less likely than men to have access to formal justice mechanisms, according to new findings from the United Nations Assistance Mission in the country (UNAMA).
Only 14 percent of women reported having access to formal dispute resolution services, compared to 53 percent of men.
The findings highlight a deepening crisis for women and girls who have already faced extensive restrictions imposed by the Afghan government. de facto authorities.
“When women are excluded from justice institutions, it undermines their safety, autonomy and the few opportunities they have left to seek help outside the home. This is especially important for women experiencing domestic violence,” said Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative for Afghanistan.
Additional pressure comes from “Decree No. 12” issued by the Taliban earlier this year, which criminalizes criticism of authorities and allows penalties including imprisonment or corporal punishment.
Participants in the consultations called for stronger institutional mechanisms to safeguard women’s access to justice and the re-establishment of women-centred and female-led dispute resolution systems.
Civilian victims in border clashes
Following cross-border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s de facto authorities from the afternoon of 26 February to 5 March 2026, UNAMA verified that 56 civilians were killed and 129 injured due to indirect fire and airstrikes.
Women and children accounted for 55 percent of the victims.
UNAMA reiterated its call on all parties to implement measures to prevent harm to civilians and fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.