The situation is most serious in the eastern provinces, where fighting between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and other armed groups has displaced tens of thousands of people since early 2026.
Insecurity and financing deficit
Around 3.59 million people are internally displaced in eastern DRC, with the provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu being the most affected. The closure of Goma airport following the fall of the city last year further disrupted humanitarian access and supply chains across the region.
Despite the magnitude of the crisis, food assistance reached only about 1.1 million people in the four worst-affected eastern provinces in January and February (just 23 percent of the beneficiaries of the 2026 humanitarian response plan), leaving about 3.8 million without support.
Lack of funding has forced some partners to suspend operations entirely, while insecurity, deteriorating roads and rising food prices continue to worsen the crisis.
Taliban carry out mass ‘corporal punishment’
The Taliban carried out judicial corporal punishment against at least 312 people – including 39 women and four children – in just three months, according to a new UN human rights report on Afghanistan
The report says a sweeping new decree also expanded the scope of the death penalty and criminalized dissent.
“Decree No. 12 on Criminal Court Rules,” distributed to all de facto courts in January, expanded the death penalty to crimes such as blasphemy, heresy, and “persistence in corruption.” It also criminalized criticism of Taliban authorities and their interpretation of Islamic law.
Penalties range from lashings to years in prison for insulting Taliban leaders or failing to denounce their opponents.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also documented at least 336 arbitrary arrests by the so-called “vice police” and the suspension of two media outlets during the period.
Women excluded from work and education
De facto authorities completely removed women from the civil service payroll in January, and many discovered their dismissal only when they did not receive their monthly salary.
The last day of March also marked the 205th consecutive day that Afghan women were banned from UN facilities across the country.
Meanwhile, as the new academic year began that month, the ban on girls attending school beyond sixth grade entered its fifth consecutive year, leaving 2.2 million girls and women without access to secondary or higher education, according to the United Nations education agency UNESCO.
A world without sand? UN partners push for alternatives amid shortages
Sand is not an inexhaustible resource and humanity is extracting sand and gravel faster than nature can replenish it, according to a new report published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on Tuesday.
The world currently uses around 50 billion tonnes of sand each year, while extraction is increasing in rivers, lakes, coastal areas and fragile marine protected areas.
Climate change is one of the main drivers of increased demand, as more sand is needed to build infrastructure such as sea walls to protect against rising oceans. Population growth and urbanization are also driving demand.
Population growth increases demand
“We have seen it particularly in Asia and Southeast Asia, where the economy was booming. But we will see it now in Africa because the population will double between now and 2050,” said Pascal Peduzzi, a senior UNEP official.
“This means more than 1.27 billion people. All of them will need housing, schools and infrastructure,” he added.
UNEP warns that while it is essential for economic development, it is equally vital for ecosystems, livelihoods and water security.
Aerial view of a construction site showing sand extraction, heavy machinery and deforestation.
Looking for alternatives
The report argues that many governments still treat sand as a cheap construction material rather than a strategic resource linked to biodiversity, water security and climate resilience.
But some countries are starting to rethink that approach. Colombia has formally recognized the importance of sand and gravel as strategic resources, while in Brazil companies are expanding the use of “ore-sand” – a byproduct of mineral processing – that could reduce pressure on rivers and coastal ecosystems traditionally targeted for extraction.
UNEP calls for stricter environmental oversight, greater transparency around extraction permits and a move away from lowest-cost sourcing practices that often ignore long-term environmental damage.
The agency is urging governments and industry to adopt more sustainable extraction approaches and highlighted alternatives such as compressed straw, which can be used as a durable and energy-efficient building material.