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	Human-induced climate change continues to reach new heights by Copernicus Climate Change Service, agencies   Apr. 2025 (Copernicus Climate Change Service, agencies)   The average global temperature last month was 1.6C (2.88F) higher than in pre-industrial times, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday.   March 2025 was the 20th month in a 21-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 14 of these 20 months, from September 2023 to April 2024, and from October 2024 to March 2025, were substantially above 1.5°C, ranging from 1.58°C to 1.78°C.   Scientists have warned that every fraction of a degree of global warming increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts.   Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs the C3S service, noted that Europe experienced extremes in both heavy rain and drought in March.   Europe last month recorded “many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years”, Burgess said.   Scientists said climate change also intensified an extreme heatwave across Central Asia and fuelled conditions for extreme rainfall in countries like Argentina.   Arctic sea ice also fell to its lowest monthly extent last month for any March in the 47-year record of satellite data, C3S said. The previous three months also set record lows.   The main driver of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, according to climate scientists. But even as the costs of disasters due to climate change spiral, the political will to invest in curbing emissions has waned in some countries.   United States President Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax”, despite the overwhelming global scientific consensus that it is human-caused and will have severe and ongoing consequences if not urgently addressed.   In January, Trump signed an executive order to have the US withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming. In 2015, nearly 200 nations agreed in Paris that limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels offered the best chance of preventing the most catastrophic repercussions of climate change.   Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London told the AFP news agency that the world is “firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change”. “That we’re still at 1.6C above pre-industrial is indeed remarkable,” she said.   http://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-maps http://climate.copernicus.eu/second-warmest-march-globally-large-wet-and-dry-anomalies-europe http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-documents-spiralling-weather-and-climate-impacts http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/pace-of-warming-has-doubled-since-1980s http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/global-climate-predictions-show-temperatures-expected-remain-or-near-record-levels-coming-5-years   Apr. 2025   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres message for International Earth Day:   Mother Earth is running a fever. Last year was the hottest ever recorded: The final blow in a decade of record heat.   We know what’s causing this sickness: the greenhouse gas emissions humanity is pumping into the atmosphere – overwhelmingly from burning fossil fuels. We know the symptoms: devastating wildfires, floods and heat. Lives lost and livelihoods shattered.   And we know the cure: rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and turbocharging adaptation, to protect ourselves – and nature – from climate disasters.   Getting on the road to recovery is a win-win. Renewable power is cheaper, healthier, and more secure than fossil fuel alternatives. And action on adaptation is critical to creating robust economies and safer communities, now and in the future.   This year is critical. All countries must create new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius – essential to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe.   This is a vital chance to seize the benefits of clean power. I urge all countries to take it, with the G20 leading the way. We also need action to tackle pollution, slam the brakes on biodiversity loss, and deliver the finance countries need to protect our planet.   Together, let’s get to work and make 2025 the year we restore good health to Mother Earth.   http://wmo.int/publication-series/state-of-global-climate-2024 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1159846 http://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-january-2025-was-warmest-record-globally-despite-emerging-la-nina http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2024-warmest-year-record-about-155degc-above-pre-industrial-level http://wmo.int/media/news/climate-change-impacts-grip-globe-2024 http://wmo.int/media/news/record-carbon-emissions-highlight-urgency-of-global-greenhouse-gas-watch http://www.worldweatherattribution.org/when-risks-become-reality-extreme-weather-in-2024 http://climatenetwork.org/2025/02/11/over-90-of-countries-fail-to-submit-new-ndcs-by-deadline http://www.iied.org/country-climate-targets-another-missed-deadline-make-change-happen-podcast-episode-31   Apr. 2025   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story, which is why its leaders must not fall for the pro-coal lobbying of the Trump administration, says Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa   President Donald Trump’s administration has recently taken to urging African leaders to burn more planet-heating fossil fuels, and in particular coal, the dirtiest of all of them. Simultaneously, it scrapped USAID funding, which had been helping millions of the poorest people in Africa survive amid expanding climate breakdown.   Those thinking of aligning with Trump’s agenda would do well to remember that the droughts, floods, and storms which have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of Africans across the continent have been supercharged by US energy policy. The US alone has produced about a quarter of all historic carbon dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution, which are now responsible for accelerated global warming.   Not only would a coal-based development pathway for Africa heap more misery onto its citizens who are already living on the front lines of the climate crisis, but it would also be economically suicidal.   The economic impact of the climate emergency is already taking a terrible toll on Africa, and a 2022 report by the charity Christian Aid showed that under the current climate trajectory, African countries could suffer a reduction in gross domestic product growth of 64 percent by 2100.   There is also no need for Africa to shackle itself to the outdated fossil fuel infrastructure of coal when the continent is blessed with a spectacular potential for developing clean renewable energy.   The US fossil fuel advocates would be happy to see Africa trail along in the footsteps of the Global North, rather than see the continent leapfrogging the dirty energy era in the same way it leapfrogged landline telephone technology and adopted mobile phones en masse. But Africans should know better.   No other continent has more untapped wind and solar power than Africa, and this remains the key to its long-term prosperity. From the sun-drenched deserts of North Africa to the wind-swept plains of East Africa, the continent has the natural resources to become a global leader in clean energy.   Countries such as Morocco, Kenya and South Africa are already making significant strides in renewable energy development, with projects that harness solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower.   Investing in renewable energy offers numerous benefits. It can improve energy access for millions of people, create jobs, and boost economic growth. Renewable energy projects are often more scalable and adaptable to local needs, making them ideal for rural electrification and community-based initiatives.   By contrast, coal has wrought a terrible cost to Africans. It is often touted as a cheap and reliable energy source, but this ignores the hidden costs of environmental degradation, health impacts, and the overall economic harm of climate breakdown. Moreover, the global shift towards clean energy means that investments in coal are increasingly risky and likely to become stranded assets.   African countries must resist the lobbying efforts of Trump’s fossil fuel backers and instead focus on building a sustainable energy future. This requires a multifaceted approach, including investment in renewable energy infrastructure, strengthening governance and policy frameworks, and fostering international cooperation.   Investing in clean energy infrastructure is crucial. This includes not only large-scale projects like solar parks and wind farms but also decentralised systems that can bring electricity to off-grid communities. Many countries across Africa are already leading the way with community-focused solar systems and microgrids, and these initiatives demonstrate how renewable energy can be both ambitious and pragmatic, addressing energy access challenges while reducing reliance on imported fuels.   Strengthening governance and policy frameworks is equally important. African governments must prioritise climate adaptation and resilience in their urban planning and development processes.   This involves integrating climate considerations into all new projects and ensuring that resources are allocated where they are most needed. Effective governance structures can enable the implementation of climate adaptation strategies and ensure that investments in renewable energy are sustainable and equitable.   International cooperation and support are also vital. The global clean energy transition holds new promise for Africa’s economic and social development. Countries representing more than 70 percent of global CO2 emissions have committed to reaching net zero emissions by mid-century, including several African nations. These commitments can help attract climate finance and technology, enabling African countries to achieve their energy-related development goals on time and in full.   Africa’s path to sustainable economic development lies in embracing renewable, clean energy. The continent has the natural resources and innovative spirit to become a global leader in renewables, improving energy access, creating jobs, and reversing the climate crisis. By resisting the fossil fuel industry’s attempts to perpetuate coal use, African countries can build a resilient and prosperous future for their people.   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story. For that to happen, African leaders must not take advice from a US president who admits he only cares about “America First”.   http://www.powershiftafrica.org/ http://africaclimateplatform.com/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/africa-climate-justice-activists-to-submit-petition-to-achpr-seeking-courts-opinion-on-human-rights-obligations-of-african-states-in-the-context-of-climate-change/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/05/top-african-rights-court-consider-states-climate-obligations http://sdg.iisd.org/commentary/guest-articles/african-unions-voice-at-the-icj-seeking-climate-justice/ http://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/04/20/a-breath-of-fresh-air-indian-supreme-court-declares-protection-from-climate-change-a-fundamental-right/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/council-europe-must-recognise-right-healthy-environment-un-experts-urge http://rightsindevelopment.org/news/planet-burning-people-are-demanding-justice/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5646-scene-setting-report-report-special-rapporteur-promotion-and http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-environment Visit the related web page
	Critical risk of Famine in Gaza Strip amid ongoing conflict, aid blockade by IPC, WFP, UNICEF, agencies   Gaza Strip: Famine confirmed in Gaza Governorate, projected to expand (IPC)   As of 15 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate. After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death. Another 1.07 million people (54 percent) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people (20 percent) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).   Between mid-August and the end of September 2025, conditions are expected to further worsen with Famine projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Nearly a third of the population (641,000 people) are expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), while those in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) will likely rise to 1.14 million (58 percent). Acute malnutrition is projected to continue worsening rapidly.   Through June 2026, at least 132,000 children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition—double the IPC estimates from May 2025. This includes over 41,000 severe cases of children at heightened risk of death. Nearly 55,500 malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women will also require urgent nutrition response.   Despite limited data, conditions in North Gaza Governorate are estimated to be as severe—or worse—than in Gaza Governorate.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-134/en/ http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-says-gaza-famine-must-spur-world-urgent-action http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/famine-confirmed-first-time-gaza http://www.wfp.org/news/famine-confirmed-first-time-gaza http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165702 http://www.savethechildren.net/news/children-starved-plain-sight-famine-confirmed-gaza-save-children http://www.care.org/media-and-press/famine-confirmed-in-gaza-as-assault-on-gaza-city-looms/ http://www.rescue.org/press-release/all-famine-thresholds-now-surpassed-gaza-city-irc-urges-government-israel-enable-aid   May 2025   Gaza Strip: IPC Acute Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition Special Snapshot | April - September 2025   Nineteen months into the conflict, the Gaza Strip is still confronted with a critical risk of Famine. Over 60 days have passed since all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies were blocked from entering the territory. Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation.   From 11 May to the end of September 2025, the whole territory is classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), with the entire population expected to face Crisis or worse acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above).   This includes 470,000 people (22 percent of the population) in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5), over a million people (54 percent) in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and the remaining half million (24 percent) in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).   This marks a significant deterioration compared to the previous IPC analysis (released in October 2024) and the already dire conditions detected between 1 April - 10 May 2025. During this time, 1.95 million people (93 percent) were classified in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), including 244,000 people (12 percent) in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe) and 925,000 (44 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency).   Between 1 April and 10 May, acute malnutrition (AMN) was at Alert and Serious levels (IPC AMN Phase 2 and 3). However, experience has shown that acute malnutrition can worsen rapidly, and latest data indicate a deteriorating trend that is expected to persist. Consequently, acute malnutrition in North Gaza, Gaza and Rafah governorates will likely reach Critical levels (IPC AMN Phase 4) between 11 May and end of September.   Between mid-January and mid-March 2025, the ceasefire allowed a temporary alleviation of acute food insecurity and malnutrition conditions in parts of the Gaza Strip. However, the ongoing blockade imposed in early March reversed the situation. Since 18 March, the escalating conflict has displaced over 430,000 people, further disrupted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, health, water and sanitation services, and caused additional damage to remaining essential infrastructure.   The plan announced on 5 May by Israeli authorities for delivering food and non-food items across the governorates is estimated to be highly insufficient to meet the population’s essential needs for food, water, shelter and medicine.   Moreover, the proposed distribution mechanisms are likely to create significant access barriers for large segments of the population. In light of the announced large-scale military operation across the Gaza Strip and the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to deliver essential goods and services, there is a high risk that Famine (IPC Phase 5) will occur in the projection period (11 May – 30 September). The latest announcements suggest that this worst-case scenario is becoming more likely.   Immediate action is essential to prevent further deaths, starvation and acute malnutrition, and a descent into Famine. This entails ending hostilities, ensuring unrestricted humanitarian access, restoring essential services and commercial flows, and providing sufficient lifesaving assistance to all in need.   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-124/en/ http://www.wfp.org/news/risk-famine-across-all-gaza-new-report-says http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-calls-security-council-act-decisively-prevent-genocide-gaza http://www.who.int/news/item/12-05-2025-people-in-gaza-starving--sick-and-dying-as-aid-blockade-continues   Apr. 2025   If we die while sleeping… will it still hurt, by Nour Elassy - Poet and writer based in Gaza   Last week, during another violent night, my almost four-year-old niece asked me a question I’ll never forget. “If we die while sleeping… will it still hurt?”   I didn’t know what to say. How do you tell a child — who has seen more death than daylight — that dying in your sleep is a mercy?   So I told her: “No. I don’t think so. That’s why we should fall asleep now.”   She nodded quietly, and turned her face to the wall. She believed me. She closed her eyes.   I sat in the dark, listening to the bombs, wondering how many children were being buried alive just down the street.   I have 12 nieces and nephews. All are under the age of nine. They have been my solace and joy in these dark times.   But I, like their parents, struggle to help them make sense of what is going on around us.   We have had to lie to them so many times. They would often believe us, but sometimes they would feel in our voices or our stares that something terrifying was happening. They would feel the horror in the air.   No child should ever have to endure such brutality. No parent should have to cower in despair, knowing they cannot protect their children.   Last month, the ceasefire ended, and with it, the illusion of a pause. What followed wasn’t just a resumption of war — it was a shift to something more brutal and relentless.   In the span of three weeks, Gaza has become a field of fire, where no one is safe. More than 1,400 men, women and children have been killed. Daily massacres have shattered what remained of our ability to hope.   Some of them have hit home. Not just emotionally. Physically. Just yesterday, the air was filled with dust and the smell of blood from just a few streets away. The Israeli army targeted al-Nakheel Street in Gaza City, killing 11 people, including five children.   A few days earlier, at Dar al-Arqam School, a place that had sheltered displaced families, an Israeli air strike turned classrooms into ash. At least 30 people were killed in seconds—mostly women and children.   They had come there seeking safety, believing the blue United Nations flag would protect them. It didn’t. The school is less than 10 minutes away from my home.   The same day, the nearby Fahd School was also bombarded; three people were killed.A day earlier, there was news of a horror scene in Jabalia. An Israeli strike targeted a clinic run by the UNRWA, where civilians were sheltering.   Eyewitnesses described body parts strewn across the clinic. Children burned alive. An infant decapitated. The smell of burning flesh suffocating the survivors. It was a massacre in a place meant for healing.   Amid all this, parts of Gaza City received evacuation orders. Evacuate. Now. But to where? Gaza has no safe zones. The north is levelled. The south is bombed. The sea is a prison. The roads are death traps.   We stayed. It is not because we are brave. It is because we have nowhere else to go. Fear is not the right word to describe what we feel in Gaza. Fear is manageable. Fear can be named.   What we feel is a choking, silent terror that sits inside your chest and never leaves. It is the moment between a missile’s whistle and the impact, when you wonder if your heart has stopped.   It is the sound of children crying from under the rubble. The smell of blood spreading with the wind. It is the question my niece asked.   Foreign governments and politicians call it a “conflict”. A “complex situation”. A “tragedy”.   But what we are living through is not complex. What we are living through is not a tragedy. It is a war crime.   I’ve spent months writing, calling out to the world. I will not let our truth remain unspoken. Because I believe someone is listening. Somewhere. I write because I believe in humanity, even when governments have turned their backs on it. I write so that when history is written, no one can say they didn’t know.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/world-must-act-urgency-save-palestinians-gaza http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-runs-out-food-stocks-gaza-border-crossings-remain-closed http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-warns-deliberate-dismantling-life-gaza http://unocha.exposure.co/gaza-through-the-eyes-of-its-photographers http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1163911 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163681 http://www.unocha.org/news/aid-must-not-be-weaponized-warns-gaza-humanitarian-country-team-amid-mounting-crisis http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2025-05-23/secretary-generals-press-encounter-the-humanitarian-situation-gaza http://news.un.org/en/tags/gaza   26 Aug. 2025   After 500 days under siege, children in Sudan’s Al Fasher face starvation, mass displacement, and deadly violence. (UNICEF)   After 500 days under siege, the city of Al Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur has become an epicentre of child suffering, with malnutrition, disease, and violence claiming young lives daily, UNICEF warned today.   At least 600,000 people - half of them children - have been displaced from Al Fasher and surrounding camps in recent months. Inside the city, an estimated 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, remain trapped in desperate conditions, cut off from aid for more than 16 months.   “We are witnessing a devastating tragedy – children in Al Fasher are starving while UNICEF’s lifesaving nutrition services are being blocked,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Blocking humanitarian access is a grave violation of children's rights, and the lives of children are hanging in the balance.   UNICEF continues to call for immediate and full access, including through expanded pauses in the fighting to allow us to reach all children in need. Children must be protected at all times, and they must have access to life-saving aid.”   The toll on children is catastrophic. Since the start of the siege in April 2024, more than 1,100 grave violations have been verified in Al Fasher alone, including the killing and maiming of over 1,000 children. Many were struck down in their homes, inside displacement camps, or in marketplaces. At least 23 children have been subjected to rape, gang rape, or sexual abuse, while others have been abducted, recruited, or used by armed groups. Due to limited access and verification challenges, the number of affected children is almost certainly significantly higher.   This week saw reports of another mass casualty event, as seven children were reportedly killed in an attack on Abu Shouk Internal Displacement camp, located on the outskirts of Al Fasher.   In Al Fasher, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) siege has completely cut off supply lines. Health facilities and mobile nutrition teams have been forced to suspend services as supplies have been depleted without new supplies able to enter, leaving an estimated 6,000 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) without treatment. Without therapeutic food and medical care, these children face an exponentially higher risk of death.   Health and education facilities have come under continued attack, with 35 hospitals and 6 schools struck, including Al Fasher Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital, which was hit more than ten times, killing and injuring many, including children. In January, shelling destroyed the therapeutic health centre at Abu Shouk camp, depriving thousands of malnourished children of treatment.   Meanwhile, acute malnutrition is spreading fast. More than 10,000 children in Al Fasher have been treated for SAM since January – nearly double last year’s figure. But depletion of supplies has now forced the suspension of services. Recent reports indicate at least 63 people – mostly women and children – died of malnutrition in a single week.   The situation in the wider region is also concerning; In July, Mellit locality – hosting many displaced from Al Fasher – recorded an Acute Malnutrition rate of 34.2 per cent, a record high since the onset of the war in April 2023 in Sudan.   The siege is colliding with Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in decades. Since July 2024, more than 96,000 suspected cases and 2,400 deaths have been reported nationally, with nearly 5,000 cases and 98 deaths in Darfur alone. In overcrowded camps around Tawila, Zamzam, and Al Fasher, children weakened by hunger are now highly vulnerable to deadly waterborne disease.   UNICEF continues to call on the Government of Sudan, and all other concerned parties, to help ensure sustained, unimpeded, and safe access to reach children wherever they are in Sudan, including:   An immediate and sustained humanitarian pause in Al Fasher and across other conflict-affected areas. Unimpeded humanitarian access for the delivery of therapeutic food, medicines, clean water, and other essentials. The re-establishment and continuity of UN and partner operations in the areas most critically affected. Protection of civilians, including children, and civilian infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/after-500-days-under-siege-children-sudans-al-fasher-face-starvation-mass http://sudan.un.org/en/300675-statement-attributable-spokesman-secretary-general-sudan http://www.wfp.org/news/one-year-after-famine-first-confirmed-sudan-wfp-warns-people-trapped-el-fasher-face-starvation http://www.wfp.org/stories/wfp-calls-humanitarian-access-sudanese-city-grapples-starvation http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165642 http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/ingos-condemn-persistent-violations-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-el-fasher-where-civilians-are-starving-and-besieged   http://plan-international.org/news/2025/07/11/children-starve-famine-risk-persists-sudan/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/countries-in-focus-archive/issue-132/en/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Alert_Sudan_July2025.pdf http://www.wfp.org/news/one-year-after-famine-first-confirmed-sudan-wfp-warns-people-trapped-el-fasher-face-starvation http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-attacks-kordofan-states-hundreds-deaths-displacement-collapse-services http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/famine-tightens-grip-on-sudan-ingos-call-for-immediate-access-for-aid http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-sudan-reduced-skin-and-bones-unicef-calls-urgent-action http://www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/over-640000-children-under-five-risk-cholera-spreads-sudans-north-darfur-state http://www.msf.org/war-fuels-cholera-outbreak-across-sudan   UN urges global action to protect and support civilians devastated by Sudan’s war   Two years of conflict have fueled a catastrophic protection crisis and displaced a staggering 12 million people in Sudan and across borders.   Fighting continues to kill and injure civilians and destroy hospitals, markets and other essential infrastructure. Nearly two-thirds of the population need emergency aid, and the country is facing famine conditions. Refugees in dire need arrive in neighbouring countries where local resources are already stretched thin.   “Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. “Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages. Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling. We need to stop the fighting, and funding to deliver for the Sudanese people, and we need better access by land, sea and air to those who need help.”   “Today, one-third of Sudan’s entire population is displaced. The consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Neighbouring countries have shown great solidarity by welcoming refugees, even when more are arriving every day. But their resources are stretched – essentials such as water, shelter and health services are scarce – and Sudan needs urgent support. The international community must step up and help, not just to ensure that emergency aid and life-saving protection can continue without disruption, but also to end the violence and restore peace to Sudan.”   Famine conditions have been reported in numerous locations in Sudan including displacement camps in Darfur and in the western Nuba Mountains. Catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May when the lean season begins. With continued fighting and basic services having collapsed across most of the country, the crisis is set to get worse.   The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan aims to reach nearly 21 million vulnerable people with life-saving aid and protection. This is the highest number of people in any UN-coordinated plan this year. As the conflict rages on, thousands continue to flee every day. The majority arrive in an extremely vulnerable state, with high levels of malnutrition and requiring emergency assistance. To date, nearly 3.5 million people have sought safety in neighbouring countries further stretching already scarce services and resources.   Sudan: Acute Food Insecurity Situation   Twenty months into the conflict, Sudan continues to slide into a widening Famine crisis characterized by widespread starvation and a significant surge in acute malnutrition. The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has detected Famine in at least five areas and projects that five additional areas will face Famine between December 2024 and May 2025. Furthermore, there is a risk of Famine in seventeen additional areas. Half of the population (24.6 million people) is facing high levels of acute food insecurity. This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered unprecedented mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services, and severe societal disruptions, and poor humanitarian access.   Between December 2024 and May 2025, 24.6 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). These results mark a stark increase of 3.5 million people compared to the number originally projected and correspond to over half of the population of Sudan. This includes about 15.9 million people (33 percent) classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis), 8.1 million people (17 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), and at least 638,000 people (1 percent) in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe).   http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159433/ http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/april/sudans-darkest-hour http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-two-years-war-starvation-global-failure-world-must-act-now http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/04/sudan-faces-worsening-humanitarian-catastrophe-famine-and-conflict-escalate http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-children-need-humanitarian-assistance-sudan-doubles-conflict-enters-third http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-new-report-sheds-light-two-years-devastation-sudan http://www.msf.org/two-years-war-sudan-leave-millions-more-need-ever http://news.un.org/en/tags/sudan http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories?responses=30   22 February 2025   Three years into the war in Ukraine, one third of population in frontlines regions struggle to find enough to eat   As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, an estimated five million Ukrainians are facing food insecurity, with the greatest needs concentrated in areas near the frontlines.   According to data collected by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), millions of people are resorting to coping mechanisms, sacrificing their own meals so their children can eat. Others are going into debt to buy sufficient food supplies to feed their families.   WFP continues to provide food and cash assistance to nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians each month, mostly in the frontline regions. Despite these efforts, more than half of the people in the Kherson region in the south face severe hunger, and, two out of every five individuals face hunger in Zaporizhzhia as well as the Donetsk region in the east.   "Families in frontline regions are struggling to put food on the table, forcing them to make heartbreaking choices just to get by," said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Ukraine. “As we look forward to sustainable peace in what is considered to be one of the world’s historical breadbasket regions, we must face the reality that humanitarian aid continues to be a lifeline for millions.”   According to WFP monitoring, 72 percent of those who receive food assistance reported having to cut back on food, buy less nutritious food, skip meals, or borrow money to feed their family. Across six frontline regions almost a third of all people are food insecure.   In areas close to the war, commercial supply chains are disrupted, infrastructure is often damaged or destroyed, and the opportunities to earn money are scarce. Where supermarkets are accessible and stocked, many families cannot afford nutritious food. The cost of basic food items rose by 25 percent in the last year, with some staple vegetables more than doubling in price.   Since March 2022, WFP has provided assistance in Ukraine equivalent to 3.3 billion meals and distributed 445,000 metric tons of food.   Meanwhile, the challenges of delivering lifesaving assistance near the frontlines have been growing. In the last six months, WFP food distribution points and the vehicles or assets of its local humanitarian partners have been hit by drones, shelling or missiles more than 20 times, putting humanitarian operations at risk.   http://www.wfp.org/news/three-years-ukraine-war-one-third-population-frontline-regions-struggle-find-enough-eat http://www.nrc.no/news/2025/february/ukraine-three-years-on-sharp-increase-in-basic-needs-along-the-frontline http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-after-three-years-war-ukrainians-need-peace-and-aid http://www.msf.org/medical-humanitarian-needs-ukraine-remain-urgent-ever http://www.ifrc.org/article/ukraine-ifrc-president-kate-forbes-reflects-scars-conflict-and-long-road-recovery http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/press-releases/suspension-of-us-international-aid-has-serious-consequences-as-ukraine-marks-three-years-of-war/ http://unocha.exposure.co/ukraine-three-years-of-fullscale-war http://www.savethechildren.net/news/ukraine-i-fear-i-wont-be-able-help-my-child-75-people-struggling-make-ends-meet-after-3-years http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/three-years-loss-and-fear-war-ukraine-shatters-childrens-lives Visit the related web page
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