The New Humanitarian
Journalism from the heart of crises
- Want to stay in the loop on global humanitarian issues? Our editors break down the week’s most important humanitarian developments and what they mean. ⬇️
- Thousands of children remain unlawfully detained in al-Hol and al-Roj camps in northeast Syria. Six years of evidence shows repatriation protects children and strengthens long-term security. Prolonged detention does neither. bit.ly/3M7aQp8
- Tanzania is ramping up efforts to push out the remaining 142,000 Burundian refugees in the country, threatening to close all camps in the coming few months. bit.ly/3Zj1hq1
- Aid workers say mounting pressure from Burkina Faso’s military rulers is making it much harder for them to reach civilians affected by the country's long-running jihadist conflict. bit.ly/4tkdhVS
- In Peru, homicides and extortions are rising fast, as political instability gives ground to the surge of organised crime. The humanitarian impact has been significant enough for some aid groups to reprioritise their assistance. Read more: ⬇️
- The recent eruption of violence in Balochistan should also draw attention to an ongoing epidemic of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Read: ⬇️
- A peace deal was signed by the presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda in Washington last December, yet days later the Kigali-backed M23 rebel group launched a new offensive. A reporter travels the road the rebels advanced along, exposing the agreement's emptiness: ⬇️
- Detentions, torture, and the extra judicial killings of government opponents is prevalent in Burundi, and a threat to returning refugees. Read: ⬇️
- Reversing course, MSF announced on 30 January that it had decided not to comply with an Israeli law aid workers see as an attempt to silence advocacy and manipulate the aid response. Read Riley Sparks write-up of the controversy that preceded the decision: ⬇️ buff.ly/rwwwrAU
- Chaos, confusion, and more ethical dilemmas: Humanitarians are still trying to understand the impacts of a sweeping expansion to the so-called “global gag rule” on US funding.
- Read Riley Sparks’ nuanced rundown of MSF's back-and-forth over whether to provide staff names in the occupied Palestinian territories to Israeli authorities – and what's at stake for the aid response in Gaza:
- "I do not reject peace. On the contrary, I desperately want it. But peace, for me, is not a council without Palestinians nor an administration imposed from the outside. Peace is being part of the decision, not its subject" From journalist Rasha Abou Jalal: ⬇️ bit.ly/4qibH4s
- From the return of territorial conquest and the growing risk from drone warfare to climate disasters in a world beyond 1.5°C and skewed crisis coverage, our specialist editors break down 10 humanitarian trends to watch in 2026. Read the full story: ⬇️
- Opinion: Bangladesh’s Bhasan Char project, a man-made floating refugee camp with the stylings of a penal colony in the Bay of Bengal, was destined, from the outset, to fail Rohingya refugees. bit.ly/3Z7Kd6g
- On the Rethinking Humanitarianism podcast: the Rohingya community’s long wait for justice, how a case in The Hague opened the door for accountability elsewhere, and humanitarians’ complex role delivering aid amid a genocide. Listen: bit.ly/4t8RqAE
- The New Humanitarian spoke to Iranians who have been forced to choose between healthcare and food while well-paying jobs were drying up. Their stories paint a stark picture of how macroeconomic decisions affect the most fundamental aspects of daily and drive people to protest: bit.ly/4q5G5P4
- "Ordinary people are the first responders, and they will continue wanting to help." Read Henrik Kjellmo Larsen on the role of spontaneous volunteers during a time when formal humanitarianism is being forced into retreat: ⬇️ bit.ly/4bZAoim
- "We know one thing for certain – any future that does not see us or hear us will not be safe, no matter what name it carries." Palestinian journalist Rasha Abou Jalal on Trump's Board of Peace: ⬇️ buff.ly/jjxyLZJ
- "As it is being presented, the Board of Peace does not seem to view us as a people with the right to self-determination, but rather as a humanitarian file that needs management, not justice." Read Palestinian journalist Rasha Abou Jalal's latest: ⬇️
- The New Humanitarian spoke to Iranian-Canadian journalist Samira Moyeddin to find out more about what started the protests in Iran, what the people inside Iran actually want, and what the threats of US military action could mean for millions of Iranians in the country. buff.ly/bAihQIx
- For minority groups, the fragile ceasefire in the northeast comes with more profound questions over their future in Syria.
- In the Inklings aid policy newsletter: If it sticks – that’s a big if – the US plan to send humanitarian cash through UN pooled funds could reshape the funding landscape. And that has some other agencies in a fix. buff.ly/a5lA10H
- “I thought war could only destroy, yet in Sudan I witnessed courage, compassion, and the endurance of ordinary people”. Sudanese writer Samah Fawzi reflects on the small gifts of war – a jug of water, a wad of cash, a 2x1 meter shop – that reveal moments of grace and hope. buff.ly/atFTCxL
- Sudanese fleeing RSF massacres in El Fasher crossed the desert to reach a displacement camp in Al Dabbah in Northern State. Local communities have welcomed them with food but conditions remain harsh. buff.ly/8YgxfvG
- What happens when a refugee exposes human trafficking inside a refugee camp? According to one journalist now living in a safe house, it is neglect and a broken system that prefers silence. ⬇️ buff.ly/BhOoSPr
- 🚨New Inklings: Questions and (one or two) answers about the US-OCHA funding deal, more awkward tech partners, and Israel’s new Google keywords target. ➡️
- From power plays in Gaza and Davos, to fighting in South Sudan, to millions facing hunger across Africa – our latest Cheat Sheet breaks down the biggest stories you need to know, without the noise. ⬇️
- A poet in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp explores a system blind to people’s needs. These poems speak to experiences shared by displaced communities everywhere. They explore the tension between hope and hunger; between the promises of programmes and the realities of daily survival.
- War brought chaos in Sudan, but it also revealed the humanity of strangers and the strength of communities, writes Samah Fawzi in this first person essay.
- US President said the US military strikes in Nigeria were aimed at stopping the spread of IS-linked jihadists, but key insurgent groups were left unscathed. Malik Samuel analysis draws on reporting with community informants who have deep, first-hand knowledge of local insurgents.
- Opinion: There is something dangerously soothing about moral distance. It allows scholars, commentators, and policymakers to pass judgment without ever risking involvement; to treat global violence as a thought experiment rather than a structure they inhabit. – Gert Van Hecken
- Are humanitarian systems doing enough to protect refugees living in safe houses? Apparently not, according to a journalist living in a safehouse after exposing human trafficking cartels in a refugee camp. Read his account: ⬇️
- With every survivor account, the picture of RSF atrocities in El Fasher grows clearer. Here, we report from Al Dabbah, where displaced Darfuris sought refuge after crossing the desert.
- Since the US attacks, intensified state repression threatens to severely hinder aid access in Venezuela, even as the most vulnerable face rising needs. Read our story here. ⬇️
- Protests have spread across Iran, and the fallout is rapidly evolving. @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Professor Hamid Dabashi explains the wider historic context behind these protests.
- 📰 Inklings newsletter: How long before we see an aid agency partner up with a weapons company? thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/01/…
- “Israel’s decision to suspend 37 international humanitarian organisations working in the Gaza Strip is not a technical or administrative measure. It is a political act that is deepening the already catastrophic humanitarian collapse caused by Israel’s genocidal war.” – Rita Baroud.
- Start your week with our editors’ take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe. thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/01/16/ira…
- Since the US attacks, intensified state repression threatens to severely hinder aid access in Venezuela, even as the most vulnerable face rising needs. Read our story here. thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/01/14…
- Start your week with our editors’ take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe. thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/01/16/ira…
- In the latest Inklings aid policy newsletter: the next Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, US funding, weapons partnerships, new job types, and other predictions for the year ahead. thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/01/…
- 3️⃣ humanitarian predictions: 🧨 Weird new partnership: Weapons firm x humanitarian aid? 🪖 The next Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will emerge, and be a lot more polished ⛑️ Local aid funding will take a lunge forward, and a shove back ⬇️ buff.ly/pxcZ40L
- President Nicolás Maduro´s kidnapping by the US has triggered a reconfiguration of power among armed groups, criminal networks and paramilitary militias that could generate new conflicts and drive additional humanitarian needs in Venezuela. Read our analysis here.
- What happens when a refugee exposes human trafficking inside a refugee camp? According to one journalist now living in a safe house, it is neglect and a broken system that prefers silence. ⬇️
- US President Donald Trump said the December 2025 US military strikes in Nigeria were aimed at stopping the spread of IS-linked jihadists, but key insurgent groups were left unscathed. ⬇️
- Start your week in the know. Read The Cheat Sheet, our editors’ weekly briefing on the humanitarian stories, trends, and developments shaping the world.
- The crisis of illiberalism. The global gender backlash. Aid blind spots. Gaza and the failure of international law. Our guests have come up with ideas on how to move forward. Here are key takeaways to navigate today’s challenges, and the issues driving conversations in 2026. buff.ly/OgOBVix
- Sudanese writer Samah Fawzi reflects on the small gifts of war – a jug of water, a wad of cash, a 2x1 meter shop – that reveal moments of grace and hope.
- Every year, our team of specialist editors draws up a list of humanitarian crises to watch. In 2026, as ever, there are strong cases for including several more dynamic settings, from the Sahel to Iran, from Yemen to Myanmar. Read: ⬇️
- Here are 6️⃣ humanitarian trends for 2026. There are risks, dilemmas – and opportunities for change. 💸 The money problem 🤖 Big tech, weird partnerships 🤳 Changing risk: Drones, detention, influencers 🪣 Pooled funds 🫠 Climate justice 🔚 Exit planning
