An international humanitarian flotilla arrived in Cuba, where the government control aid and has been accused of improper delivery practices. Many are distrustful that the goods the convoy brought will be distributed fairly. Read our report from Havana.
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Decolonise How? | Should there be foreign correspondents? Jane Ferguson reflects on what she’s learned as a journalist since first meeting host Patrick Gathara while reporting in Mogadishu in 2010.

The latest episode of the #DecoloniseHow podcast asks: Should there be foreign correspondents? “As long as there's interest in their work, people want to hear their storytelling.” Jane Ferguson believes. What does Patrick Gathara think?
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In Cuba, a humanitarian flotilla sails into troubled political waters When the flotilla arrived in Havana, it raised hackles and reignited suspicions about the transparency of emergency aid distribution in the country.

Amid the US oil blockade, an international flotilla brought 35 tons of aid to Cuba, but it raised hackles among Cubans and reignited suspicions about the transparency of emergency aid distribution in the country.

Sudanese communities are rebuilding under fire. Will Berlin back them? Civil society groups need open-ended support that leaves them stronger when international attention inevitably shifts.

As Sudan’s war enters its fourth year, it can no longer be seen as a humanitarian emergency alone. It is a test case for how the international community will respond to complex crises in an era of shrinking aid budgets.

In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on the humanitarian news headlines this week, here’s a quick catch-up from our specialist editors: ⬇️ buff.ly/rXNFUhf

Inklings | What new jobs say about NGO expansion and local aid Notes on aid: OCHA enters its donor era, and are big aid groups using pooled funds to grow?

🗞️ In the latest Inklings aid policy newsletter: What new jobs say about NGO expansion and local aid.

Three years of war in Sudan, Lebanon’s tenuous ceasefire, and is Cuba next? The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

Here’s what’s on the radar of our specialist humanitarian news editors this week: ⬇️

Weddings return to a broken Gaza Marriage remains a beautiful part of life. But in Gaza, it is a decision weighed against loss, risk, and an unpredictable future.

“I forgot the exhaustion and the hard moments when I saw Noor in white."
Weddings in Gaza are both brief moments of joy and reminders of how much has been lost. Read Mariam Mushtaha's reflection on her sister's wedding: ⬇️

Decolonise How? | Should there be foreign correspondents? Jane Ferguson reflects on what she’s learned as a journalist since first meeting host Patrick Gathara while reporting in Mogadishu in 2010.

In this episode of Decolonise How? host Patrick Gathara sits down with journalist Jane Ferguson to debate what role foreign correspondents should have in telling stories from crises, and why she now describes herself as a “recovering war reporter.”
Listen to the full episode here:

As Sudan’s war reaches its three-year mark, a third international gathering convenes in Berlin this week.
The key question isn’t what can be built for Sudan – it’s whether the international community will back what already exists, boldly and urgently enough to make a difference. ⬇️

Rethinking Humanitarianism | An exit talk with UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini UNRWA’s departing chief describes “the most brutal experience” of his career, and the “slippery slope” waiting for humanitarians in Gaza.

With over 35-years of humanitarian work behind him, including the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Philippe Lazzarini describes his tenure as UNRWA chief as “the most brutal experience” of his career. Listen why: ⬇️

Israel’s Lebanon occupation, death penalty for Palestinians, and humanitarian AI: The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

Here’s what’s on the radar of our specialist humanitarian news editors this week: ⬇️

In Dadaab, a pressure cooker existence of prolonged displacement, slashed aid, and fading futures is driving a spike in suicides.
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Dadaab voices: What’s behind the rise in refugee suicides? A pressure cooker existence of prolonged displacement, slashed aid, and fading futures is driving a spike in suicides.

Rates are even higher among those who have witnessed violence and lived through prolonged displacement.
In Dadaab, women who have experienced gender-based violence – a longstanding problem in the camps – are also far more likely to struggle with depression and PTSD.
Full report: ⬇️
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Dadaab voices: What’s behind the rise in refugee suicides? A pressure cooker existence of prolonged displacement, slashed aid, and fading futures is driving a spike in suicides.

Researchers say suicide rates are higher among camp-based refugees and displaced people than among host populations.
In East Africa, refugees also face higher rates of depression (31%) and functional impairment (62%) than local populations (10% and 25%, respectively).

Between Gaza and Europe: Searching for home For exiled Palestinian journalist Rita Baroud, her life in Gaza before the genocide is an inner measure she carries with her wherever she goes.

It's been almost one year since Palestinian journalist Rita Baroud evacuated from Gaza. Here, she writes about learning to straddle cultures and the inner measure of home she carries no matter where she goes: ⬇️

In Nigeria’s Maiduguri, a doctor has a simple cure for adapting to extreme heat Extreme temperatures are an overlooked global problem that cause many new challenges for humanitarians. There are ways to fight back.

Extreme heat is making humanitarian responses more complex.
Here’s what doctors in Nigeria did.

Israel’s Lebanon occupation, death penalty for Palestinians, and humanitarian AI: The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

Here’s what’s on the radar of our specialist humanitarian news editors this week: ⬇️

Rethinking Humanitarianism | An exit talk with UNRWA’s Philippe Lazzarini UNRWA’s departing chief describes “the most brutal experience” of his career, and the “slippery slope” waiting for humanitarians in Gaza.

With over 35-years of humanitarian work behind him, including the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Philippe Lazzarini describes his tenure as UNRWA chief as “the most brutal experience” of his career. Listen why:

Inklings | Save the Children and the elephant in the pool Notes on aid: Who gets US pooled fund cash, local aid promises in an era of cuts, and what Save the Children really wants you to know.

In the latest Inklings: Early data on who gets US pooled fund cash. The usual suspects dominate: 98% of funding for UN agencies and INGOs. Only 2% for local organisations.

Read more:

Local aid virtue signalling undermines reforms A big NGO promised to leave UN pooled funds for local aid groups. It’s in line to receive millions, along with other international agencies.

Save the Children announced to widespread praise that it would stop taking money from UN-run pooled funds to make way for local humanitarian groups. So why is the NGO accepting millions in new funding?

Land Day and the Palestinian struggle after 30 months of genocide Nour ElAssy on the annual commemoration of colonial violence and land theft and resisting the normalisation of erasure through language and writing.

Every year on 30 March, Palestinians mark Yom al-Ard, Land Day. Palestinian journalist and poet Nour ElAssy, who is from Gaza, writes about what the day means to her this year: ⬇️

One month of war on Iran, swirling tensions in the Horn, and global drone proliferation: The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on the humanitarian news headlines this week, here’s a quick catch-up from our specialist editors: ⬇️

How AI weaponises confusion to fuel harm and block accountability Of particular concern to humanitarians, this content is helping to create a dangerous vacuum in the application of the rules of war.

There is no silver bullet solution to reducing the harmful impact of AI-enabled deception during times of war. But there are steps that can be taken by governments, tech platforms, and individual users. Find out more in this oped: ⬇️

Excuse me Ted Cruz, I need to set the record straight The senator has distorted my reporting to try to persuade the Supreme Court to give the government expansive power to block access to asylum.

US Senator Ted Cruz has cited an article by our Migration Editor Eric Reidy, taking it grossly out of context, to try to persuade the Supreme Court to give presidential administrations a powerful tool to block access to asylum. Read @ericreidy.bsky.social response: ⬇️ buff.ly/uKWLGOZ

Iran gas strikes, Kabul rehab centre bombing, and crunch time in Cuba: The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on the humanitarian news headlines this week, here’s a quick catch-up from our specialist editors: ⬇️

📈 US money now dominates UN-run pooled funds. This changes the math on local aid promises. More in the Inklings newsletter: ⬇️ buff.ly/vi6EXM7

Aid group scrubs content after TNH exposes donations to Israeli soldiers and settlers One NGO has deleted and edited at least 20 posts about donations to Israeli soldiers and illegal settlements or work in Israeli-occupied Syria.

Last month, a TNH investigation revealed that a group of closely related NGOs involved in the Gaza aid response has donated supplies to Israeli soldiers and illegal West Bank settlements. Now, one of those groups has been deleting online evidence of donations: ⬇️

Iran war displaces 4 million, Israeli settlers ramp up West Bank attacks, and Cuba awaits a controversial flotilla: The Cheat Sheet A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.

In case you haven’t been keeping tabs on the humanitarian news headlines this week, here’s a quick catch-up from our specialist editors: ⬇️

Iran war: America’s shame and the continuing ruination of a region There’s not one axis of evil but two, and countless people – and their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for better lives – have been crushed in between.

"Looking at the collective record, the unavoidable truth is that there was not one axis of evil but two, and innumerable people... have been crushed in between."
@ericreidy.bsky.social writes about the American-Israeli war in Iran: ⬇️