Welcome back to the Cheat Sheet after the holiday break. To get back up to speed, don’t miss our 2025 lookaheads!
Here are our team of specialist editors’ weekly takes on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
Dire Israeli-imposed conditions lead to child deaths in Gaza’s winter
In the past month, at least eight newborn babies and 74 children have died of hypothermia and other causes related to the dire conditions in the Gaza Strip during winter, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian in the enclave are living in tents with little protection from the rain. Humanitarian agencies have only been able to distribute 19,000 winter clothing kits and food is still scarce as relief efforts continue to face Israeli obstruction and attacks on aid, as well as other difficulties due to the Israel-precipitated collapse of civil order. Meanwhile, the official death toll from Israel’s war has risen to over 46,000, according to Gaza health authorities. The true count, however, is almost certainly significantly higher. A new study in the Lancet found that Palestinian health authorities likely undercounted deaths from traumatic injury by 41% between October 2023 and June last year. Meanwhile, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden announced a new $8 billion arm sale to Israel – on top of $17.9 billion in military aid already provided in the first year of the war. For a first person account from the ground in Gaza, check out our weekend read below.
One month since the fall of al-Assad in Syria
The month since rebel forces unexpectedly toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad on 8 December has been one of relative calm in Syria following nearly 14 years of civil war. However, there have been clashes between rebel forces and remnants of the former regime as well as between Turkish-backed factions and Kurdish militias in the northeast. On 6 January, the US lifted some restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria, making it easier for international NGOs to operate without running afoul of US sanctions, which remain in place. Nearly 15 million people – out of a population of around 24 million – are in need of assistance. Meanwhile, over 115,000 Syrians have returned to the country in the past month. The question of refugee returns is already proving controversial. After al-Assad’s ouster, many European countries rushed to suspend the processing of asylum claims by Syrians, and some are looking for ways to return people to the country long before it can objectively be considered safe to do so.
LA wildfires fuelled by climate change and firefighter shortages
At least 10 people have died, 9,000 homes have been destroyed, and more than 100,000 people have been evacuated as multiple wildfires engulf the Los Angeles suburbs. The fires broke out between 7 and 9 January, fuelled by strong winds and drought-like conditions. Estimates of the cost of the fires are as high as $50 billion. President Biden has issued a Major Disaster Declaration, allowing the federal government to fund the response and the recovery. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the LA Fire Department has asked off-duty firefighters to make themselves available, but LA County’s fire chief has said there are still not enough personnel to handle the fires. The disaster has resurfaced criticism of LA mayor Karen Bass, who adopted a city budget last year that slashed the LA Fire Department’s funds by $17.5 million while increasing the police department’s funds by $126 million. Global climate change is thought to be a factor in Southern California’s “weather whiplash”, in which alternating wet and dry conditions produce an abundance of grasses and shrubs one year that dry out and burn the next. Global average temperatures last year were around 1.6C above pre-industrial levels, bringing Paris Agreement signatories closer to failing in their commitment to averting a 1.5C increase over the long term.
Coltan mining profits fuel M23 expansion in DR Congo
The M23 armed group is continuing to pursue expansionist objectives across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a report by UN experts. The report underscores the failure of the ceasefire deals and peace talks held between DRC and Rwanda (which supports the rebels) under the aegis of Angola. It argues that the M23 plans the long-term occupation and exploitation of conquered territories, where it has been setting up parallel administrations and recruiting thousands of new members, including children. It states that the group has been consolidating support from other armed movements in Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu provinces, forging non-aggression pacts and building new proxy forces. The rebels are also making a large profit from taxing mineral production, especially at the Rubaya mining sites in North Kivu, which produce one of the world’s largest sources of coltan. The minerals are being fraudulently exported to Rwanda in what amounts to the “largest contamination” of mineral supply chains recorded in the region to date.
Macron condemned for “contemptuous” Africa comments
After his offensive comments towards Haitians and residents of cyclone-hit Mayotte, France’s increasingly autocratic President Emmanuel Macron (once Europe’s great liberal hope) has resumed his habit of condescending Sahelian leaders (instead of sorting out his own domestic blunders). Speaking in Paris, Macron said regional governments have shown “ingratitude” to France for deploying troops to fight jihadist groups in the Sahel, and that none would be sovereign nations if not for French largesse. Chad's Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah said Macron's comments revealed his “contemptuous attitude towards Africa and Africans”, while Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko pointed out that French meddling has frequently destablised African countries (including in the Sahel). Several West African countries have ended their military agreements with France in recent years, and regional anti-jihadist operations run by the former colonial power have ended. Far from preserving sovereignty, French counter-insurgency operations escalated rebellions, stirred communal conflicts, and resulted in civilian casualties that Paris refused to account for.
Thoughts from a “dispensable” frontline workforce
Frontline aid workers are under attack, but many feel unprotected, underpaid, and so stressed that it affects their daily work, according to a new study. The research, published by groups including Delhi-based Humanitarian Aid International, warns that the humanitarian sector’s inequities – where big aid agencies dominate funding but don’t share enough for local groups to keep their staff safe – are a big part of the problem. In surveys and interviews, less than half the staff at local NGOs had basic protections like evacuation plans, insurance, and risk monitoring. Basic job security was a problem: One in five had no formal contracts. More than half the respondents at local organisations reported taking on second jobs to make ends meet. The report’s recommendations include creating a bill of rights outlining minimum standards for frontline workers, providing life and injury insurance, and opening up pooled funds to be used for more support costs. Money is a root problem in a system where policies treat frontline workers as “dispensable”, the report warns, adding: “Fair overhead payments are the foundation for stronger local organisations and better treatment of frontline workers.”
Weekend read
First person | In Gaza, winter is not just a season
It’s a cruel test of the body and soul.
As cold and rain compound the effects of Israel’s 15-month assault and siege, Rita Baroud fears suffering in the enclave has become normalised.
And finally…
Meta charts a new course on content moderation
Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to loosen content controls at Meta ahead of Donald Trump’s second term smacks of opportunism, but what does it mean for conflict areas? So far, not an awful lot. The rollout of new features (X-style crowdsourced notes will replace third-party fact-checking) will initially only apply to the US, and it’s unclear how the changes would fare in other countries with new regulations designed to protect users. Still, the broader attack on content moderation – set off by Elon Musk – could eventually lead to serious harms outside the US. Two cases show what is at stake: In Myanmar, hate speech shared on Facebook and amplified by engagement-hungry algorithms catalysed mass violence against the Rohingya, while in Ethiopia – where Facebook put few resources into moderation – Tigrayans said online hate campaigns played a key role in abuses against them. That said, giving tech leaders the power to arbitrate truth has never been ideal. Meta has a disturbing record of crackdowns on content supportive of Palestine, and other tech companies have deprioritised alternative media, while mainstream outlets (regular producers of mis/disinformation about conflicts) are often let off the hook.
