Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
The Gaza ceasefire’s rocky first week
The first week of Gaza’s ceasefire has had its ups and downs, but the deal is still holding – at least for now. Hamas released the 20 living Israeli hostages still in captivity, and Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners and detainees. Many of the Palestinians were abducted by Israeli forces from Gaza during the war and held without charge in prisons and detention camps where rights groups have alleged widespread torture and abuse. The return of the bodies of around 28 deceased Israeli hostages is proving to be a stumbling block. Hamas has struggled to locate the bodies due to the widespread destruction in Gaza, and Israel is continuing to restrict aid and threatening to restart the war if the bodies are not returned. The Israeli military has also not entirely ceased its fire in Gaza: At least 24 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the deal came into effect on 10 October, according to a Hamas official. Israel has delayed opening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, and the amount of aid Israel is allowing to enter the enclave is significantly less than what is needed to address the widespread hunger – including famine in parts of Gaza – caused by Israel’s war. Hamas, whose security forces have re-emerged on Gaza’s streets, is also clashing with rival clans and gangs, leading to dozens of deaths. The question of whether Hamas will disarm and hand over political authority – and to what entity – remains a key unresolved issue. For views on the ceasefire from Palestinians, read Rasha Abou Jalal’s article from Gaza and Rita Baroud’s piece from Amsterdam.
What just happened in Madagascar?
A key military unit that had brought Andry Rajoelina to power in 2009 this week deposed him. CAPSAT mutinied after weeks of rolling protests against corruption and poverty by youth activists known as Gen Z Madagascar -- demonstrations in which 22 people were shot dead. Rajoelina, who had been impeached in a series of fast-moving events, flew out of the country on a French military plane on 13 October. The coup appears to have been accepted within the security forces, with moves made to heal frictions between the military and gendarmerie. Colonel Michael Randrianirina, CAPSAT’s leader, sworn in on 17 October, has announced plans to create a transitional government and rule until elections in two years. It’s unclear if Gen Z representatives will be included in the new administration. The High Constitutional Court affirmed Randrianirina’s leadership, but also ruled elections must be held within 60 days. The coup has been condemned by the Africa Union (AU) and regional body SADC, which suspended Madagascar. However, the AU is looking for a diplomatic solution and is dusting off its 2011 roadmap for peace, which ended the political crisis following the 2009 coup. The new government looks keen to avoid any putsch-related international sanctions.
Afghanistan and Pakistan on edge as cross-border attacks escalate
Media reports suggest representatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan could hold imminent talks in Qatar to try to negotiate a settlement after more than a week of hostilities and cross-border attacks killed dozens in both countries. The deadliest clashes between the neighbours since the Taliban seized power of Afghanistan in 2021 erupted on 9 October, when Pakistan reportedly launched airstrikes targeting militant elements in Afghan border areas. The Pakistani government has accused Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate government of harbouring members of the Pakistani Taliban, known by the acronym TTP – accusations the Islamic Emirate rejects. The situation escalated with clashes involving Pakistani forces in Kandahar and Kabul provinces that resulted in at least 17 civilian deaths and 340 injuries, according to the UN. The fiercest clashes were in Spin Boldak. Kabul also came under attack, with reports of an explosion in a highly residential and commercial area of the city. Amid reports that Pakistan was stepping up airstrikes on hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban – accused of an escalating campaign of insurgent attacks within Pakistan – local Afghan media reported a blast near a Kabul school with 500 students in attendance at the time. Shortly before the end of a 48-hour ceasefire at 13:00 GMT on 17 October, an alleged Pakistani Taliban suicide car bomber reportedly struck a military compound in Mir Ali, a city in the Pakistani border district of North Waziristan, killing up to seven soldiers and raising further doubts about whether negotiators in Qatar could turn the truce into a lasting peace.
What do states think about UN80 reforms?
UN Secretary-General António Guterres tabled his signature UN80 reform plans before member states at the General Assembly on 15 October. A mostly polite reception suggests observers hoping for changes more seismic than what Guterres has proposed may be left waiting a bit longer – especially when it comes to humanitarian action. UN80’s humanitarian bits largely focus on shrinking bureaucracy, sharing backend services like HR and logistics, and revamping coordination – similar to the nuts and bolts of the existing humanitarian reset. On this, European Union countries – collectively, the humanitarian system’s largest donors – said only that the UN80 overview was “welcome”. Even the United States – which has demolished its aid programme under President Donald Trump – said it would “support efforts to deliver faster, leaner, more accountable support”, and mirrored UN80 talking points on humanitarian action (less so in other areas). Significant UN reform is ultimately up to UN member states. Is there an appetite to push for bigger changes? Even amid the politeness, there are signs that countries are underwhelmed by UN80: “The current proposals do not yet fully meet the scale of today’s challenges,” the EU said.
US ramps up military pressure on Maduro
President Trump has publicly acknowledged authorising covert CIA operations in Venezuela and says he is considering ground strikes. Tensions began escalating in August when Trump deployed warships into international waters off Venezuela. Ostensibly billed as action against the cartels, the move was seen by some as part of a bid to oust Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro. Since September, the Trump administration has ordered strikes on at least six Venezuelan boats it claims – without providing evidence – carried drug smugglers heading for the US. The strikes, which killed at least 27 people, have been deemed illegal by international law specialists, but that hasn’t stopped the Pentagon from continuing to build up military presence in the region. On 16 October, The New York Times reported that at least two US B-52 bombers flew in international airspace off the Venezuelan coast and that an elite US aviation unit was conducting flights in the southern Caribbean Sea. While Maduro, at the UN, denounced any CIA operations in Venezuela, many Venezuelans fear he will use the US escalation as a pretext to further crack down on opponents. On 13 October, two Venezuelan exiles survived a targeted shooting in Colombia. For more on the humanitarian fallout of growing repression in Venezuela, read this article.
Yemen’s dangerous and complex aid business
The Houthis (officially Ansar Allah) control much of north Yemen, and a new investigation by Reuters goes into detail on the depth of the group’s alleged manipulation of the international aid system. In addition to the arrests of aid workers (the Houthis are currently detaining 53 UN staffers plus an unknown number of employees of other NGOs), the report describes the prevalence of fake names on beneficiary lists so that aid can be funnelled to fighters and loyalists. Not all of the information in this story is new, and the long and devastating war between the Houthis and Yemen’s government and allies has undoubtedly caused a humanitarian catastrophe. But the numbers of just how many civilians are suffering have never been clear, and this story’s description of attempts to control food security data and to close down third-party aid monitors further muddy the waters. It all shows just how complicated delivering aid in Yemen is, and poses the question: When does the “stay and deliver” mantra become complicity? For more, read our earlier investigation: “No Real Protection” | Deaths in Houthi detention raise urgent questions for aid work in Yemen.
Weekend read
Aid cuts and elections: How the humanitarian rollback has caused “chaos” in Cameroon
“At the level of programme activity, it was catastrophic.”
With 800,000 fewer people already targeted for assistance, aid workers warn the longer-term impact could be the worsening of the separatist conflict.
And finally…
Kenya’s iconic opposition leader, Raila Odinga, dies at 80
Veteran Kenyan politician Raila Odinga died at 80 years old on 15 October while receiving treatment in India. Kenyans came out in their thousands to honour a figure who, despite commanding a cult-like following, lost five presidential bids. Odinga leaves behind a complex legacy. To his supporters, he was the father of Kenya’s modern democracy, a relentless advocate for justice and human rights. To his critics, he was a polarising figure whose contested elections pushed the country to the brink of destruction. He played a key role in restoring multiparty democracy in Kenya in 1991 and later served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013, following the disputed 2007 election that triggered nationwide violence, killing thousands and displacing over half a million people. As prime minister, Odinga championed Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, a landmark document that strengthened human rights, among other things. Beyond Kenya, Odinga was respected as a pan-Africanist and mediator. He played roles in brokering peace and supporting democratic transitions, including aiding South Sudan’s path to independence. Maybe less well known internationally was his championing of environmental causes, notably the protection of the Mau Forest — Kenya’s largest water tower and the ancestral land of the Indigenous Ogiek people. “Raila protected the Mau Forest and, by extension, the Ogiek community and the livelihood of our future generations,” Joseph Towett, an Ogiek community leader, told TNH after Odinga’s death.
For more context on how Kenya’s politics has impacted the Ogiek people’s human rights, watch: Conservation versus human rights: Kenya's Ogiek dilemma.
