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Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
As Trump gets his hands on Venezuela’s oil, Cuba’s regime fears for its future
The Trump administration announced that Venezuela will turn over between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil that will be sold by the US “for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people”. How much revenue will go to Venezuela was not disclosed. The announcement offers some clues to how the US plans to use its leverage over interim Venezuelan authorities to consolidate its control over the Latin American country after kidnapping President Nicolás Maduro. How long will the US take the reins of the nation? What are its specific plans? Those remain largely unanswered questions. In an interview with The New York Times, President Donald Trump said US oversight of Venezuela would last “much longer” than a year. Meanwhile, the government of acting president Delcy Rodríguez said it would release “a significant number” of political prisoners – yielding to one key US demand. Across the Caribbean Sea, Cubans worry they could be next. Thanks in large part to US sanctions, the island was already in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with its population struggling daily due to rising food prices, medicine shortages, and regular power cuts. Now, with its key regional ally effectively under Washington’s control, and with the US trying to cut off its vital oil supplies, the pressure on Cuba’s communist regime is growing. For more, read our latest article on the situation inside Venezuela in the wake of Maduro’s abduction.
Protests (again) in Iran, but are they different this time?
Authorities in Iran cut internet access and telephone lines across the country as anti-government protests – spurred by plummeting currency values and inflation surging past 40% – drew thousands onto the streets, spreading from Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on 28 December to several other major towns and cities. The Islamic theocracy is no stranger to protests, but these ones come after a damaging 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025 that featured some of the largest US strikes in decades. So far, at least 45 people, including eight children, have been killed in the protests, according to a Norway-based tracking group. Local media has reported that 950 police and 60 Basiji paramilitary forces have also been injured. In a 9 January address on Iranian state TV, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the protesters of acting on behalf of Trump and said the US president had hands “stained with Iranian blood”. Trump threatened the Iranian government, saying, “If Iran fires and violently kills peaceful protesters, as is its custom, the United States will save them. We are ready and prepared to act.” Khamenei responded by telling Trump to “focus on the problems of his own country”. His rebuke was echoed by Trump’s domestic critics, who were quick to point out the irony of the US president criticising a foreign government for alleged use of force (see below).
Fatal ICE shooting sparks US protests
An immigration enforcement (ICE) agent’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on 7 January has sparked days of street protests in cities across the United States. President Trump has claimed the agent fired in self-defence at a driver who was “very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer”. Bystander videos show the woman’s car turning away from the officer at the time of the shooting, with no one being run over. Thousands have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, and other cities to demand accountability for the killing and ICE’s withdrawal from their communities. On 8 January, a US Border Patrol agent shot and injured two people in Portland, Oregon. An official from the US Department of Homeland Security said the victims are suspected members of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan drug gang that Trump claims is waging war against the US under the orders of Maduro.
Rift between Saudi Arabia and UAE over Yemen deepens
The last month has witnessed a dramatic ramping up of tensions between forces in south Yemen backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, underlining what close observers of the country’s more than 10-year war already knew: The coalition fighting Houthi rebels is really an alliance in name only. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the UAE and seeks independence for south Yemen, is a powerful part of the country’s internationally recognised government and Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). In early December, the STC (itself composed of various militias) began taking territory in the oil-rich province of Hadramuht, angering Saudi Arabia, which backs other political forces and militias on the anti-Houthi side of the war. Clashes and Saudi airstrikes then led the UAE to announce a withdrawal of its forces, with Saudi Arabia claiming it had taken back territory from the STC, including the capital, Aden. Riyadh talks to de-escalate the crisis are now up in the air, with Saudi Arabia accusing the UAE of having spirited STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi out of Yemen by boat, and the STC alleging that members of its delegation to Riyadh have been detained as a rift (and possible disbanding) emerged within the separatist group. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long been close allies, their policies over Yemen and the region have diverged. Yemeni civilians – who have seen a decrease in ground fighting and airstrikes over the past few years (but no real peace) – can only wait and see what this latest phase of foreign meddling means for the war and for their lives.
Climate, gender targeted as US pulls out of international bodies
The United States has announced its withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including 31 UN entities. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the organisations as “dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests”, as the exit list took aim at many groups working on gender or climate issues. Among the most significant – though unsurprising – exits was from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, though the US administration has not participated in this body’s work since President Trump took office and withdrew from the Paris Agreement. Under Trump, the US has also had little to no interest in many other groups appearing on the list, like the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The withdrawal announcement represented the culmination of a US review into its multilateral memberships, which accompanied last year’s assault on the US aid budget and institutions. While some mourned another blow to the multilateral system, other analysts said the move was “more bark than bite”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres vowed the UN would “continue to carry out our mandates with determination”
Israel raises eyebrows with shock Somaliland recognition
Israel’s foreign minister visited Somaliland this week on the heels of his country’s surprise recognition of the breakaway territory in late December. That move triggered international uproar. Somalia condemned it as “unacceptable interference” in its affairs, and the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation swiftly added their rebuke. In becoming the first country to embrace Somaliland – which unilaterally declared independence more than 30 years ago – Israel snubbed the convention that the world follows the lead of the African Union. So why did Israel do it? A military base at the southern entrance to the Red Sea seems a likely dividend. It’s a chokepoint for global maritime traffic, enabling Israel to flex as a regional hegemon with the backing of the United States. It would serve as a threat to Houthi power in Yemen, and a possible check on rival Türkiye’s influence in Somalia. There is another possibility: that Somaliland becomes the exile home for Palestinians expelled from Gaza.
Weekend read
The gifts I have been given: Survival as a collective act in Sudan
How the kindness of strangers kept a country alive.
And finally…
If you’ve missed anything in the crazy news cycle over the holiday period, here’s our helpful starter pack for 2026. Our editors have analysed the crises demanding attention, the trends shaping aid policy, as well as those likely to define humanitarian needs in the year ahead. We’ve also included some key podcast takeaways.
Ten humanitarian trends to keep an eye on in 2026
Here are some of the key factors and themes likely to worsen lives for millions in crisis hotspots over the coming year.
What’s shaping aid policy in 2026
Big tech, shrinking funds, weird partnerships, drones and influencers, new models, climate progress, ending well: Humanitarian trends for the year ahead.
Ten humanitarian crises that demand your attention now
Given aid cuts, often scant media attention, and lack of political will, many of those affected by these crises receive little to no assistance.
Rethinking Humanitarianism | What we’ve learned so far: Key takeaways for 2026
On the podcast: Key takeaways to navigate today’s humanitarian challenges, and the issues driving conversations in 2026.
