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Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
UK leads 12 countries in announcing major shift on Israeli settlements
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a major shift in UK policy toward Israel, recognising Israel’s occupation of the West Bank as illegal, and condemning the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by “settler terrorists”. In a speech to parliament on 8 September, Miliband said the UK would ban goods from Israeli settlements, sanction companies and individuals involved in settlement expansion, and refuse to export weapons to Israel that support the occupation. Eleven other countries – including Canada, France, Ireland, Spain, and Sweden – joined the UK in announcing similar moves. Some Palestinians in the West Bank – where settlement expansion and violence have spiralled – cautiously welcomed the announcement as a good though belated step. Others preferred to reserve judgement to gauge its real impact. The UK and other Western governments have long been accused of inertia, if not complicity, when it comes to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and the war on Gaza. Miliband did touch on Gaza, stating the UK’s support for the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice that accused Israel of genocide. But there were few other specifics, other than calling for the full implementation of US President Donald Trump’s stalled 20-point peace plan.
Sudan’s chemical weapons programme revealed
The Sudanese military ran an alleged chemical weapons programme in 2024 for use against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to an intelligence dossier reviewed by the New York Times and Washington Post. Chlorine gas cylinders were reportedly sourced from global markets and from a water treatment plant in a Sudanese city, where they had been donated by aid groups to stem cholera outbreaks. It is unclear how often the munitions were deployed, though the alleged programme appears to have ended last year after the US determined that chemical weapons had been used and imposed sanctions. France 24 also reported their use. The New York Times and Washington Post received the dossier from an unnamed Middle Eastern intelligence agency, which Le Monde and Middle East Eye reported was Israeli. Israel is an ally of the UAE, the RSF’s main backer, and has held meetings with senior RSF officials during the war. Both the RSF and the Israeli government have carried out genocide crimes, according to human rights investigators.
Lebanon civilians killed as Israel escalates bombing
Israel says it has destroyed a network of Hezbollah tunnels in south Lebanon, in a blast so heavy it triggered a 4.1 magnitude tremor. While Defence Minister Israel Katz said the move “completes the achievement of operational control” over the area, the escalation in attacks has destroyed homes and killed civilians. On 7 September alone, 12 people were reportedly killed in strikes on a residential building and a vehicle. The recent wave of attacks has forced around 20,000 people to flee the district of Nabatieh, including people who were able to return home after a June agreement between Lebanon and Israel that led to a decrease in fighting and bombing – but certainly not an end. “The last few days are a devastating reminder that a reduction in widespread attacks is not the same as safety,” Maureen Philippon, Lebanon country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement. “Children are being killed in their homes, health facilities are being hit, and communities that have already endured months of displacement remain exposed to near-daily hostilities.”
Yemenis forced to flee as battles rage
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized the Red Sea port city of Mokha and an island in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, consolidating their control over the shipping route to the Red Sea. The Houthis, who control much of north Yemen, say they only plan to target ships coming from Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has relied heavily on the Bab al-Mandeb strait to export oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic port is not the only place in Yemen where the Houthis and government-allied forces are fighting anew. There are battles in al-Jawf, which lies between Houthi and government-controlled regions, as well as in Taiz. Aid groups have pointed out that the renewed violence has displaced 46,000 people in just a week, with entire villages emptying and Yemen’s already strained health system coming under serious pressure.
The state we’re in: a humanitarian system in retreat
What a difference four years makes. When research outfit ALNAP issued its last State of the Humanitarian System report in 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic was easing, organisations were expanding, and aid budgets were peaking. Fast forward to today, and the mood has turned dire. A “generational funding collapse” has forced the system into retreat, states the latest version of the landmark report, published on 10 September. The indicators are stark: 64 million fewer people are receiving aid, there’s no safety net for those left behind, and funding has plummeted by at least 30%. The process of picking and choosing who gets help – often called “prioritisation” in the UN-coordinated system – means people have to be increasingly desperate before aid can step in, yet the aid they receive is often not what they want. Despite the tectonic shift forced on today’s sector, some things sound achingly similar. Years-old promises to shift power, both reports highlight, are happening far too slowly. In 2022, it was a warning to improve amid rising costs, soaring needs, and worsening access. In 2026, it’s a missed opportunity for a system at the breaking point.
Opening the door to the benefits of migration in Africa
Migration stirs populist sentiments worldwide. In Africa, that’s currently playing out in Kenya (see below) and South Africa, with xenophobia usually a proxy for domestic policy failure. In South Africa, where GDP per capita has not increased for over 20 years, it’s easier to scapegoat migrants than fix the problem. Yet the evidence shows migration delivers economic growth, and the continent’s future will be shaped, in part, by the movement of people, skills, and labour, a recent Out of Africa podcast by CSIS-Africa suggests. Harnessing the benefits will take vision and policy commitment. Twelve million young Africans enter the labour market each year, but only three million formal jobs are created. The kneejerk reaction is to shut the door to “foreigners”. Yet the development potential of migration can be leveraged by: upskilling; matching those skills to local opportunities; and clearing away the obstacles to legal employment. Much is being made of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the push for deeper regional integration. But that shouldn’t just be about the free movement of goods but also a more liberal regime for people.
Weekend read
Finding a path to peace: Nigeria’s long, faltering history of dialogue with Boko Haram
Could a reported ceasefire in the Boko Haram conflict be the beginning of a broader settlement?
And finally…
A new lens on the Strait of Hormuz
While much reporting on the Strait of Hormuz has focused on air strikes, diplomacy, and oil prices, these photos by Morteza Niknahad focus on the people who actually live there. Niknahad grew up in the Iranian coastal city of Bandar Abbas, and this feature in Huck magazine shows how his work has long focused on the diverse communities who live and work near the sea. His new series, “Southern Winds,” is a combination of archival shots and family portraits combined with photos he has taken – on a mobile phone due to new restrictions – of people in Bandar Abbas during the war. “What made me leave the house was seeing something new and bitter,” says Nikhnahad. “Ships burning at sea and the sky over the city turning black with smoke. I thought I had to document these historic moments so I could look back at them later and tell their story.”
