Funding Shortfalls Cripple Aid for 4.6 Million Drought Victims in Somalia
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that brutal cuts to humanitarian aid budgets are severely hampering efforts to assist millions of Somalis affected by drought. The situation has affected over 4.6 million people, about a quarter of the population, with at least 120,000 people displaced between September and December as water prices rose, food became scarce, and livestock died. Over 75,000 students have dropped out of school. OCHA has warned that the upcoming dry season, which runs from January to March, could worsen conditions, resulting in an increase in water scarcity, livestock deaths, and food insecurity. Authorities are requesting urgent assistance to prevent further livelihood collapse and to prevent avoidable deaths from occurring. Humanitarian agencies provide cash aid, animal fodder, borehole rehabilitation, and emergency assistance, but they are limited by a lack of funding. Despite a recent $10 million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, only approximately $370 million has been received from the $1.4 billion Somalia response plan for 2025.
OCHA Warns Sudan War Has Reached ‘Catastrophic Levels’ Near 1,000-Day Mark
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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned the Security Council that Sudan’s war, nearing 1,000 days, had reached catastrophic levels, with civilians bearing an intensifying toll amid widespread violence, displacement, and humanitarian access constraints. Briefing on behalf of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA said the Kordofan states had emerged as a new epicentre of suffering, with drone strikes, sieges and attacks on hospitals, UN facilities and aid convoys killing scores of civilians, including women and children. Darfur remained in crisis, with reports of mass killings, sexual violence, attacks on displacement camps, and repeated assaults on healthcare, while humanitarian responders struggled to meet rising needs despite emergency funding. OCHA said drone warfare had expanded the conflict to other regions, damaging critical infrastructure and worsening food insecurity and displacement across borders. While 16.8 million people had received some humanitarian assistance this year, the response was under severe strain and direct attack, prompting renewed calls for stronger civilian protection, guaranteed humanitarian access, sustained funding, and urgent international action to de-escalate the conflict and push for a nationwide ceasefire.
Two Terror Suspects Arrested in Nigeria
Two suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were arrested in Lagos State on 21 December after operatives of the State Security Services apprehended them in Apapa following intelligence that they had fled the conflict-hit North-east. Security sources said the suspects, identified as Modu Gana and Ibrahim Dugge, were detained on Sunday morning and were being interrogated, although their mission in Lagos remained unclear and there were no immediate indications of an imminent attack. The SSS declined to publicly confirm the arrests, citing its covert media policy, while experts noted that ISWAP had been seeking to expand its operations beyond the North-east. The arrests came amid Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency, which has lasted more than 15 years and spread beyond the Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, even as authorities reported intensified military operations that have killed thousands of insurgents and led to large numbers of surrenders in recent years.
Kenya Repatriates 119 Nationals from Myanmar Scam Camps
The Kenyan government said it had successfully repatriated 119 nationals rescued from illegal online scam compounds in Myanmar, following coordinated raids by Myanmar authorities and rebel groups in Karen State near the Thai border. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said the raids dismantled criminal syndicates running sophisticated fraud hubs that recruited workers, including Kenyans, through false job offers, leaving hundreds of foreign nationals stranded after violent clashes erupted. The government activated emergency measures through its foreign missions, including issuing travel documents, coordinating with Thai authorities, funding transport, and engaging families, while returnees were interviewed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to aid probes into transnational crime networks. Authorities said 198 Kenyans remained stranded in Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia, with repatriation efforts slowed by festive season border closures, and warned citizens to be cautious of fraudulent overseas employment opportunities amid rising risks from organised criminal groups.
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Ghana Rejects ‘Detty December’ Tag for Festive Season
Ghana’s official for diaspora affairs, Kofi Okyere-Darko, said the term “Detty December” carried negative connotations and should not be associated with Ghana. Okyere-Darko said that the government does not want the label linked with his country. He said that while young people preferred the popular phrase, official branding avoided it despite the festive season’s major economic benefits, which saw more than 125,000 international visitors arrive last December, many from the diaspora. Okyere-Darko said Ghana’s appeal predated the label and welcomed ideas to rebrand the season in ways that still resonated with younger audiences. The phrase Detty December gained popularity roughly eight years ago, after Nigerian musician Mr Eazi launched his Detty Rave festival in Accra. Ghana has been promoting itself as a destination for people from the continent and the diaspora over the past few years. In 2019, the government launched the Year of Return – an initiative designed to encourage those with African roots to invest in the country.
