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Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.
On our radar
Unprecedented attacks shock Mali
Coordinated attacks on Bamako and other cities by al-Qaeda-linked JNIM fighters – acting in some areas alongside the separatist FLA – mark a dramatic escalation in Mali’s conflict. The assaults spanned hundreds of kilometres and saw a large number of fighters reach the capital and surrounding districts, including Kati, home to the country’s main military base. A JNIM car bomb killed defence minister Sadio Camara, while the residence of junta leader Assimi Goïta was also targeted. In the chaos, some civilians reportedly detained – and in a few cases killed – jihadists who had become separated from their units, prompting JNIM to announce a reprisal blockade on the city. With the army stretched across the country, the FLA – supported by JNIM – was able to seize the northern city of Kidal, reversing its 2023 loss to Malian forces and Russian mercenaries and marking a major strategic and political setback for the junta. For more insights, read this first-person account by a Malian journalist in the capital: Shock at Mali attacks, and fear of what may be to come.
US, Iran trade threats and warnings as talks break down
US President Donald Trump once again threatened to launch decisive attacks on Iran after a second round of ceasefire talks in Islamabad failed to materialise, despite representatives from the Islamic Republic travelling to Pakistan for the discussions. The Iranians responded by warning that they would launch “long and painful attacks” on US targets, presumably in the Gulf region, if Washington did indeed renew military action and restate its claim to the Strait of Hormuz. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, visited Tehran this week and warned of “catastrophic” conditions if the war resumes. The threat of renewed attacks by both sides is leading to consternation among Iran’s Gulf neighbours. Bahrain’s king said his country – home to the US Navy Fifth Fleet – and its neighbours have been subject to “heinous Iranian attacks” and warned Tehran not to interfere in the internal matters of the six Gulf Co-Operation Council countries, all of whom came under Iranian attack. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, continued in southern Lebanon despite a supposed ceasefire, with 17 people, including two children, killed on 30 April, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Israel seizes Gaza flotilla, as global attention drifts away
Israeli forces intercepted at least 22 boats and detained around 175 activists near the Greek island of Crete on 30 April from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian supplies to the enclave. Amnesty International called the interception “brazen and unlawful”. The boats were more than 600 miles from Gaza. More than 30 boats were still sailing towards Gaza, as the Cheat Sheet went to press. The flotilla set sail from Italy on 26 April but has received significantly less global media coverage than a similar attempt to break Israel’s blockade last September. Meanwhile, Israel is continuing to starve Gaza of even basic necessities more than six months after an October ceasefire agreement. In a new report, Médecins Sans Frontières said Israel is severely restricting water access, using it as a “weapon of collective punishment”. Hygiene conditions are abysmal, with infestations of rodents and pests spreading throughout tent encampments where the vast majority of Gaza’s population is forced to live after being forcibly displaced and having their homes destroyed. Skin diseases, including scabies and chickenpox, are also running rampant. But the still-dire situation in the enclave – and its political future – have largely dropped off the global radar.
A “wake-up call” for what’s driving climate change
If the world is on fire and humanitarians are running out of water, then who’s taking away the matches? The just-concluded Santa Marta conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels wrapped with a rare bit of optimism. The 57 countries in attendance – about 30% of the world’s states – agreed on next steps to move away from fossil fuels. Climate campaigners called it a landmark moment: “The conflict in the Middle East has served as a harrowing wake-up call, laying bare how our heavy dependence on fossil fuels is a direct threat to economic stability,” said Harjeet Singh, an adviser to the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative. Countries agreed to develop national and regional roadmaps to move away from fossil fuels, to work to change fossil-fuel dependent financial systems (including addressing subsidies that maintain dependency), and to pursue economic “decarbonisation”. The conference was a direct reaction to last year’s disappointing COP30 climate summit, where references to fossil fuel phaseouts were stripped from the final text. While frustration builds over inaction at global climate summits, could clearer progress come from a “minilateral” approach where smaller nations band together? Notably absent from Santa Marta: China, Russia, and the United States. The next fossil fuel transition conference will reconvene next year in Tuvalu.
Pakistan accused of striking Afghan university as conflict continues to flare
Afghanistan has accused the Pakistani military of attacking a university in the eastern city of Asadabad, a strike that not only led to seven deaths and at least 75 injuries, but that also calls into question the de-escalation the two feuding nations agreed to last month. In early April, officials from both countries confirmed that talks in Urumqi, China, had concluded with Islamabad and Kabul agreeing not to further fuel tensions, but officials in Afghanistan’s Taliban-run government said Pakistan carried out more than 200 missile attacks on Kunar province over a single 24-hour period last week, including on the university and residential neighbourhoods. Officials from the Islamic Emirate said that 30 of the injured were university students. This follows a 16 March Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul that the UN now says killed a confirmed 269 people. Last week’s strikes on Kunar were the latest flare-up after a month of relative silence between the neighbours. Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan of harbouring fighters belonging to the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan on their territory. Islamabad says the group is responsible for conducting numerous attacks on civilian and government targets in the country.
Wave of pre-election violence threatens Colombia’s “total peace”
Colombia’s upcoming elections have brought a surge in violence, threatening fragile security gains since the country’s 2016 peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group. A bomb tore through the Pan-American Highway in Cauca on 25 April, killing around 20 civilians and injuring dozens in one of the deadliest attacks in years. The blast, blamed on a cocaine-trafficking FARC splinter faction – was part of a wave of coordinated assaults across the southwest. It comes just weeks before a tense presidential vote, with three candidates campaigning under heavy protection while receiving death threats. The violence reflects both competition over lucrative drug routes and the faltering momentum of current President Gustavo Petro's “total peace” strategy. Explore The New Humanitarian’s recent series on Colombia's peace process.
Weekend read
Google and Meta run thousands of ads promoting West Bank settlement businesses
The tech giants are running ads for illegal settlement housing, a gun license programme, and machinery used in the demolition of Palestinian property.
And finally…
Weapons manufacturer sued for cutting support for aid planes
A company in Kenya has launched legal action against the UK’s biggest arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, after it ended its support for a type of plane used to deliver aid to some of Africa’s most urgent humanitarian crises. EnComm Aviation says BAE’s decision to cease supporting its Advanced Turbo-Prop (ATP) aircraft – specialised for landing on short air strips in remote areas – forced it to cancel several large humanitarian contracts, including a major programme in Somalia. “BAE’s pursuit of profit has cut off humanitarian aid for those most in need, destroying lives and our business in the process,” EnComm Aviation’s director Jackton Obuola was quoted as saying in The Guardian. EnComm, which, according to the report, flew 18,677 tonnes of aid into the Central African Republic, Chad, DRC, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania between March 2023 and September 2025, is seeking £120 million in losses and damages, alleging that BAE breached its duty of care obligations. Amid spiralling global conflict and soaring demand for weapons, BAE Systems recently posted record annual sales of over £30 billion.