News Links - January 26, 2026

 

January 26

Mali

Former UNICEF Colleague, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Mali — S, Singer most recently serving as UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal since 2022 and Sri Lanka from 2018-2022. She previously held senior UNICEF positions including Associate Regional Director in Geneva and Country Representative in Syria, Nepal, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. Click here for the article

Gaza

MSF agrees to provide Palestinian staff details to Israel amid criticism and safety concerns — Doctors Without Borders announced it will provide Israeli authorities with names of Palestinian and international staff working in Gaza and occupied Palestinian territory after Israel withdrew licenses of 37 aid groups on January 1, blocking all MSF international staff arrivals and supplies. 

MSF said it faced impossible choice between providing information or suspending operations, with decision made after Palestinian employees agreed despite new Israeli requirements demanding passport copies, CVs, and family member names. Critics condemned decision as endangering Palestinians and violating EU data protection laws, warning Israel could use information to target humanitarian workers after killing 15 MSF employees last year. Click here for the article

South Sudan

Military orders mass evacuation ahead of offensive in Jonglei State — South Sudan People's Defence Forces ordered all civilians and UN mission personnel to evacuate Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo counties in Jonglei State within 48 hours ahead of new campaign against Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition forces. UN reports clashes occurring at scale not seen since 2017, with fiercest fighting in eastern Jonglei bordering Ethiopia as SSPDF. Click here for the article

Sudan

Government forces recruiting children through social media campaigns — Daily Mail investigation reveals Sudanese Armed Forces and allied Islamist Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade openly recruiting children as young as six through TikTok videos showing armed boys chanting pro-SAF slogans and racial slurs against enemies. UN monitoring verified 209 cases of child recruitment in Sudan during 2023 representing sharp increase from previous years, with footage showing disabled children given walkie-talkies to mouth propaganda, teenagers posing with heavy weapons, and boys receiving military training in desert formations. Evidence shows children used as fighters, runners, lookouts, and porters in frontline positions, with social media recruitment portraying war as exciting adventure while concealing death toll among child soldiers deployed to checkpoints, ambushes, and combat zones. Click here for the article

Measles vaccination campaign launches in El Geneina amid surging cases — MSF coordinated emergency measles vaccination campaign began January 25 at El Geneina Teaching Hospital in West Darfur targeting children aged 9 months to 15 years during six-day effort with Ministry of Health and partners. Campaign responds to doubled admissions with approximately 130 measles cases per week recorded in hospital's isolation ward, addressing surge in highly contagious disease threatening vulnerable populations in conflict-affected region. Click here for the article