News Links - February 5, 2026

Thursday, 5 February 2026

Mozambique / DRC / Bangladesh - Cholera Response
Global cholera vaccine supply has increased sufficiently to allow preventive campaigns to resume for the first time in over three years, with Mozambique launching the first campaign using 3.6 million doses amid ongoing outbreaks and aftermath of floods affecting 700,000 people. Gavi, UNICEF and WHO announced that 20 million doses are being deployed—6.1 million to DRC and 10.3 million planned for Bangladesh—as annual global supply doubled from 35 million doses in 2022 to nearly 70 million in 2025.

Global - Child Protection
UNICEF warns that at least 1.2 million children across 11 countries disclosed having their images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year—representing one in 25 children in some countries, equivalent to one child in a typical classroom. The agency declares that AI-generated sexualized images of children are child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and calls on all governments to expand CSAM definitions to include AI-generated content and criminalize its creation, procurement, possession and distribution.

South Sudan - Humanitarian Access
WFP suspended all food aid operations in Baliet County, Upper Nile state, after armed youth attacked and looted a 12-boat convoy carrying more than 1,500 metric tonnes of food and relief items over three days. The violence has displaced 280,000 people since late December, with MSF reporting that government forces bombarded its hospital in Lankien overnight on 3 February, destroying critical medical supplies and leaving 250,000 people without healthcare after another facility in Pieri was also looted.

Sudan - Humanitarian Funding
The US and UAE launched a new Sudan Humanitarian Fund with $700 million as the Trump administration pledged $200 million and the UAE committed $500 million for the war-ravaged country where over 40,000 people have been killed. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher set the start of Ramadan on 17 February as the target date to make visible progress, while US senior adviser Massad Boulos said a comprehensive proposal for a humanitarian truce could be agreed within weeks.

Cuba - Humanitarian Crisis
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a humanitarian "collapse" in Cuba if its energy needs go unmet after the US moved to block all oil from reaching the Caribbean island and threatened tariffs on any nations that help. The warning comes amid severe fuel shortages prompting hours-long blackouts even in Havana, with Kpler data showing Cuba has only enough oil to last 15 to 20 days at current demand levels.

Geneva - UN Human Rights Funding
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk appealed for $400 million to cover funding needs after budget cuts last year reduced operations in 17 countries including Colombia, Myanmar and Chad. The office is in "survival mode" after the US under Trump halted contributions that had totaled $36 million in 2024, and last year the agency received only $257 million of its $500 million voluntary funding appeal.