The New Humanitarian
@newhumanitarian.bsky.social
Journalism from the heart of crises
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Follow our reporters and editors to stay updated on global humanitarian crises and emergencies. go.bsky.app/VVZtDyz
🚨 New Inklings newsletter: Critics worry a Trump pick will steer WFP along US ideological lines. But climate change and gender are already disappearing from key planning documents.
Read on here: https://bit.ly/4y7vF6I
Read on here: https://bit.ly/4y7vF6I
Inklings | Climate and gender vanish from WFP strategy. Luke Lindberg looms.
Notes on aid: WFP scrubs climate and gender, Luke Lindberg's baseball analogies, and how US warships connect aid leaders.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 17, 2026 at 4:08 PM
🚨 New Inklings newsletter: Critics worry a Trump pick will steer WFP along US ideological lines. But climate change and gender are already disappearing from key planning documents.
Read on here: https://bit.ly/4y7vF6I
Read on here: https://bit.ly/4y7vF6I
A Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker detained by the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) administration for nearly five years died by apparent suicide on 13 September in Mbabane, Eswatini’s largest city, according to local news reports and relatives of the deceased.
https://bit.ly/4rdq77H
https://bit.ly/4rdq77H
British-held asylum seeker dies by apparent suicide in Eswatini
Kishanth Peramaiya spent two years in a legal limbo after a British authority granted him international protection.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 15, 2026 at 4:47 PM
A Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker detained by the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) administration for nearly five years died by apparent suicide on 13 September in Mbabane, Eswatini’s largest city, according to local news reports and relatives of the deceased.
https://bit.ly/4rdq77H
https://bit.ly/4rdq77H
A Trump pick could soon lead the World Food Programme. Here are 4️⃣ key questions facing Luke Lindberg – and the humanitarian system itself.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/15/what-will-luke-lindberg-mean-wfp-and-humanitarians
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/15/what-will-luke-lindberg-mean-wfp-and-humanitarians
September 15, 2026 at 3:07 PM
A Trump pick could soon lead the World Food Programme. Here are 4️⃣ key questions facing Luke Lindberg – and the humanitarian system itself.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/15/what-will-luke-lindberg-mean-wfp-and-humanitarians
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/15/what-will-luke-lindberg-mean-wfp-and-humanitarians
How do you finance a war?
Read how revenue from taxes, trade, and mining is used by the Rwanda-backed M23 to pay fighters, maintain a parallel administration, and consolidate territory.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/14/how-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-finance-their-war-dr-congo
Read how revenue from taxes, trade, and mining is used by the Rwanda-backed M23 to pay fighters, maintain a parallel administration, and consolidate territory.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/14/how-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-finance-their-war-dr-congo
How Rwanda-backed M23 rebels finance their war in DR Congo
Revenue from taxes, trade, and mining is used to pay fighters, maintain a parallel administration, and consolidate territory.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 14, 2026 at 11:48 AM
How do you finance a war?
Read how revenue from taxes, trade, and mining is used by the Rwanda-backed M23 to pay fighters, maintain a parallel administration, and consolidate territory.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/14/how-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-finance-their-war-dr-congo
Read how revenue from taxes, trade, and mining is used by the Rwanda-backed M23 to pay fighters, maintain a parallel administration, and consolidate territory.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2026/09/14/how-rwanda-backed-m23-rebels-finance-their-war-dr-congo
🇳🇵 99% of international humanitarian funding flows after disasters happen. The Himalayan flood disaster in Nepal is another wake-up call, writes Jessica Alexander:
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/09/09/what-13-minutes-nepal-can-teach-us-about-acting-disaster-strikes
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/09/09/what-13-minutes-nepal-can-teach-us-about-acting-disaster-strikes
What 13 minutes in Nepal can teach us about acting before disaster strikes
99% of humanitarian funding flows after disasters strike. The Himalayan flood should force a rethink of how – and when – scarce resources are spent.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 9, 2026 at 1:16 PM
🇳🇵 99% of international humanitarian funding flows after disasters happen. The Himalayan flood disaster in Nepal is another wake-up call, writes Jessica Alexander:
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/09/09/what-13-minutes-nepal-can-teach-us-about-acting-disaster-strikes
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/09/09/what-13-minutes-nepal-can-teach-us-about-acting-disaster-strikes
🇳🇬 A truce has held for three months between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram. Can it become a building block for lasting peace?
Read our exclusive report on the deal 🔽
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/09/07/exclusive-nigerian-government-and-boko-haram-strike-secret-ceasefire-deal
Read our exclusive report on the deal 🔽
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/09/07/exclusive-nigerian-government-and-boko-haram-strike-secret-ceasefire-deal
EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian government and Boko Haram strike secret ceasefire deal
A truce has held for three months between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram. Can it become a building block for lasting peace?
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 7, 2026 at 12:35 PM
🇳🇬 A truce has held for three months between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram. Can it become a building block for lasting peace?
Read our exclusive report on the deal 🔽
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/09/07/exclusive-nigerian-government-and-boko-haram-strike-secret-ceasefire-deal
Read our exclusive report on the deal 🔽
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/09/07/exclusive-nigerian-government-and-boko-haram-strike-secret-ceasefire-deal
🚨 New Inklings: World Food Programme is standing by its partnership with Palantir, telling staff that the deal with the controversial military contractor will save millions of dollars. But some WFPers have questions.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
Inklings | WFP defends new 5-year Palantir deal to staff
Notes on aid: WFP staff question Palantir renewal, the fundraising strategy behind ration cuts, and the pope’s moral challenge on data extraction.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 4, 2026 at 2:37 PM
🚨 New Inklings: World Food Programme is standing by its partnership with Palantir, telling staff that the deal with the controversial military contractor will save millions of dollars. But some WFPers have questions.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
It’s not just the fear of airstrikes. From canceled weddings to the crushing reality of unemployment, five young Iranians share how an endless cycle of geopolitical anxiety is stripping them of the futures they had planned.
buff.ly/MtNjcIN
buff.ly/MtNjcIN
Lives on hold: Young Iranians watch their futures slip away
Five young people in Tehran describe lives suspended by war and uncertainty – weddings cancelled, jobs lost, and future dreams abandoned.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 4, 2026 at 10:53 AM
It’s not just the fear of airstrikes. From canceled weddings to the crushing reality of unemployment, five young Iranians share how an endless cycle of geopolitical anxiety is stripping them of the futures they had planned.
buff.ly/MtNjcIN
buff.ly/MtNjcIN
🗞️ In the latest Inklings humanitarian newsletter: WFP staff question Palantir renewal, the fundraising strategy behind ration cuts, and the pope’s moral challenge on data extraction.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
Inklings | WFP defends new 5-year Palantir deal to staff
Notes on aid: WFP staff question Palantir renewal, the fundraising strategy behind ration cuts, and the pope’s moral challenge on data extraction.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 4, 2026 at 9:00 AM
🗞️ In the latest Inklings humanitarian newsletter: WFP staff question Palantir renewal, the fundraising strategy behind ration cuts, and the pope’s moral challenge on data extraction.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...
“The book matters because Gaza is still happening. Its relevance is my family’s ongoing danger. I wrote the poems because I wanted people to look and see what was happening.”
Palestinian poet and journalist Nour ElAssy reflects on her forthcoming book:
buff.ly/kwmmeIx
Palestinian poet and journalist Nour ElAssy reflects on her forthcoming book:
buff.ly/kwmmeIx
The book of poetry I wrote for the home I lost in Gaza
This is my dream, and it has been handed to me in exchange for everything I had. Nobody consulted me on the rate, writes journalist and poet Nour ElAssy.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM
“The book matters because Gaza is still happening. Its relevance is my family’s ongoing danger. I wrote the poems because I wanted people to look and see what was happening.”
Palestinian poet and journalist Nour ElAssy reflects on her forthcoming book:
buff.ly/kwmmeIx
Palestinian poet and journalist Nour ElAssy reflects on her forthcoming book:
buff.ly/kwmmeIx
“Almost three years after the beginning of the Gaza genocide, I am publishing a book of poetry about a house that no longer exists, in a language my mother cannot read, in a country where my family cannot follow.”
Read Nour ElAssy's latest: buff.ly/kwmmeIx
Read Nour ElAssy's latest: buff.ly/kwmmeIx
The book of poetry I wrote for the home I lost in Gaza
This is my dream, and it has been handed to me in exchange for everything I had. Nobody consulted me on the rate, writes journalist and poet Nour ElAssy.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
September 2, 2026 at 2:37 PM
“Almost three years after the beginning of the Gaza genocide, I am publishing a book of poetry about a house that no longer exists, in a language my mother cannot read, in a country where my family cannot follow.”
Read Nour ElAssy's latest: buff.ly/kwmmeIx
Read Nour ElAssy's latest: buff.ly/kwmmeIx
🎧 🪴 “The system is not what's holding us together; it's our humanity.” In this episode, we explore the diversity of grassroots aid efforts and challenge the formal humanitarian system to take a more humble, supportive approach to locally led action.
🔗 https://bit.ly/4hXRIHz
🔗 https://bit.ly/4hXRIHz
Rethinking Humanitarianism | Grassroots aid is here to disturb the system
How grassroots aid continues to reshape humanitarian action – and what it would take for the formal aid system to truly follow their lead.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
August 27, 2026 at 11:55 AM
🎧 🪴 “The system is not what's holding us together; it's our humanity.” In this episode, we explore the diversity of grassroots aid efforts and challenge the formal humanitarian system to take a more humble, supportive approach to locally led action.
🔗 https://bit.ly/4hXRIHz
🔗 https://bit.ly/4hXRIHz
🎧 In this #RethinkingHumanitarianism episode, Abdihakim Ainte, a senior Somali government official, outlines his vision for a Somali-state led humanitarian response – one in which aid dependence gives way to mutually beneficial trade.
Listen here ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4zrW6on
Listen here ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4zrW6on
Rethinking Humanitarianism | Somalia’s plan to break free from aid dependence
Countries like Somalia are reeling from “cataclysmic” aid cuts. Could it also be the defining moment that shifts them away from aid dependence?
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
August 20, 2026 at 11:55 AM
🎧 In this #RethinkingHumanitarianism episode, Abdihakim Ainte, a senior Somali government official, outlines his vision for a Somali-state led humanitarian response – one in which aid dependence gives way to mutually beneficial trade.
Listen here ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4zrW6on
Listen here ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4zrW6on
⛑️ On #WorldHumanitarianDay, Sarah Whittaker, Olivier Vandecasteele, and Charles Petrie ask: Is the UN ready to re-evaluate its approach and fully commit to protecting those who risk their lives in its service?
https://bit.ly/4gmzDRd
https://bit.ly/4gmzDRd
When aid institutions fail to protect their own: The moral test exposed by Yemen
On World Humanitarian Day, is the UN ready to re-evaluate its approach and fully commit to protecting those who risk their lives in its service?
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
August 19, 2026 at 11:45 AM
⛑️ On #WorldHumanitarianDay, Sarah Whittaker, Olivier Vandecasteele, and Charles Petrie ask: Is the UN ready to re-evaluate its approach and fully commit to protecting those who risk their lives in its service?
https://bit.ly/4gmzDRd
https://bit.ly/4gmzDRd
🚨 New Inklings. Why is CARE CEO Michelle Nunn on a US destroyer? And: the latest on WFP partner Palantir, aid worker kidnappings, and ray guns.
Read on ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/07/23/inklings-whats-humanitarian-leader-doing-us-destroyer
Read on ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/07/23/inklings-whats-humanitarian-leader-doing-us-destroyer
Inklings | What’s this humanitarian leader doing on a US destroyer?
The latest on WFP partner Palantir, aid worker kidnappings, and ray guns and Tomahawk missiles.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 23, 2026 at 4:45 PM
🚨 New Inklings. Why is CARE CEO Michelle Nunn on a US destroyer? And: the latest on WFP partner Palantir, aid worker kidnappings, and ray guns.
Read on ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/07/23/inklings-whats-humanitarian-leader-doing-us-destroyer
Read on ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2026/07/23/inklings-whats-humanitarian-leader-doing-us-destroyer
Invisible violence, prison-like camps, and a hidden graveyard serving as the final resting place for refugees who perish while seeking a better life – This is what our editor @ericreidy.bsky.social found when he returned recently to the Greek island of Lesvos:
buff.ly/6HbLta5
buff.ly/6HbLta5
On Lesvos, the architecture of migration deterrence laid bare
Our editor returns to what was once the main gateway to the EU for refugees to see what has changed and what it says about efforts to stop migration.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 22, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Invisible violence, prison-like camps, and a hidden graveyard serving as the final resting place for refugees who perish while seeking a better life – This is what our editor @ericreidy.bsky.social found when he returned recently to the Greek island of Lesvos:
buff.ly/6HbLta5
buff.ly/6HbLta5
A US Supreme Court decision last month exposed 350,000 Haitians to potential deportation.
But with Haiti in a state of governmental collapse and violence, what conditions would people be sent back to?
Read this opinion from Alexus McNally:
https://bit.ly/44xjtyY
But with Haiti in a state of governmental collapse and violence, what conditions would people be sent back to?
Read this opinion from Alexus McNally:
https://bit.ly/44xjtyY
US deportations to Haiti depend on a fiction
A recent US Supreme Court decision has exposed 100,000s of Haitians to potential deportation, yet their home country is in no state to receive them.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 16, 2026 at 2:33 PM
A US Supreme Court decision last month exposed 350,000 Haitians to potential deportation.
But with Haiti in a state of governmental collapse and violence, what conditions would people be sent back to?
Read this opinion from Alexus McNally:
https://bit.ly/44xjtyY
But with Haiti in a state of governmental collapse and violence, what conditions would people be sent back to?
Read this opinion from Alexus McNally:
https://bit.ly/44xjtyY
🗣️ What happens when states outsource data collection? From visa processing to humanitarian registration, these choices affect us all.
Poorvi Yerrapureddy of Aapti Institute writes ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/07/16/what-wfp-cyber-attack-has-common-visa-scandals
Poorvi Yerrapureddy of Aapti Institute writes ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/07/16/what-wfp-cyber-attack-has-common-visa-scandals
What the WFP cyber-attack has in common with visa scandals
From visa processors to refugee registration and humanitarian aid, states have outsourced public functions to intermediaries a step removed from domestic scrutiny.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 16, 2026 at 7:43 AM
🗣️ What happens when states outsource data collection? From visa processing to humanitarian registration, these choices affect us all.
Poorvi Yerrapureddy of Aapti Institute writes ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/07/16/what-wfp-cyber-attack-has-common-visa-scandals
Poorvi Yerrapureddy of Aapti Institute writes ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/07/16/what-wfp-cyber-attack-has-common-visa-scandals
🗣️ Justice for Tigrayan women means turning a critical eye to the sexual violence committed by Tigray Defence Force officers against their female comrades during the 2020-2022 war.
Read on 🔽
https://bit.ly/4yhyanb
Read on 🔽
https://bit.ly/4yhyanb
As war fears grow in Ethiopia, women soldiers recount the sexual violence they experienced
The Tigray Defence Force was one of the world’s most gender inclusive militaries but failed to protect its female troops.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 15, 2026 at 9:31 AM
🗣️ Justice for Tigrayan women means turning a critical eye to the sexual violence committed by Tigray Defence Force officers against their female comrades during the 2020-2022 war.
Read on 🔽
https://bit.ly/4yhyanb
Read on 🔽
https://bit.ly/4yhyanb
Here’s what’s on the radar of our news editors this week ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/07/10/un-genocide-sudan-iran-us-ceasefire-suspension-ai-cheat-sheet
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/07/10/un-genocide-sudan-iran-us-ceasefire-suspension-ai-cheat-sheet
UN finds genocide in Sudan, Iran-US ceasefire suspension, and AI for what? The Cheat Sheet
A weekly read to keep you in the loop on humanitarian issues.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 10, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Here’s what’s on the radar of our news editors this week ⬇️
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/07/10/un-genocide-sudan-iran-us-ceasefire-suspension-ai-cheat-sheet
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/07/10/un-genocide-sudan-iran-us-ceasefire-suspension-ai-cheat-sheet
📝 "Humanitarianism has become a brand and every brand needs a narrative."
Themrise Khan, researcher, writer, and analyst, shares a critical view of the current narrative tropes utilised within the aid sector.
🔗 Read the full piece here:
https://bit.ly/4eOPcS4
Themrise Khan, researcher, writer, and analyst, shares a critical view of the current narrative tropes utilised within the aid sector.
🔗 Read the full piece here:
https://bit.ly/4eOPcS4
The curse of the humanitarian narrative
Using narratives to communicate in the humanitarian and development space is particularly problematic. Here’s why.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM
📝 "Humanitarianism has become a brand and every brand needs a narrative."
Themrise Khan, researcher, writer, and analyst, shares a critical view of the current narrative tropes utilised within the aid sector.
🔗 Read the full piece here:
https://bit.ly/4eOPcS4
Themrise Khan, researcher, writer, and analyst, shares a critical view of the current narrative tropes utilised within the aid sector.
🔗 Read the full piece here:
https://bit.ly/4eOPcS4
🗣️ “The World Food Programme has agreements with Palantir and we don’t know under what conditions, under what terms, and this is a cause for great, great concern.” A UN expert’s critiques on WFP x Palantir.
Read more in the latest Inklings newsletter ✉️ ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4wzoVNF
Read more in the latest Inklings newsletter ✉️ ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4wzoVNF
Inklings | More Palantir questions for WFP, and AI for what?
More questions about Palantir and WFP, awkward humanitarian partnerships, and AI for Good.
bit.ly
July 9, 2026 at 3:35 PM
🗣️ “The World Food Programme has agreements with Palantir and we don’t know under what conditions, under what terms, and this is a cause for great, great concern.” A UN expert’s critiques on WFP x Palantir.
Read more in the latest Inklings newsletter ✉️ ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4wzoVNF
Read more in the latest Inklings newsletter ✉️ ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4wzoVNF
🗣️ "Our message to partners is direct: disburse now. The response cannot wait for slow paperwork while the virus is moving."
Dr Jean Kaseya insists the Ebola outbreak can be stopped and communities protected – but only if the response is urgently scaled up.
Read on: https://bit.ly/4vhcl4F
Dr Jean Kaseya insists the Ebola outbreak can be stopped and communities protected – but only if the response is urgently scaled up.
Read on: https://bit.ly/4vhcl4F
Ebola moving faster than the response, head of Africa CDC warns
Conflict, displacement, and overstretched health services complicate the response to a crisis that is still yet to peak.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 9, 2026 at 12:49 PM
🗣️ "Our message to partners is direct: disburse now. The response cannot wait for slow paperwork while the virus is moving."
Dr Jean Kaseya insists the Ebola outbreak can be stopped and communities protected – but only if the response is urgently scaled up.
Read on: https://bit.ly/4vhcl4F
Dr Jean Kaseya insists the Ebola outbreak can be stopped and communities protected – but only if the response is urgently scaled up.
Read on: https://bit.ly/4vhcl4F
🗣️ Palantir has passed a faith-based investor’s “moral audit”. It’s not exactly unqualified praise: “Similar to a firearms manufacturer, we don't hold the manufacturer guilty for customers who may misuse that firearm.”
🔗 Read the latest Inklings installment here: https://bit.ly/4y8JAJS
🔗 Read the latest Inklings installment here: https://bit.ly/4y8JAJS
Inklings | WFP, Palantir, and the pope
The public is talking about Palantir and data (but humanitarians aren’t).
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 8, 2026 at 1:11 PM
🗣️ Palantir has passed a faith-based investor’s “moral audit”. It’s not exactly unqualified praise: “Similar to a firearms manufacturer, we don't hold the manufacturer guilty for customers who may misuse that firearm.”
🔗 Read the latest Inklings installment here: https://bit.ly/4y8JAJS
🔗 Read the latest Inklings installment here: https://bit.ly/4y8JAJS
"People here continue resisting in their own way. They resist by washing their children’s clothes, building rooms from wood... and trying to convince themselves that the future is still possible."
Read @rasha-abou-jalal.bsky.social latest:
https://bit.ly/4y7C2XZ
Read @rasha-abou-jalal.bsky.social latest:
https://bit.ly/4y7C2XZ
How we are trying to reclaim life amid rubble and fear in Gaza
Rasha Abou Jalal writes about trying to create a sense of normalcy amid blockade, constant ceasefire violations, and fear of a return to broader war.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org
July 7, 2026 at 3:33 PM
"People here continue resisting in their own way. They resist by washing their children’s clothes, building rooms from wood... and trying to convince themselves that the future is still possible."
Read @rasha-abou-jalal.bsky.social latest:
https://bit.ly/4y7C2XZ
Read @rasha-abou-jalal.bsky.social latest:
https://bit.ly/4y7C2XZ