UN News Today 13 February 2026 |

Madagascar: Back-to-back cyclones leave an estimated 400,000 in need of humanitarian assistance  

Humanitarian needs are rising sharply in Madagascar after two powerful cyclones struck within just three weeks, In the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday 

According to WFP Country Director Tania Goosens, around 400,000 people are now facing acute needs following the passage of Cyclone Fytia and Cyclone Gezani, which brought devastating winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, torrential rains and widespread flooding. 

Ms. Goosens is fresh from Tamatave, Madagascar’s second largest city, where Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Tuesday evening. Authorities report that 80 percent of the city has been damaged, with electricity and water supplies almost entirely cut off. 

Here she is, speaking to reporters in Geneva: 

“Families have left their homes and we saw many buildings, businesses and schools, even the hospital having suffered severe damages. During my visit, I saw families trying to recover the little that was left of their home. Many are spending actually the night in homes where the roofs have been torn off. And this at a time when already yesterday we experienced rain. Rain was incoming. There’s uprooted trees and debris across the city. This is blocking streets and fuel is also difficult to come by.” 

Before the storms, nearly half a million people were already food insecure across the country, including 84,000 facing emergency levels of hunger. That figure is now expected to rise to almost 2 million. 

In the immediate aftermath, WFP has been distributing its last remaining food stocks, including fortified biscuits and rice, to 18,000 people in coordination with national disaster relief teams.  

Afghanistan: 5.4 million returnees face mounting hardship, warns UNHCR 

Moving now to Afghanistan, where the UN refugee agency UNHCR, warns that large numbers of Afghans continue to return from neighbouring countries in extremely difficult circumstances, as winter conditions worsen across much of the country. 

According to UNHCR’s representative in the country, Arafat Jamal, nearly 150,000 people have already returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of the year.  

Since 2023, the total number of returnees in the country has risen to 5.4 million people, many of whom are struggling to survive.  

According to the UN agency, just over half have been able to find work, mostly informal. For women, that figure falls to less than a quarter. More than half of families lack civil documentation, and over 90 per cent live on less than five dollars a day. 

There are signs of resilience. Returnees who came back in 2025 tend to have higher education levels and stronger links to the labour market. With proper support, UNHCR says, they could help drive recovery and stability. 

The agency is focusing its efforts this year on helping families reintegrate, providing protection services, housing and livelihood support, especially for women.  

Cuba: UN rights chief warns fuel shortages and sanctions deepening humanitarian crisis 

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, has voiced grave concern over the deepening socio-economic crisis in Cuba, which is severely impacting the human rights of ordinary people. 

OHCHR pointed to the combined effects of the long-standing financial and trade embargo, recent restrictions on oil shipments, and extreme weather events, which together have led to widespread fuel shortages and power cuts across the island. 

On top of that, the Office also warned that the scarcity of oil has disrupted key sectors that depend on imported fossil fuels, including health, food, and water systems.  

Intensive care units and emergency rooms have been affected, as have the production and storage of vaccines, blood products, and other temperature-sensitive medicines. 

Over 80 per cent of Cuba’s water pumping systems rely on electricity, meaning power cuts are now threatening access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Electricity cuts have additionally affected communications and access to information.  

OHCHR warned that long-term sectoral sanctions can deepen economic hardship and weaken the State’s capacity to provide essential services, potentially fuelling social unrest. 

Reiterating his appeal to all states, UN human rights chief Volker Türk urged that broad economic restrictions and sanctions be lifted, warning that such measures often hurt civilians rather than decision-makers. “Policy goals,” he said, “cannot justify actions that in themselves violate human rights.” 

Charlotte Frantz, UN News