World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya

They include attacks in Odesa region on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old boy, according to UN child rights agency UNICEF which called for an “end to attacks on civilian areas and the infrastructure children rely on.” 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that attacks on the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday had recommenced on Thursday. 

Aid deliveries 

“Teams delivered shelter materials to cover damaged homes and provided protection services to the affected residents,” OCHA said in a tweet, stressing that “the cold weather is worsening the needs, requiring urgent aid.” 

Russia continues to target energy infrastructure in Ukraine, knocking  out heat, electricity and water supply, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday. 

“Civilians are bearing the brunt of these attacks. They can only be described as cruel. They must stop,” he said. 

Nigeria: Looming food aid cuts put one million at risk 

More than a million people in northeast Nigeria could lose emergency food and nutrition assistance unless funding can be found “within weeks”, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday. 

Nigeria is facing one of the worst hunger crises in recent times, with nearly 35 million people projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season. 

They include roughly 15,000 people in Borno state who risk falling into catastrophic hunger, which is one step away from famine. These are the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade, WFP said.  

The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves. 

‘Catastrophic’ consequences 

“Now is not the time to stop food assistance,” said David Stevenson, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director.  

He warned of “catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences” for Nigeria’s most vulnerable people, who had been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter.   

WFP is urgently seeking $129 million to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months, warning that this work could shut down unless funds are received.   

Kenya drought impacts over two million people 

More than two million people in Kenya are facing worsening food insecurity in the wake of the October to December 2025 rainy season – among the driest on record, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. 

The prolonged drought has led to rising malnutrition rates, increased risk of disease outbreaks and disrupted access to essential health services. 

Regional drought 

The impacts are also being felt in neighbouring Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, where millions more people are at risk due to similar weather patterns and water shortages. 

In Kenya, 10 counties are currently experiencing drought conditions, one of which is in the “alarm” phase. Furthermore, another 13 counties in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions are showing signs of drought stress. 

While severe, the emergency was part of a known seasonal risk, WHO said.  The UN agency has supported the Kenyan authorities including by providing cholera kits, pneumonia kits and essential supplies, as well as pre-positioning equipment in high-risk counties before the drought intensified. 

WHO stressed the need to mobilize urgently to ensure both people and livestock have access to adequate food supply and safe water, and to prevent the situation from worsening.