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South Sudan evacuation order removes humanitarian support for over 200,000 people and deepens catastrophic conditions – Oxfam

The evacuation order for the northern border town of Akobo East in South Sudan, which forced tens of thousands of people – including all aid agency staff – to leave at the weekend, has closed critical humanitarian programmes for over 200,000 people and deepened catastrophic conditions, Oxfam said today.

Evacuated Oxfam staff are reporting that even before the latest escalation, the humanitarian situation was already dire. Communities were under immense pressure, with many families surviving on wild fruits and leaves from the bushes. Akobo East hosts more than 188,000 residents and had been sheltering an additional 82,000 people displaced by conflict from other parts of Jonglei State.

With the evacuation order now forcing many to flee again, thousands of families are facing secondary displacement, leaving them with even fewer resources and support. More than half of those displaced people are women and children. The escalating violence and repeated displacement is increasing the threat of sexual violence and abduction, and also the risk of child marriage.

Shabnam Baloch, Oxfam’s South Sudan Country Director said: “This evacuation order has forced the closure of all humanitarian support, it is outrageous. Living conditions were already extremely bad and now exhausted people, many of whom were already displaced, have been forced to move yet again because of the spiralling conflict.”

On Friday 6 March the order was given by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces for everyone – including hundreds of UN and aid agency staff – to evacuate within four days. Alfred Chandonga, a local Oxfam Project Manager who himself was forced to flee, described the situation: “I was struck by the crushing sight of families being forced into the wilderness yet again. These were the same people who had arrived from Walgak only weeks ago, weary but hopeful that they could finally set down their heavy bundles and rest. Instead, safety vanished in an instant. There was no time to grieve the lives they left behind.

“Watching them walk into the haze of uncertainty was heartbreaking; I saw women, the true face of this crisis, balancing their entire lives in their hands. With infants on their backs and toddlers clutching their dresses, they moved toward a horizon where neither the next meal nor the safety of the path is guaranteed. They only know they must keep walking. The world cannot afford to look away.”

Most of the displaced population have fled to Tergol, a key border crossing point for South Sudanese refugees while 37,000 people have already crossed into the Gambella region of Ethiopia, on top of around 78,000 people who already arrived there in January according to UNOCHA in South Sudan. This additional population movement is placing even more strain on Gambella which hosts over 450,000 South Sudanese refugees.

Support to new asylum seekers from South Sudan has become increasingly difficult in Ethiopia due to immense pressure and reduced funding cuts as several organizations have had to reduce essential services due to lack of funding. Oxfam, which leads on providing clean water and sanitation services, has been forced to scale down its operations reaching even fewer people at a time when needs are increasing.

Ethiopia is facing its own overlapping crises from conflict to drought with some areas reporting crop losses due to the failure of the last two rainy seasons, leaving households empty-handed.

The South Sudan 2026 humanitarian response plan projects that over 10 million people – two-thirds of the population – will require some humanitarian assistance including 7.5 million people who are at risk of starvation.

Oxfam is calling on all parties in South Sudan to de-escalate the conflict and prioritise the protection of civilians and guarantee safety of humanitarian access to populations in need in Akobo county, including at the border with Ethiopia.

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Note to editor

The audio testimony of Alfred Chandonga, Oxfam’s local Project Manager in Akobo, can be downloaded for media use.

Contact information:

For more details, please contact: [email protected]

Oxfam responds to mass forced displacement in Lebanon and ready to respond to wider regional crisis

Oxfam and partners are responding to the immediate needs of people who have been forcibly displaced by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon, as the conflict across the region enters a dramatically new and dangerous phase.

Oxfam in Lebanon is scaling up its emergency response by supporting thousands of people across shelters in Mount Lebanon, the South, and the Bekaa, providing bedding kits, hygiene kits, menstrual hygiene management kits, and clean water. 

“This expansion of Israeli occupation and its bombing of Lebanon will devastate people across Lebanon who had not yet recovered from the last wave of violence, inflicting more trauma on an already traumatized population,” said Lebanon country director Bachir Ayoub. “Once again, families have been forced from their beds and their homes as Israel rained bombs down on their communities”.

There is grave concern about the scale and impact the conflict will have on tens of millions of people across the region, where almost 60 million already rely on humanitarian aid. The broader escalation in the region is triggering further mass forced displacement, placing additional strain on overstretched systems and pushing humanitarian conditions further towards catastrophe.

It will widen inequality gaps, intensify existing poverty and injustice, and limit the ability of humanitarian organisations to reach communities in need. 

“Global inaction has set the scene for this dangerous escalation,” said Ayoub. “The inability of the international community to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing violations of international law has led us to this point, where we again see hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon forced to flee in the march towards a wider regional war.”

Oxfam staff and partners are poised to respond with pre-positioned life-saving aid throughout the countries where the aid agency operates if the escalation is allowed to further spill out across the Middle East

In light of unlawful attacks by the United States and Israel and Iran’s retaliation, Oxfam demands that the international community reaffirm its commitment to international law. Rules governing the use of force must be applied equally, most of all the prohibition against the aggressive use of force enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The U.S, Israel, Iran and all parties to the conflict must immediately cease their attacks, de-escalate the chaos across the region and refrain from future actions that lead to yet another cycle of violence.

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Notes to editors: 

Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 indicates nearly 59.2 million people across the region require humanitarian assistance

Contact information:

For interviews please contact: [email protected]

REACTION: Oxfam urges New Zealand to oppose Middle East escalation and push for civilian protection.

Oxfam Aotearoa is deeply concerned by the escalation of military conflict across the Middle East and wider region. Oxfam calls on the New Zealand Government to take a firm stand in support of peace and International Humanitarian Law, pressing all parties to protect civilians and return to diplomatic negotiations.

As Oxfam America President Abby Maxman states:

“The United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran fall outside the narrow bounds of lawful self- defense, undermining the very rules-based order these governments claim to defend.

And the silence of many Western leaders in the face of these initial strikes is deeply alarming. Moments like this demand moral courage, not political calculation.”

Our humanitarian workers across the region are responding to urgent humanitarian needs wherever access is possible and until funds are available, in close coordination with our partners. However, humanitarian assistance alone cannot keep pace with the scale and speed of suffering generated by ongoing hostilities. Aid cannot substitute for political solutions. 

For this reason, Oxfam has joined a statement by 14 humanitarian organisations working in the region, calling for an immediate end to the military violence, protection of civilian populations, and a return to diplomatic talks with the goal of a lasting peace.

Oxfam Aotearoa Executive Director Jason Myers has expressed solidarity with all communities affected by the conflict and called on the New Zealand Government to take a clear stance against military escalation:

“New Zealand has long stood for diplomacy, international law, and the protection of civilians. Our government must take a clear and principled stance against further military escalation in the Middle East, advocating for de-escalation, humanitarian protection, and a genuine path to peace”.

Contact information:

Rachel Schaevitz | Head of Communication, Media & Advocacy, Oxfam Aotearoa

Email: [email protected], Mobile: +64 (0)27 959 5555

Statement by Regional Directors of INGOs in the Middle East Region

We, the Regional Directors of 14 INGOs, express our profound concern at the accelerating military escalation across the Middle East and the wider region. What we are witnessing is a dangerous expansion of violence with devastating consequences for civilians. 

There must be an immediate end to this spiral of military violence, to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and a return to the pursuit of diplomatic solutions. The continued exchange of attacks across borders is deepening instability, heightening tensions, and placing entire populations at unacceptable risks. Every new strike increases the broader regional crisis that will be borne primarily by civilians, especially children and women who have already been disproportionately impacted. 

We are gravely concerned by the ongoing and repeated possible violations of international humanitarian law, which demand independent and impartial review. In situations of international armed conflict, the full body of international humanitarian law applies. These rules exist to limit suffering and to protect those who are not, or are no longer, participating in hostilities. 

This violence is the foreseeable consequence of years in which violations of international law have gone insufficiently checked. At a time when international humanitarian law is already undermined, all parties should fully return to and uphold their obligations under it. 

Our humanitarian workers across the region are responding to urgent humanitarian needs wherever access is possible and until funds are available, in close coordination with our partners. However, humanitarian assistance alone cannot keep pace with the scale and speed of suffering generated by ongoing hostilities. Aid cannot substitute for political solutions. 

What is urgently required is decisive political will to de-escalate tensions, uphold international law, protect civilians, and commit to meaningful pathways toward peace. Without immediate action, the human cost will continue to rise, and the consequences of inaction will reverberate across generations. 

We call on all parties to prioritize the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructures, in particular health facilities, schools and water infrastructure, adhere strictly to international humanitarian law, and take immediate steps to end the violence across the Middle East.

Signed: 

1. Caroline Bedos Esteban, MENA Unit Manager, Médecins du Monde / Doctors of the World 

2. Laure Baudin,MENA Regional Director, Terre des hommes Foundation 

3. Myriam Abord-Hugon, Mashreq Regional Director, Humanity&Inclusion-Handicap International 

4. Lilu Thapa, MEAE Executive Director, DRC 

5. Flutra Gorana, Middle East Regional Director, War Child Alliance Foundation 

6. Angelita Caredda, MENA Regional Director NRC 

7. Carlo Gherardi, EurAsia Regional Director NRC 

8. Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Save the Children 

9. Arnaud Quemin, Vice-President for MENA, Europe, and Asia, Mercy Corps 

10. Sally Abi Khalil, Regional Director MENA, Oxfam 

11. Fiona Gannon, Regional Director – Middle East, Concern Worldwide 

12. Stephanie Yousef, Senior Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, CIVIC 

13. Benjamin Thiberge, Emergencies and oPt Coordinator, Médicos del Mundo/Doctors of the World 

14. Eleanor Monbiot, Regional Leader at World Vision Middle East and Eastern Europe

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Contact information:

Rachel Schaevitz | Head of Communication, Media & Advocacy, Oxfam Aotearoa

Email: [email protected], Mobile: +64 (0)27 959 5555

Millions of people across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia facing drought crisis, as cost of water increases by 2000% in worst hit areas – Oxfam

  • Failed October–December rains have pushed nearly 26 million people into extreme hunger in East Africa.

  • 58 million people do not have access to clean drinking water.

  • Millions of livestock are at risk as drought devastates grazing lands and water sources, threatening pastoralist livelihoods.

Failure of the last rainy season across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia is triggering a food and water emergency for millions of people still trying to recover from the longest and most severe recorded drought spanning from 2020 to 2023 during which five rainy seasons in a row failed. Dry wells, soaring water prices, crop losses and livestock deaths are pushing communities to the brink, warns Oxfam.

Across the three countries, nearly 26 million people are facing extreme hunger as drought conditions worsen, decimating crops before harvest and leaving livestock to die from lack of water and pasture. Deepening water scarcity is also driving displacement with more than 58 million people lacking access to clean water. As rivers and shallow wells dry up, families – most often women and girls – are forced to walk up to 15 kilometers for a single 20‑liter jerrycan while soaring prices put water trucking beyond reach for many families.

In parts of Somalia, Oxfam staff and partners report that the cost of water has increased by more than 2000 percent. Families are now paying between $1 and $1.50 for a single jerrycan of water, compared to $0.06 a year ago. For families who have already lost their crops, livestock and sources of income, water is now unaffordable. In Hobyo town, north of the country’s capital, communities are relying on water trucked from Gawaan village, located 30 kilometers away. High transportation costs are driving up prices even further.

Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director, said: “Water trucking is becoming the last line of defence, but for many families who can’t afford even one meal a day for their children, paying for water is simply impossible. For women and girls, the crisis is particularly severe as they now have to walk longer distances, often in unsafe conditions, to secure what should be a basic human right.”

In Somalia, a new Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) alert revealed that the number of people facing hunger has nearly doubled since early 2025, rising to 6.5 million people. One in three people in the country are expected to be in crisis level hunger between February and March 2026. Levels of acute malnutrition have more than doubled, with communities struggling to survive as the climate crisis deepens.

In Kenya’s arid and semi‑arid areas, communities are reporting reduced harvests while in Ethiopia, some areas are reporting crop losses due to the failure of the last two rainy seasons, leaving households empty‑handed. FEWSNET estimated that some regions had suffered production losses of 34 to 54 percent due to a severe rainfall deficit.

Livestock, the backbone of pastoralist communities, are dying in large numbers as water and grazing lands completely dry up. In Somalia alone, an estimated 1.4 million livestock died in 2025, with another 2.5 million at risk. In Kenya’s northern counties, animal deaths from starvation and disease are rising while milk production has dropped by more than half, stripping families of their main source of food and income while in Ethiopia, poor rains have weakened livestock.

The deepening crisis is unfolding amid severe humanitarian funding gaps. While needs have surged across East Africa, funding has declined sharply leaving millions of families to fend for themselves. In 2021, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia required $2.65 billion in humanitarian aid, with just under 61 percent funded. In 2025, less than one‑third of overall humanitarian requirements were met. In Somalia, the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan received only 29 percent of the required funding while the 2026 has secured barely 13.4 percent so far.

“The upcoming dry season will not just be difficult – it could be the final blow pushing communities beyond the point of recovery. Urgent funding is needed now to save lives across the region. Communities here have contributed almost nothing to global climate crisis, yet they are paying the highest price. Families are fighting every day to survive its consequences. We can’t fail them,” said N’Zi‑Hassane.

Across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, Oxfam is working with local partners to deliver life‑saving water, hygiene kits, cash assistance and protection support in hard‑to‑reach and most severely affected communities.

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Notes to editors

According to the WHO/UNICEF JMP 2025 report, access to drinking water varies significantly across the Horn of Africa.

  • Somalia: 22 percent (4.2 million people) rely on unsafe water.

  • Kenya: 8 percent (4.5 million) rely on unimproved water.

  • Ethiopia: 37 percent of the population rely on unimproved water.

The total figure of people requiring food assistance by mid‑2026 in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia is between 24.5 to 25.9 million people. Calculations from data below:

  • According to the IPC, a staggering 6.5 million people in Somalia are estimated to be facing high levels of acute food insecurity—nearly double the number recorded in August 2025.

  • FEWS NET estimates 3.0 to 3.49 million people in Kenya will require humanitarian food assistance between October 2025 and May 2026, driven by poor short rains.

  • FEWS NET: food insecurity in Ethiopia remains severe, with up to 15–15.9 million people expected to need urgent food assistance by July 2026 amid Crisis and Emergency conditions, driven in part by significant drought‑related production losses of 54% in East Hararghe and 34% in West Hararghe due to rainfall deficits.

  • The loss of 1.4 million livestock in Somalia was reported by WFP and the estimate of the 2.5 million being at risk is from OCHA.

In 2021, Kenya’s drought flash appeal received $29.5 million of the $69.7 million required (42 percent), Somalia’s Humanitarian Coordinated Plan received $862.3 million of the $1.092 billion required (79 percent) and Ethiopia’s Humanitarian Coordinated Plan received $719.1 million of the $1.488 billion required (48.3 percent).

Somalia Humanitarian Coordinated Plans Funding for 2025 saw $412 million of the required $1.42 billion (29 percent) and for 2026 to date $119.2 million has been raised of the $825 million required (13.4 percent).

Contact information:

Rachel Schaevitz | Head of Communication, Media & Advocacy, Oxfam Aotearoa

Email: [email protected], Mobile: +64 (0)27 959 5555

REACTION: Israeli High Court grants urgent request from 19 humanitarian organisations providing aid into Gaza

The Israeli High Court has ruled in favour of an urgent request from 19 humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, for an interim order which would prevent the cessation of all activities until a final ruling is reached. 

In response, Oxfam’s Policy Lead, Bushra Khalidi, said:  

“We are grateful that our request for an interim order has been agreed. Although this news is positive, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical and we don’t yet know what effect this ruling will have. 

“When the court issues its final decision on the petition submitted by Oxfam and others, we hope it recognizes the very real threat to civilian lives and upholds humanitarian principles and international law.” 

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Contact information:

For more information, contact [email protected]