Middle East and North Africa offers a comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of one of the world’s most complex and dynamic mobility landscapes where labour migration, protracted displacement, environmental stressors and socioeconomic transitions converge.
For the first time since October 2023, WFP provided full food rations to beneficiaries in Gaza in January through its General Food Distribution programme, up from the previous 75 percent entitlement.
After more than a decade of displacement, around 3 million displaced Syrians inside and outside the country were able to return home. In 2025 alone, around 179,000 people returned to Syria from Jordan and around 500,000 from Lebanon.
WFP continues to call for the release of the 38 staff members detained by the Sana’a-based authorities. All activities in northern Yemen remain suspended.
South Sudan continues to face severe humanitarian emergencies driven by climate shocks, relentless violence, multiple disease outbreaks and a struggling economy.
On 11 January, a ceasefire agreement was announced, following which initial, limited return movements were observed, particularly to the Ashrafiyeh neighbourhood. Returns to Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud remain gradual, pending authorization and completion of UXO clearance.
Since 6 January, clashes in Aleppo Governorate have continued between government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). As of 10 January, the Aleppo Health Directorate reported a total of 23 deaths and 104 injuries.
Since 6 January, hostilities resumed in Aleppo City between the Syrian Government Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Fighting in the densely populated neighbourhoods of Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh home to approximately 500,000 people, has reportedly resulted in at least nine casualties (including at least one child and two women), 55 injuries, and extensive damage to homes, public infrastructure, and key health facilities including Zahi Azraq Hospital and a private hospital.
Following the capture of Al Fasher at the end of October, over 106,000 people were displaced to surrounding localities, primarily Tawila. UNICEF scaled up interventions in North Darfur, with nine health facilities and two mobile clinics in Tawila providing essential services.
Two infants died due to extreme cold in two IDP camps in Harim, northern Idleb countryside, following a snowstorm that hit northern Syria on 31 December 2025, affecting 90 IDP sites across Aleppo, Idleb and Al-Hasakeh governorates, impacting around 158,000 displaced people.
In November, an estimated 5.97 million people (42 per cent of the population) face Crisis or worse Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3+, including about 1.3 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
Despite severe access constraints, WFP’s sustained delivery of food assistance has continued to achieve measurable improvements in Gaza’s food security, with the latest IPC update confirming that famine conditions are no longer present anywhere in the Strip.
In alignment with its planned exit strategy, WFP has finalized the transfer of its programmes to integrate achievements realized during the 2022–2025 CSP into national systems, thereby supporting long-term development beyond WFP’s direct engagement.
Over 1.9 million internally displaced persons and close to 1.3 million Syrian refugees have returned to their areas of origin or other locations across Syria. Around 57 per cent of the returnees are children.
As of mid-December, WFP has reached nearly 500,000 people with food and digital cash-based assistance. Since the ceasefire, WFP has mobilized close to 70,000 mt of food through the three operational crossings, enabling deliveries across southern, central, and northern Gaza.
The situation in Hadramawt Al Wadi has continued to stabilize following the recent shifts in territorial control earlier this month. Reports indicate a decline in hostilities, supported by reported prohibitions on carrying weapons within city centers.
Escalating violence and sieges in Kordofan are trapping civilians, destroying essential services, driving famine risks and displacement, and severely restricting life-saving assistance.
An estimated 5.97 million people are currently in IPC Phase 3 or worse, including 28,000 in Phase 5 (Catastrophe). Projections indicate this could rise to 7.56 million during the 2026 lean season, with 3.26 million women and children acutely malnourished or at risk.
The little that is known about current conditions in El Fasher is beyond horrific. Anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 people could remain trapped inside.
Children in the Syrian Arab Republic continue to face significant vulnerabilities after 14 years of conflict. Despite renewed engagement following the change in authorities in late 2024, humanitarian needs are rising due to large-scale returns, economic decline, climate shocks and damaged infrastructure.
