Syria one year after Assad, deadly hospital strikes in Myanmar and Sudan, and Machado’s Oslo odyssey: The Cheat Sheet

Our editors’ weekly take on humanitarian news, trends, and developments from around the globe.

On our radar 

Syrians’ long road after al-Assad

This week marks one year since rebels declared victory in Damascus, ending more than half a century of Syrian rule by the al-Assad family and ousting President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia and has not spoken publicly (aside from one reported statement) since. The fall of the regime ended a brutal dictatorship and a long and devastating war, but it also brought new challenges for Syria’s people and the transitional government – headed by former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The UN’s refugee agency estimates that more than 1.2 million Syrians have returned from neighbouring countries over the past year, and 1.9 million internally displaced people have gone back too. But many people have nowhere safe to return to, with homes destroyed, mined, or confiscated by the former regime, and the country isn’t safe for everyone. People who are seen as supporters of al-Assad have been targeted in revenge attacks (regardless of their actual political affiliation), and those who suffered under al-Assad have not seen justice for what happened to them. There is talk of justice, reconciliation, and transition, but it is likely to be a long and winding road. Read this for insight into how some survivors of Syria’s notorious prisons are finally getting the chance to talk about what happened to them, and maybe even to start healing.

Have deadly strikes on hospitals become the new norm?

On World Humanitarian Day in August, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus released a statement calling attention to intensifying attacks on healthcare workers and facilities, which constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law. “We must stop this becoming the norm,” he wrote. The events of the past two weeks suggest such attacks are now already the norm. In Sudan, the WHO reported that over 100 people, including 63 children, were killed on 4 December when drone strikes attributed to the Rapid Support Forces hit a kindergarten and nearby hospital in South Kordofan. Paramedics and responders were also struck as they tried to help the wounded. In Myanmar’s Rakhine state, amid the ongoing civil war, a military airstrike on 11 December destroyed the Mrauk-U general hospital, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens more. It was the 67th attack on health in Myanmar this year, according to the WHO. Attacks on healthcare killed a record 3,600 people in 2024, mainly in Gaza, Ukraine, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Sudan. This year is on course to surpass that toll. In Gaza alone, at least 917 people were killed by Israeli attacks on healthcare between late 7 October 2023 and 11 June 2025.

Gaza’s enduring suffering, as malnutrition death toll revealed

At least 165 children in Gaza are reported to have died “painful, preventable” deaths related to malnutrition since Israel began its assault on the Palestinian territory two years ago, according to new statistics from UNICEF. Spokesperson Tess Ingram said hunger among pregnant and breastfeeding women is a lesser-known but severe problem in Gaza, with 8,300 such women admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition this October alone, “in a place where there was no discernible malnutrition among this group” before the war. This, plus maternal stress and the lack of antenatal care has contributed to a doubling of infants born at low birthweight, which massively increases the chances of infant death. Even if Israel fully stops bombing Gaza in line with the current ceasefire (it has not), these knock-on effects – along with so many other impacts of Israel’s violence and suppression of aid and commerce – will be felt for a long time to come. Meanwhile, heavy winter rains and flooding in Gaza are bringing further misery, with water and sewage flooding tents and shelters, putting people at risk of hypothermia and waterborne diseases. Some deaths have already been reported. Aid groups point out that this suffering could be prevented if Israel would allow more aid in, including proper shelter and medical support.

The US rolls out a controversial new global health policy

The United States this week signed multiyear bilateral health cooperation agreements with Uganda and Lesotho under its controversial America First Global Health Strategy that replaces USAID assistance. Kenya and Rwanda have already been signed up, with more agreements expected. So, what’s the controversy? The strategy’s overarching goal is to “make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous”. It aims to do this in part by tying health to US commercial interests. Although no new money is proposed, roughly a quarter of health funding under these agreements will be earmarked for commodities – diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines – that privilege US-made (and very expensive) products. There are other concerns too: over US access to country health data, but also that the strategy focuses on a handful of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, and polio that are essentially “yesterday’s battles” – infectious disease represents less than a third of the global burden. The bilateral agreements encourage the involvement of private sector and faith-based organisations but effectively sideline NGOs. By eschewing multilateral global institutions, surveillance and containment strategies that can blunt epidemics are undermined. But the agreements also seek to tackle government dependency by requiring co-investment in health – clearly a positive. In the case of Uganda, for example, the US will provide up to $1.7 billion of support over five years matched by $500 million from Kampala.

A new pick for UNHCR chief?

Barham Salih, the former president of Iraq, is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ pick for the high-pressure post of refugee chief starting in 2026, according to separate reports by Reuters and Devex, citing a letter from Guterres or unnamed sources. The UN has not confirmed the appointment, which would come after consultations with UNHCR’s executive committee and official selection by the UN General Assembly. “The process is ongoing,” spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci told reporters in Geneva. This hasn’t prevented some early reactions. ICVA, the humanitarian NGO network, congratulated Salih on the would-be selection. “Salih brings a rare combination of political leadership, diplomatic acumen, and deep personal understanding of displacement and refugee experience,” the organisation wrote. If or when confirmed, Salih would be a break from UN orthodoxy and the domination of Global North nations over top UN roles. Most UN refugee high commissioners have been European. Salih would also bring lived experience the role has rarely seen: He’s been a refugee. “I know what exile does to a family, a community, a nation,” Salih said during a candidates’ forum in October. Salih’s potential selection adds more to the chatter mill during the “progress review” of the Global Refugee Forum, happening 15-17 December in Geneva. Among other things, the event is part of a process meant to track promises on helping refugees become more self-reliant, on resettlement, and on help for host countries. 

Nigeria’s intervention helps thwart Benin coup attempt

​​Benin is returning to normal after an attempted coup on 6 December was thwarted by loyal troops – and crucially the intervention of the Nigerian air force. Some 200 West African soldiers, mainly from Nigeria and Ivory Coast, are now in Benin to support President Patrice Talon. A manhunt for those involved in the plot is also under way, while the leader of the failed coup has reportedly taken refuge in next-door Togo. Nigeria, which shares a 600-kilometre border with Benin, sent fighter jets on 7 December to blast the mutineers out of a military base and the state TV headquarters – from where they had declared a putsch. The soldiers justified their actions over the government’s alleged mishandling of the jihadist threat in the country’s north. Nigeria’s rapid response contrasts with its failure to reverse a coup in Niger in 2023. Then, it threatened military action, but the operation was deemed too dangerous by other regional partners. It was also unpopular in Nigeria’s north, which shares ethnic links with Niger. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, a long-time critic of coups, has faced domestic criticism over the Benin intervention, at a time when insecurity plagues his own country.

Weekend read 

It’s not “hyper-prioritised” crises that should raise red flags, but those at risk of a rushed exit. 

And finally… 

From Caracas to Oslo via Curaçao and Maine

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado finally made it to Oslo on 10 December. She may not have made it in time for the awards ceremony itself, but the nature of her three-day odyssey to Norway could yet mark a milestone in her efforts – and those of the United States – to drive authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro from power. Machado effectively anointed Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition presidential candidate for the July 2024 election, which independent observers say González won in a landslide. Fearing for her life and liberty, Machado went into hiding shortly after the election. Leaving her country entailed significant risks, which she managed to circumvent with the help of the US and rogue members of the Venezuelan military. Wearing a wig as part of her disguise, she reportedly had to navigate 10 checkpoints on the 10-hour road trip from her hideout near Caracas to a fishing village, where she took a wooden boat to the Caribbean island of Curaçao – a route thousands of migrants fleeing Venezuela have also taken. She then flew on to Oslo via Maine. Machado has been criticised for her apparent alliance with the Trump administration and for not condemning the US military build-up in the Caribbean. Some question whether she deserved to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at all. But as the possibility of US-led regime change in Venezuela looms large (bringing back for many in Latin America worrying memories of CIA-sponsored interventions during the Cold War), the emotional impact of Machado’s first public appearance since January – coupled with stirring narratives around her great escape – may yet lend momentum to her cause.