The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Cuban hospitals are struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services, with thousands of surgeries postponed due to power shortages affecting medical equipment. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that health must be protected from geopolitical pressures, energy blockades, and outages. The crisis follows Hurricane Melissa last October, which affected over 2.2 million people. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has launched a revised $94 million Plan of Action to address fuel shortages, aiming to support two million people—around one in five Cubans—across nearly half the country. The plan prioritizes essential services, life-saving supply chains, health, water, food security, education, and alternative energy solutions, but still faces a $68 million funding gap.
In Haiti, the Human Rights Council highlighted a spiraling crisis fueled by gang violence, which has left at least 5,500 people dead and 2,600 injured between March 2025 and January 2026. Security operations against gangs accounted for 65 per cent of casualties, while more than one in five victims, including children, were struck by stray bullets. Gangs now control much of Port-au-Prince and are expanding into surrounding areas, coercing children into violence and extortion. The crisis has internally displaced over one million people, with thousands more recently forced to flee. Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif called on governments to enforce the UN arms embargo and prevent the flow of firearms to gangs.
A deadly shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti has claimed at least nine lives, with 45 people missing, after a boat carrying more than 300 migrants capsized while crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait toward Yemen. Most survivors were Ethiopian nationals seeking work in Gulf countries. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing food, shelter, healthcare, and psychosocial support to over 120 survivors, while search and rescue operations continue. IOM warned that seasonal winds and rough seas may cause further maritime tragedies this year.
Separately, WHO highlighted the important role of refugees and migrants, noting that when supported by host societies, they contribute significantly to health systems and communities. Ensuring their inclusion and wellbeing helps build stronger, fairer, and more resilient societies.
