Today’s top news: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, Haiti, Lebanon

#Democratic Republic of the Congo

As Ebola crisis grows, movement restrictions hamper aid delivery

OCHA warns that the Ebola outbreak continues to spread across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to national authorities, as of 26 May, the outbreak had expanded to 13 health zones, with more than 1,000 suspected cases – including 121 confirmed cases and 17 reported deaths, among them six health workers. The World Health Organization ranks this the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record.

The first patient recovery was recorded yesterday at a treatment centre in the district of Rwampara in Ituri.

Meanwhile, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to support national health authorities in case management, the operation of Ebola treatment centres, community engagement and risk communication, as well as strengthened surveillance to help prevent further spread of the disease.

However, humanitarian partners caution that response efforts are being hampered by movement restrictions, which are affecting the deployment of staff and delivery of critical supplies.

These restrictions, including border closures, risk driving people towards informal and unmonitored crossings – potentially increasing rather than reducing the risk of regional transmission. More broadly, they are slowing the movement of personnel, medical supplies, food assistance and other life-saving support.

Beyond the Ebola outbreak, the broader humanitarian situation in Ituri – where the response was already under strain – remains deeply concerning.

In the territory of Mambasa, civilians were reportedly killed in a series of armed attacks between 20 and 25 May, forcing many from their homes. Since early May, at least 150 civilians have reportedly been killed in the area. Rising insecurity has also forced at least four humanitarian organizations to suspend their operations in the area.

OCHA reiterates its call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, to protect civilians, and to ensure safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access.

#Ukraine

Strikes results in more civilian casualties, lost humanitarian assets

The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving assistance across Ukraine while increasingly coming under attack, with several incidents of violence against aid workers and their assets reported over the past few days.

On 25 May, a worker with a local NGO was injured off duty in Kherson City, while on 26 May, two aid workers with the national NGO Mission Proliska sustained minor injuries in a drone strike while on a humanitarian mission in Sumy City.

On 25 May, a missile strike hit a World Food Programme warehouse in Dnipro City, which contained aid supplies worth $1.4 million to support 130,000 people living near the front line. No aid personnel were injured. 

Last Sunday, a large-scale attack on Kyiv damaged the office premises of several aid organizations, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the international NGO People in Need.

Between January and April, at least 3 aid workers were killed and another 16 were injured in Ukraine, according to OCHA’s partners.

Meanwhile, authorities report that over the past three days, hostilities and attacks across Ukraine have caused more than 240 civilian casualties, including among many children, and have damaged schools, energy infrastructure and agricultural assets, particularly in the regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Odesa.

Despite rising security risks, UN agencies and national and international NGOs continue to support the response by distributing hot meals, shelter repair material, psychological first aid and humanitarian cash assistance.

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Ukraine with urgent support.

#Haiti

Gang violence drives displacement across Haiti

OCHA reports that internal displacement continues to rise, with nearly 1.5 million people uprooted across Haiti as of this month, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Between December 2025 and May of this year, nearly 95,000 people have been newly displaced across the country.

In the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince, violence has driven the number of displaced people to more than 300,000 for the first time, primarily due to armed clashes in the neighbourhood of Cite Soleil in March and May. Fighting is also driving continued displacement in the department of Artibonite. Overall, nearly 80 per cent of displaced people are outside the capital.

At the same time, IOM reports a significant increase in returns, with more than 165,000 people going back to their areas of origin compared to more than 87,500 returnees documented in December. But many families report that conditions are not yet in place for them to sustainably reintegrate back into their communities of origin.

Across the country, the vast majority of displaced people are hosted by families or living in precarious conditions, straining already vulnerable communities.

Food, livelihoods, shelter, water and sanitation, as well as access to healthcare, continue to be the most urgent priorities for both displaced people and returnees.

Humanitarian partners continue to respond despite the insecurity and access constraints. A scale-up of the response is critical, given growing needs, but the $880 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is just under 23 per cent funded, with $198.7 million received.

#Lebanon

Hostilities and new displacement orders deepen humanitarian toll

OCHA says that escalating hostilities and expanding displacement orders continue to take a heavy humanitarian toll in Lebanon.

Renewed displacement orders by the Israeli Defence Forces over the past 48 hours have affected hundreds of thousands of people south of the Zahrani River, including in the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh. Collective shelters in Tyre and Saida in the South Governorate are reportedly full and can’t take in more people.

OCHA is concerned that families are once again being forced to flee their homes under intolerable conditions.

According to authorities, on 26 May, at least 31 people were killed and 40 injured, including women and children. This includes 14 people who were reportedly killed in a single airstrike in Borj El Chmali near the city of Tyre. Between 2 March and 27 May, the number of conflict-related fatalities reached 3,269 killed and 9,840 injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

Despite facing logistical and security challenges, partners continue to deliver life-saving support. Since 2 March, the UN Population Fund has provided sexual and reproductive health services to more than 25,000 women and girls through primary health centres, mobile medical units and midwife networks, including care delivered in collective shelters.