The worrying increase comes ahead of the region’s annual monsoon season, which brings heavy rains and winds and puts refugees fleeing by boat at heightened risk of capsizing on choppy seas.
Cases increased over 25 per cent last year. Save the Children warns that in 2026, more than 14,360 cases of the deadly measles virus have been confirmed across 15 countries facing conflict.
The frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century, and the risks to agrifood systems and ecosystems are set to soar in future, say FAO and WMO.
The total number of migrants reported dead or missing worldwide since 2014 has risen to more than 82,000. According to the IOM, the data shows migration routes are shifting rather than easing.
Returns have been concentrated in Aj Jazirah and Khartoum, driven by improved security in some areas, economic pressures, limited services in camps, and growing challenges in neighbouring countries.