Story breaks of predominantly French peacekeepers raping and abusing children in a displacement camp in Bangui in 2013 and 2014. UN is accused of inaction.

UN peacekeepers accused of sexually abusing street children in Bangui.

MINUSCA chief Babacar Gaye fired as reports of sexual abuse mount.

Independent panel documents “gross institutional failure” in the UN’s handling of sexual abuse allegations involving French peacekeepers.

UN announces new allegations of sexual abuse, even as new head of MINUSCA promises tough action.

UN inquiry into new abuse claims identifies 45 survivors and 41 alleged abusers.

UNICEF admits shortcomings in its humanitarian support to children abused by French peacekeepers after survivors found homeless and out of school.

An investigation by The New Humanitarian finds dozens of survivors of sexual abuse by peacekeepers are receiving little support from the UN.

Report leaked to The New Humanitarian reveals shortcomings in investigations conducted by the UN and member states into peacekeeper abuse in CAR.

Global: Cholera surge 

From Haiti to Lebanon to Syria, the World Health Organization warned of a global spike in cholera cases, driven by war, violence, poverty, and climate change. The WHO noted that 27 countries reported outbreaks since the start of the year. Cholera spreads through contaminated water or food and can kill within hours if untreated. It can be prevented with vaccines and treated with rehydration methods, but many patients don’t have access to these means. 

Read more → Going tent to tent to stop cholera in Syria

Bangladesh: Rohingya camp dangers

The murders of a Rohingya teenager, an 11-year-old-girl, and two Rohingya community leaders underlined the worsening security situation in the sprawling camps in Bangladesh that are home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees – most of whom arrived from Myanmar following a wave of military-led ethnic cleansing in 2017. The camps have become notorious for gangs, crime, and intimidation. A study by the Burma Human Rights Network carried out early in the year found all 29 interviewees from 10 different camps had experienced violence, while 90% were concerned about kidnappings.

Read more → For Rohingya refugees, rising dangers and a long road to repatriation

Global: Climate cash aid

Negotiators emerged from the COP27 climate summit with an agreement to establish a new stream of funding for so-called “loss and damage” – the tally of climate destruction when all else has failed. Communities on the front lines of the climate emergency saw it as a measured victory after years of pushback from wealthy nations afraid of spiralling costs. This breakthrough came at the end of a year that saw wave after wave of emergencies worsened by climate change, including: severe hunger and famine-like conditions in parts of Somalia and the Horn of Africa; historic floods in Pakistan; and extreme heat in hotspots across the globe.

Listen to more → Rethinking Humanitarianism: How a small island nation is leading the charge for more equitable global governance

Haiti: Growing toll of gang violence

Haiti’s battle with spiralling gang violence intensified in the last months of the year, leaving aid workers to juggle compounding and overlapping problems, or “crises inside crises”, as the International Committee of the Red Cross described it. Simultaneous challenges include accessing the most vulnerable trapped inside gang-controlled communities; reaching thousands displaced by the violence; responding to increased levels of cholera and extreme hunger; and preventing and responding to soaring gender-based violence. Calls are increasing for some kind of international force to help restore security, but some Haitians are wary of such a deployment given botched interventions and foreign meddling in the past. Gang violence has also recently spread outside the capital, which aid workers point to as part of a worrying outlook for 2023. 

Read more → Surge in use of rape against women and rivals by Haiti gangs