Around 874,000 individuals are experiencing crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity between November 2025 and March 2026, as revealed in the latest UN-supported IPC Food Security Phase Classification report.
Certain regions, such as Baalbek and El Hermel, Akkar, Baabda, Zahle, Saida, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, El Nabatieh, Tyre, and refugee populations, are more severely impacted.
This assessment includes people who arrived from Syria after December 2024, acknowledging changes in displacement patterns and emerging vulnerabilities.
Assistance is crucial
The situation is expected to deteriorate further due to reduced food assistance, economic pressures, and rising living costs.
From April to July 2026, food insecurity will affect 961,000 people, nearly 18 percent of the population, according to the IPC report.
Anne Valand, WFP representative in Lebanon, stated, “People’s needs remain high, and predictable assistance will be essential to help people meet basic food needs and prevent further deterioration.”
Migrants liberated from abusive detention sites in eastern Libya
The UN migration agency (IOM) has deployed emergency teams to eastern Libya to assist migrants released from illegal detention sites.
Libyan authorities closed a facility in Ajdabiya, leading to the release of 195 migrants and the discovery of 21 bodies.
Investigations suggest victims were subjected to torture to extort ransom from their families.
Underground detention site discovered
In Kufra, security forces uncovered a detention site underground.
221 migrants and refugees were freed, including women and children, with some requiring urgent medical care after prolonged detention.
Nicoletta Giordano, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Libya, highlighted the dangers migrants face from criminal networks.
IOM teams are providing medical care, referring urgent cases to hospitals, and distributing warm clothing to survivors.
The agency welcomed Libyan authorities’ rescue efforts and investigations while emphasizing the need to dismantle trafficking networks and ensure accountability.
UNHCR tackles crises despite funding issues
Despite funding challenges, the UN refugee agency UNHCR responded to complex emergencies and worsening long-term crises in 2025, according to its 2025 Impact Report: Response to New Emergencies and Protracted Crises.
The agency provided protection and aid in volatile settings, helping people fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and assisting millions of Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan.
Ongoing crises in Sudan, Ukraine, and Colombia worsened, causing repeated displacement.
Positive response
“In 2025, displacement occurred amid ongoing conflict, disasters, and new violence,” said Ayaki Ito, UNHCR’s Director of Emergency and Programme Support.
“UNHCR teams responded to needs despite resource limitations.”
Emergency support included clean water for half a million people in Sudan, cash for Afghan and Syrian returnees, and over a million services for displaced individuals in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
UNHCR warned of rising humanitarian needs in 2026 as conflicts continue to drive displacement affecting nearly 52 million people.
Additional background on UNHCR’s emergency response work is available here.
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