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Middle East ceasefires fracture while Sudan's war deepens and rising food prices strain fragile economies.

In Sudan, a drone strike hit a funeral procession as the civil war enters its fourth year, compounding a crisis with 11.8 million IDPs, or internally displaced people, more than the population of Belgium. In Lebanon, Israeli forces are expanding ground operations beyond their security zone despite a paper ceasefire, with over 600 killed since the truce began. Meanwhile, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines, triggering mass evacuations. In the Middle East, the US and Iran are finalizing a 60-day ceasefire framework, though disputes over Hormuz navigation and recent strike exchanges threaten the agreement.

These conflicts are directly inflating global food costs, particularly for cooking oils and cereals. In Gaza, aid volumes remain at half their early-2026 levels despite an October 2025 truce, pushing the territory back toward IPC Phase 5, the highest level on the food-crisis scale. This hunger is compounding in places like Haiti, where nearly three-quarters of the population will soon face severe food shortages. Furthermore, Somalia faces a deep political rupture after its president's term expired in May, paralyzing the government's response to a resurgent Al-Shabaab insurgency currently maneuvering to encircle the capital, Mogadishu.

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