Displacement & Migration in 2026: Crisis Updates

The Russia-Ukraine war remains an active, high-casualty armed conflict, with recent reporting showing continued civilian harm from long-range missile and drone strikes. ACLED reported that Russian strikes killed at least 43 civilians across multiple Ukrainian regions during 21–27 February 2026, and the Institute for the Study of War reported that Russia launched 115 drones against Ukraine on 24–25 February 2026. Civilian protection, energy, transport, and housing infrastructure remain major concerns, and the UN continues to verify civilian casualties while noting that confirmed figures likely understate the true toll because some incidents cannot be immediately verified or occur in occupied areas. Humanitarian and displacement needs remain large, with millions of Ukrainians still displaced inside the country and abroad, and fighting and strikes continue to affect regions including Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhzhia.

Sudan’s health system remains near collapse in 2026 amid the ongoing war, mass displacement, repeated attacks on healthcare, and widespread hunger. WHO reported in January 2026 that more than one third of health facilities nationwide were non-functional, and it reiterated in April 2026 that 37% of facilities remained non-functional across the country’s 18 states. WHO also said the conflict had driven the system to the brink of collapse and left millions without access to essential care. The crisis is being compounded by attacks on hospitals and ambulances, disease outbreaks, and severe humanitarian needs. WHO reported 217 verified attacks on healthcare since April 2023, causing 2,052 deaths and 810 injuries by April 2026; earlier January 2026 figures were 201 attacks, 1,858 deaths, and 490 injuries. The 2026 humanitarian plan says 33.7 million people need assistance, including about 21 million who need health assistance, while outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue, measles, and polio continue to strain an already fragile system.

The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remains a severe and worsening humanitarian and security crisis, driven by fighting between the Congolese army, the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, and other regional and local armed actors. In July 2026, the UN said fighting in South Kivu had continued despite peace efforts, with both sides using drones, heavy artillery, and other explosive weapons in civilian areas, causing civilian deaths, injuries, livestock losses, and destruction of homes. Recent UN reporting also said more than eight million people have been displaced across the DRC during decades of conflict, with more than one million refugees already having fled the country and fears of additional displacement if the violence continues. In early 2026, Reuters reported a ceasefire planned under the Doha framework, but both the Congolese government and M23 continued accusing each other of violations, while renewed clashes were also reported in South Kivu and around Minembwe. The crisis remains concentrated in eastern DRC, especially North Kivu and South Kivu, with spillover into areas including Goma, Bukavu, Uvira, Minembwe, and other towns affected by fighting and displacement. Human rights and humanitarian reports describe killings, sexual violence, attacks on IDP sites, and worsening disease risks in overcrowded displacement settings.