: Violence in Somalia escalated this year, with hundreds of thousands displaced by fighting in the capital Mogadishu. Yet aid and attention for the humanitarian crisis seemed to decline. MSF says that, in a country where a 16-year conflict has led to some of the world&${esc.hash}39;s worst health indicators, few international aid organisations are able to run effective independent programmes.
HEALTHCARE CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE: Amid political and economic turmoil, Zimbabwe&${esc.hash}39;s once-strong healthcare system is now on the verge of collapse. MSF warns that the estimated 1.8 million Zimbabweans living with HIV/AIDS could bear the brunt. Less than a quarter of those in urgent need of life-extending antiretroviral treatment receive it, translating into an average of 3,000 deaths each week.
LACK OF NEW DRUGS FOR TUBERCULOSIS: Tuberculosis kills around 2 million people a year, but treatment has not advanced since the 1960s. Survival prospects are especially poor for the 450,000 people every year who become infected with multidrug-resistant TB. MSF says ${esc.dollar}900 million is needed annually for TB research and drug development, but only ${esc.dollar}206 million is invested worldwide.
READY-TO-USE FOODS FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN: Every year, malnutrition is associated with the deaths of 5 million children under five. MSF says nutrient-dense ready-to-use foods (RUFs) - enriched milk- and peanut-based pastes - that can save the lives of acutely malnourished children, but so far they&${esc.hash}39;re only available to a fraction of those who need them. The aid agency wants donors to support the purchase and use of RUFs in international food aid programmes.
CIVILIANS UNDER FIRE IN SRI LANKA: The conflict between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels has been running for close to 25 years - but the toll it takes on civilians in the north and east has received little attention. Bombings, killings, mine attacks, suicide bombings, abductions, forced recruitment, extortion, restrictions on movement and arbitrary arrests are commonplace. Humanitarian organisations face hostility and suspicion, which is restricting aid, according to MSF.
INSECURITY AND DISPLACEMENT IN EASTERN CONGO: Fresh violence between government troops and armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has uprooted an estimated 170,000 people since August. Many have already been displaced several times, and they are often forced to hide in the forest, without access to food or healthcare. They are increasingly vulnerable to easily treatable diseases, and cholera is on the rise. But insecurity means aid workers are struggling to reach them.
GUNS AND TERROR IN COLOMBIA: As Colombia&${esc.hash}39;s civil war rolls into its sixth decade, its civilians continue to flee to urban slums from rural areas - half of which are controlled by armed groups. In the cities, they live in overcrowded shacks without adequate facilities or healthcare. As many as 3.8 million have been uprooted by the violence between government troops, paramilitaries and rebel forces - meaning that Colombia has the third largest number of internally displaced in the world, after Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.
RESTRICTED HUMANITARIAN AID IN MYANMAR: While September&${esc.hash}39;s crackdown on pro-democracy protests grabbed the global limelight, it didn&${esc.hash}39;t go far in revealing what ordinary Burmese go through every day. Despite high levels of malaria and HIV, very few receive treatment. There are few aid groups in the country, and for those who have a presence, government restrictions make it hard to work independently and impartially, MSF says. Donors are also unwilling to fund programmes that could support the junta.
CHAOS IN NORTH CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Civilians in both the northwest and northeast of Central African Republic are regularly caught up in fighting between government forces and various rebel groups, as well as being attacked by roadside bandits. Villages have been looted and burned, forcing tens of thousands to try to survive in the forests, without healthcare. Around 75,000 refugees have fled across the border into Cameroon and Chad, where they lack adequate shelter, food and medical help.
HIGH MEDICAL NEEDS IN CHECHNYA: Although fighting between Russian forces and Chechen rebels died down four years ago, the north Caucasus region remains highly volatile and security is precarious for civilians. Tens of thousands of uprooted Chechens have returned home, but many are suffering from anxiety, insomnia and depression after years of violence and displacement. Levels of chronic illness are high but basic health services are poor and unaffordable.
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