Jagan Chapagain, IFRC secretary general, in his office in Geneva, 26 February 2026. (Geneva Solutions/Michelle Langrand)

‘Things won't go back to the way they were’: Red Cross federation chief on aid cuts and moving away from dependency. In a candid interview, Jagan Chapagain, who steers the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, speaks for the first time about the toll of aid cuts for his organisation, the unfulfilled promise of localisation and why the humanitarian system needs more than a reset.

An Iranian man looks as smoke still rises from Shahran Oil Refinery following last night airstrike in Tehran, Iran, 8 March 2026. (Keystone/EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh)

☁BLACK RAIN. The World Health Organization warned that black rain unleashed by massive Iran oil depot fires could be “extremely dangerous”, causing burns and serious damage to the lungs, as authorities urged people to stay indoors. Tehran has been engulfed in huge clouds of smoke after US-Israeli strikes on oil facilities this weekend, releasing toxic pollutants into the air and contaminating rain that appeared as thick black droplets. Residents have been reported complaining of dizziness, sore throats and itchy skin.

Heeding advice. “The Black Rain and the acidic rain coming with it is indeed a danger for the population, respiratory mainly,” Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesperson, told reporters. He added that the health agency had been supporting Iranian authorities in issuing public health guidance and agreed with their recommendations to stay inside.

A bigger problem. Retaliatory Iranian airstrikes on oil refineries in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have triggered fears of wider regional pollution exposure, he said, adding that the broader and long-term health effects needed to be monitored.

Health is a human right. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN rights office, also flagged the impact of the attacks on civilians' right to health and on the environment. She said it raised other questions: whether the strikes met the rules of precautions and proportionality under international humanitarian law. “These attacked sites do not appear to be of military exclusive usage.” It comes after damage to civilian sites and a mounting death toll, with Iran accusing the US and Israel of striking a girls’ school near a military base in south Iran, killing 160 people.

🇸🇸 VIOLENCE IN SOUTH SUDAN. Brutal killings, mass displacements, and the poisoning of dozens of wells across South Sudan “may amount to war crimes”, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Tuesday, as escalating violence between the army and opposition forces threatens to plunge the country back into full-scale civil war.

Gruesome killings. His spokesperson said 160 people had been killed in the last 17 days in brutal acts including the beheadings, while others were shot after being lured by government soldiers on false pretenses of receiving food. On 6 March, at least 139 civilians were allegedly killed by fighters from the Bul Nuer ethnic group in Abiemnom locality in the north of the country.

Poisoned wells. In addition, around 99 wells have been destroyed or poisoned with unidentified substances during government airstrikes, Seif Magango, OHCHR’s spokesperson in Nairobi said. He reiterated Türk’s calls for a ceasefire.

— Kasmira Jefford