Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan.

Today's three stories you should know.

Sudan

The UN couldn’t have put it any stronger. Sudan, it has said, is going through one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. “A humanitarian travesty is playing out in Sudan under a veil of international inattention and inaction,” Edem Wosornu, director of operations at the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, said. “Simply put, we are failing the people of Sudan.” The conflict, between government forces and a powerful militia, has dragged on for almost a year, forcing a staggering eight million people to flee their homes. More than 18 million people are reported to be facing acute food insecurity, and 730,000 children are estimated to be suffering from severe malnutrition.

More from Al Jazeera here.

Somalia

We’ve mentioned in Proximities a few times recently that Somalia’s pirates appear to be back. Piracy was rampant off the coast of Somalia from 2008 until 2012 before dropping off dramatically when several foreign navies were deployed to the Gulf of Aden. Reuters today published a piece digging into the possible implications of this resurgence. The news agency spoke to analysts, officials, representatives of shipping companies and, crucially, the pirates themselves.

More from Reuters here.

Afghanistan

At least 21 people were killed in a suicide attack on a bank in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, a doctor at a local hospital told the BBC, making it the worst attack in Afghanistan this year. Nobody claimed responsibility but the Islamic State Khorasan Province group, a bitter rival of the Taliban, has carried out several similar attacks since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

More from BBC here.