Misinformation Campaigns Put Humanitarian Workers at Risk Worldwide
Nairobi, 6 March 2026
Aid workers face unprecedented dangers as sophisticated disinformation spreads across crisis zones, with false information now considered as vital a threat as lack of food or shelter. Recent incidents show alarming consequences: Spanish Red Cross volunteers endured xenophobic attacks after fake claims they diverted flood aid to migrants, whilst South Sudanese communities rejected life-saving food supplies due to poisoning rumours. The International Federation of Red Cross warns that deliberate manipulation of information costs lives and obstructs humanitarian access. With global aid requirements doubling from 192 million to 433 million people between 2020-2024, humanitarian organisations urgently call for tech platforms to prioritise authoritative sources and governments to invest in evidence-based regulation to combat this dangerous trend.
Scale of the Growing Crisis
The magnitude of humanitarian challenges has reached unprecedented levels, with the number of people requiring aid more than doubling between January 2020 and the end of 2024 [1]. What began as 192 million people needing assistance in January 2020 escalated to 433 million by December 2024, representing a staggering 125.521 per cent increase [1]. During this same period, disasters affected nearly 700 million people globally, displacing over 105 million and killing 270,000 [2]. This dramatic surge in need coincides with an equally troubling rise in disinformation campaigns targeting humanitarian operations worldwide.
Information as Essential as Food and Water
IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain emphasised the critical nature of accurate information during crises, stating that ‘in every crisis I have witnessed, information is as essential as food, water and shelter’ [1]. However, when information becomes ‘false, misleading or deliberately manipulated, it can deepen fear, obstruct humanitarian access and cost lives,’ he warned [1]. The organisation’s latest World Disasters Report, issued on Thursday, highlights how trust has become one of the most critical and fragile assets in humanitarian action [1]. In polarised and politically charged contexts, humanitarian principles such as neutrality and impartiality are increasingly misunderstood, misrepresented or deliberately attacked online [1].
Real-World Consequences of False Information
Concrete examples demonstrate the deadly impact of misinformation on humanitarian operations across different continents. During the Valencia flooding in Spain, false narratives online accused the Spanish Red Cross of diverting aid to migrants, which fuelled xenophobic attacks on volunteers [1][2]. In South Sudan, rumours that agencies were distributing poisoned food caused people to avoid life-saving aid and led to threats against local Red Cross staff [1][2]. Lebanon experienced false claims that volunteers were spreading COVID-19, favouring certain groups in aid distribution or providing unsafe cholera vaccines [1]. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, during political unrest, volunteers faced widespread accusations of inaction and political alignment, leading to harassment and long-term reputational damage [1].
Call for Coordinated Response
The IFRC, comprising national societies in 191 countries with almost 17 million volunteers assisting in natural disasters and unrest, has issued specific recommendations to combat this growing threat [1]. The organisation calls on technology platforms to prioritise authoritative information from trusted sources, while urging policymakers to invest in evidence-based regulation [1]. Humanitarian organisations themselves should provide training on handling digital media to better navigate the challenging information landscape [1]. The report notes that approximately 94 per cent of disasters are handled by national governments and local communities without significant international assistance, making accurate local information even more crucial [2]. Volunteers and community leaders, who are often more trusted by citizens, now work in a difficult environment of divisive and misleading information [2].