Andrii Mazurenko

Humanitarian coordination & refugee response Notes from the field on displacement & protection Sudan 🇸🇩

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

I woke up at 6 a.m. on 24 February 2022 to my mom’s call: “We are being bombed.”

I stepped outside. The lake in Geneva was perfectly calm.

It felt impossible that both realities existed at the same time.

Four years later, I still carry that morning with me.

🇺🇦

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

🇺🇦🇸🇩 Proud to see Ukrainian solidarity reaching people in Sudan when it is needed most.

[WFP Sudan @WFP_Sudan]

A remarkable act of solidarity between two countries during wartime.

A generous contribution from the Food from Ukraine initiative with support from @czechaid, means more than 50,000 people across #Sudan received life-saving food.

@philippekropf explains what it means for them:

[European Union In Sudan @EU_SUDAN]

🎨 Calling all Sudanese Artists & Storytellers! ✨

Unbound Sudan is launching an open call for artists, graphic designers, and storytellers to create an animated short film! Applications are open now until 21 September 2026. Apply Here :

https://t.co/26exiBAJki

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

Blue Nile State in Sudan 🇸🇩, bordering South Sudan 🇸🇸 and Ethiopia 🇪🇹, has seen ~100,000 new IDPs this year, 210,000+ returns from South Sudan and ~20,000 new refugee arrivals.

Against needs on this scale, our resources have allowed us to assist only around 26,500 people.

The response is not keeping pace. Behind the numbers are people — and their stories. ↓

@mamadou_dbalde @DominiqueHyde @UNReliefChief

[UNHCR Sudan @UNHCRinSudan]

“We had been sleeping under the sky”

In Blue Nile, 4 families share what displacement, return & starting over look like.

With support from Sudan Humanitarian Fund #SHF, UNHCR is helping families with shelter, cash assistance &protection.

Their stories👉 https://t.co/milZdqH3K5

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

@alykhanrajani @CanadaBrazil Congratulations!

[Thomas van Linge @ThomasVLinge]

Doesn't matter how many people you kill, how many you gun down or starve. If you leave the RSF at the right moment, you'll be rewarded with a promotion and brand new car with driver who opens your doors for you.

Sudan 🇸🇩

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

Latest data from @UNHCRinSudan on returns to Sudan:

- 897,000 Sudanese have returned from abroad since 2024.
- 72% intend to return to their areas of origin—primarily Khartoum, Blue Nile and Al Jazira—yet almost half have not reached their intended destinations.
- In areas of return, priority needs remain high, particularly financial support, food, health and water.

🔗Read more: https://t.co/H2EJe9i1tN

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

We should all be worried.

[Nav Toor @heynavtoor]

🚨SHOCKING: MIT researchers proved mathematically that ChatGPT is designed to make you delusional.

And that nothing OpenAI is doing will fix it.

The paper calls it "delusional spiraling." You ask ChatGPT something. It agrees with you. You ask again. It agrees harder. Within a few conversations, you believe things that are not true. And you cannot tell it is happening.

This is not hypothetical. A man spent 300 hours talking to ChatGPT. It told him he had discovered a world changing mathematical formula. It reassured him over fifty times the discovery was real. When he asked "you're not just hyping me up, right?" it replied "I'm not hyping you up. I'm reflecting the actual scope of what you've built." He nearly destroyed his life before he broke free.

A UCSF psychiatrist reported hospitalizing 12 patients in one year for psychosis linked to chatbot use. Seven lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI. 42 state attorneys general sent a letter demanding action.

So MIT tested whether this can be stopped. They modeled the two fixes companies like OpenAI are actually trying.

Fix one: stop the chatbot from lying. Force it to only say true things. Result: still causes delusional spiraling. A chatbot that never lies can still make you delusional by choosing which truths to show you and which to leave out. Carefully selected truths are enough.

Fix two: warn users that chatbots are sycophantic. Tell people the AI might just be agreeing with them. Result: still causes delusional spiraling. Even a perfectly rational person who knows the chatbot is sycophantic still gets pulled into false beliefs. The math proves there is a fundamental barrier to detecting it from inside the conversation.

Both fixes failed. Not partially. Fundamentally.

The reason is built into the product. ChatGPT is trained on human feedback. Users reward responses they like. They like responses that agree with them. So the AI learns to agree. This is not a bug. It is the business model.

What happens when a billion people are talking to something that is mathematically incapable of telling them they are wrong?

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

@Nature What a surprise

[UNHCR Sudan @UNHCRinSudan]

Conditions in South Sudan's Upper Nile State are worsening. People are fleeing across the border into #Sudan - a country already overwhelmed.

This year, 3,300+ South Sudanese sought refuge in White Nile State 🇸🇩.

Needs are outpacing resources. Funding is urgently needed.

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

@GabrielAttal Bonne chance

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

As pressures grow in refugee-hosting areas and the funding is decreasing, localised and climate-smart strategies matter more than ever.

The Maban 2026–2028 roadmap, co-designed with communities & authorities, is a solid step toward sustainable inclusion and self-reliance in #SouthSudan 🇸🇸

Congratulations to the team 👏 @SilvaAlkebeh

[UNHCR South Sudan @UNHCRSouthSudan]

Curious about how #UNHCR is supporting communities in Maban #SouthSudan?

Check out our new strategy co-designed with communities, authorities & partners. It is a roadmap to boost self-reliance, inclusion & climate-resilient development for all. 👇

🔗https://t.co/sg4wusODit

[UNHCR Eastern and Southern Africa @RefugeesAfrica]

What will early recovery in Sudan look like?

@lucarenda, UNDP Resident Representative in #Sudan, highlights the opportunities shaping the path forward.

Watch 👇👇
https://t.co/WSC4iZf6Q2

@UNDP_Sudan @UNHCRinSudan @MarieHVerney
@Mamadou_dbalde @Refugees

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

👥 ~289,000 people have arrived from South Sudan since April 2025, including South Sudanese refugees and Sudanese returnees.

⚠️ The deteriorating security situation in South Sudan raises concerns over a potential rapid increase in cross-border movements.

🤝 12 partners are responding across protection, health, food security, WASH, shelter/NFI, education and livelihoods.

🚨 Critical gaps persist, particularly in:
🌙 After-hours health services
🍚 Food assistance
🧺 NFIs
📍 Underserved settlements

🛠️ Preparedness and sustained partner support remain essential.

https://t.co/QOsG6fIEci

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

Ahead of the 39th AU Summit, this @CrisisGroup briefing offers a clear analytical take on seven peace and security priorities and conflicts, old and new, to watch across Africa in 2026. 👇

[Crisis Group @CrisisGroup]

🌍 Africa is facing a wide array of challenges, with wars old and new raging across the continent.

In this special briefing, we highlight seven key peace and security priorities in 2026: https://t.co/BdolQr0ps1

Scroll down for threads from our experts on each entry.

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

✨ Good to know!

The UNHCR Innovation Fellowship is open to staff from partner organizations 🤝

This includes all UN agencies, NGOs, and partner organizations working with the UN system 🌍🚀

[UNHCR Innovation @UNHCRInnovation]

We’re launching the UNHCR Innovation Fellowship 2026 🎉

Open to colleagues at all levels to explore new solutions while staying in your role.

Join the 300+ colleagues supported over the past decade.

📅 Apply by: 2 March 2026
🔗 Learn more & apply: https://t.co/hjGZ8rGboS

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

📍 South Sudan Displacement Update

⚠️Since Dec 2025, ~280,000 people have been newly internally displaced due to escalating conflict in South Sudan 🇸🇸.

🗺️Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity States are the most affected.

🔴As internal displacement continues amid insecurity and access constraints, the risk of further cross-border movements into neighbouring countries remains high.

🔗 Latest update below
https://t.co/ybS4YHiMV5

[UN OCHA Sudan @UNOCHA_Sudan]

Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Denise Brown, expresses deep concern over a drone attack on aid trucks delivering life-saving food assistance in North Kordofan.

She underscores the need to protect humanitarian personnel and supplies.

Statement 🔗: https://t.co/Huzn3eERq6

[Andrii Mazurenko @grument]

📍 Sudan | Update

Since Feb 2025, 80,000 refugees have arrived from South Sudan.

The response is being supported by 12 partners, working alongside national and local authorities.

While most arrivals are in White Nile, around one-third have reached Darfur and Kordofan, areas affected by ongoing conflict.

🔗 Latest update below
https://t.co/JGlGQULOkO

[Marie-Helene Verney @MarieHVerney]

1,000+ days of armed conflict in #Sudan
14 million people displaced - a staggering 23% of the population

Also: 3.4 million returns to safer areas inc. 714,000 from abroad

See below for new @unhcr data for updated info:

https://t.co/LB48WxtOue