The human suffering caused by conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Chechnya, and northeast India are among the most underreported humanitarian stories of 2005, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The eighth such annual list from the medical aid organisation says there is also a lack of media attention paid to the plight of people trapped by chronic wars in Colombia, northern Uganda, and Ivory Coast, the crises in Somalia and southern Sudan, as well as the "utter lack of research and development" devoted to new HIV/AIDS tools adapted for impoverished settings.
"Although media coverage won't solve these crises it can have a positive impact on relief efforts - just look at the nutritional crisis in Niger last year," said Jean-Michel Piedagnel, executive director of MSF UK.
"Although relief came far too late for many, the only reason aid efforts increased at all was media attention at the peak of the crisis."
Since President Aristide's exile in February 2004, many people in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, have been affected by widespread violence, MSF said.
In 2005 the agency treated more than 2,250 people for violence-related injuries. Nearly 1,500 of these were gunshot victims, and half of those treated were women, children or the elderly.
Mr Piedagnel said: "Millions of people are struggling to survive in places that rarely, if ever, get mentioned in the news, and in our experience silence is the best ally of injustice."