The plan will continue to prioritize aid for the approximately 470,000 new refugees expected to cross into these countries, as well as thousands more who remain in border areas and have received only the most basic assistance.
The world’s largest displacement crisis
Sudan’s war broke out in mid-April 2023, with the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) locked in a brutal struggle for power.
Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said the need for a fourth annual appeal underlines the relentless impact of war and a humanitarian response struggling to keep up.
“Sudan remains the world’s largest displacement and worst humanitarian crisis, unfolding on the heels of the most severe global funding crisis in decades.“he told reporters in Geneva.
As fighting continues in several parts of the country, essential services have collapsed and humanitarian access remains restricted in many areas.
“Thousands of people continue to flee across borders every week, often arriving in already vulnerable but generous regions, where public services and economic opportunities were limited even before the crisis,” he said.
Host communities are ‘on the brink’
Some 4.3 million Sudanese refugees remain displaced within the region, most of whom are in Egypt and eastern Chad.
Mr. Balde pointed out that “While host governments and local communities continue to demonstrate remarkable solidarity, their capacity is being stretched to the limit..”
Egypt currently hosts 1.4 million Sudanese who have fled war and registered refugee numbers have almost quadrupled since 2023.
“However, severe funding cuts have forced UNHCR to close two of its three registration centres, affecting people’s access to critical protection services,” he said. Additionally, funding available per refugee per month has decreased from $11 to $4.
In eastern Chad, more than 71,000 refugee families have not received housing assistance, meaning they do not have safe and adequate accommodation. “About 234,000 people are waiting to be relocated and are living in precarious conditions on the border,” he added.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, the closure of clinics and the suspension of critical nutrition programs in the Kiryandongo settlement put thousands of Sudanese refugees at greater risk of contracting disease.
Growing needs, shrinking resources
Balde highlighted that despite these limitations, the 2026 plan “will continue to support host countries in the provision of critical basic services, including food, shelter, health care and protection services for new arrivals and the most vulnerable refugees.”
He warned, however, that “the widening gap between growing needs and declining resources threatens to undermine both emergency response efforts and medium-term solutions.”
Meanwhile, UNHCR continues to call for greater international support to address the persistent underfunding of humanitarian operations in countries hosting people fleeing Sudan.