As Sudan war approaches fourth year, humanitarian agencies appeal for support to refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and 123 partners are urgently seeking $1.6 billion to deliver critical life-saving assistance and more dignified support to 5.9 million people across seven countries neighbouring Sudan by the end of the year.

The 2026 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) will continue to prioritize aid for an estimated 470,000 new refugees expected to arrive in neighbouring countries this year, as well as thousands more who remain in border areas and have received only the most basic assistance since their arrival. The need for a fourth annual appeal at this scale underscores the relentless impact of the war in Sudan, and a humanitarian response struggling to keep up.

Nearly three years since the outbreak of the war, Sudan remains the world’s largest displacement and worst humanitarian crisis, unfolding in the wake of the most severe global funding crunch in decades. Fighting continues in several parts of the country, where essential services have collapsed. Humanitarian access remains restricted in many areas. Thousands of people continue to flee across borders each week, often arriving in already vulnerable yet generous regions, where public services and economic opportunities were limited even before the crisis.

While host governments and local communities continue to demonstrate remarkable solidarity, their capacity is being pushed to the brink. Egypt now hosts the largest number of people fleeing Sudan, with registered refugee figures nearly quadrupling since 2023. Yet severe funding cuts have forced UNHCR to close two of its three registration centres, affecting people’s access to critical protection services. Available funding per refugee per month amounted to $4 in 2025, a drastic drop from $11 in 2022.

In eastern Chad, more than 71,000 refugee families in need have not received housing assistance, leaving them without safe and adequate shelter. Nearly 234,000 people are awaiting relocation, living in precarious conditions at the border.

Clinic closures and the suspension of critical nutrition programmes put thousands of Sudanese refugees in Uganda’s Kiryandongo settlement at heightened risk of diseases.

Despite these constraints, this year's Sudan regional refugee response appeal will continue to support host countries in providing critical basic services, including food, shelter, health care and protection services for new arrivals and the most vulnerable refugees.

The plan also prioritizes longer-term solutions by supporting governments to include refugees in national systems, expand access to documentation and public services, and promote self-reliance through partnership with development actors and the private sector. Investment in more adaptable settlements, as in Chad and Ethiopia, to help the displaced and their hosts build safer and more stable communities will also be prioritized.

However, the widening gap between rising needs and shrinking resources threatens to undermine both emergency response efforts and medium-term solutions. With no clear path to peace and dwindling support, more and more refugees are losing hope, making the difficult decision to move onwards. Last year saw the number of Sudanese refugees making the dangerous journey to Europe nearly triple.

UNHCR continues to call for stronger international backing and to address the persistent underfunding of humanitarian operations in the countries hosting people fleeing Sudan, as we await a lasting peace.

For more information please contact:

• In Geneva, Eujin Byun, [email protected], +41 79 747 87 19
• In Nairobi (regional), Faith Kasina, [email protected], +254 113 427 094
• In Amman (regional), Rula Amin, [email protected], +962 6 510 04 60
• In Dakar (regional), Fidelia Bohissou, [email protected], +221 77 569 91 60