- The plan prioritises support for an estimated 470,000 additional refugees expected to cross into these nations this year
- However, funding shortfalls have forced UNHCR to shut down two of its three registration centres in the country
- Despite the financial challenges, UNHCR says the 2026 plan will continue to focus on delivering essential services such as food, shelter
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), alongside 123 partner organisations, has launched a $1.6 billion appeal to assist millions of people displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the funding request, announced on Tuesday, comes as the war in Sudan nears its fourth year. The 2026 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan is designed to provide urgent humanitarian support to 5.9 million people across seven neighbouring countries, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.
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The plan prioritises support for an estimated 470,000 additional refugees expected to cross into these nations this year, along with thousands already stranded in border regions with minimal assistance.
Fighting broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, triggering what has become the world’s largest displacement crisis.
UNHCR Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mamadou Dian Balde, said the need for a fourth consecutive appeal highlights both the scale of the crisis and the strain on humanitarian operations.
Speaking in Geneva, he described Sudan as the most severe displacement emergency globally, unfolding amid one of the worst funding shortages in decades.
He noted that continued violence has led to the breakdown of essential services inside Sudan, while humanitarian access remains limited.
Thousands continue to flee weekly into neighbouring countries that were already grapling with economic and social challenges before the crisis began.
Currently, about 4.3 million Sudanese refugees are displaced across the region, with the largest numbers hosted in Egypt and eastern Chad.
Egypt is sheltering approximately 1.4 million Sudanese refugees, with registrations nearly quadrupling since 2023.
However, funding shortfalls have forced UNHCR to shut down two of its three registration centres in the country, limiting access to protection services. Monthly funding per refugee has also dropped significantly, from $11 to $4.
In eastern Chad, more than 71,000 refugee families remain without proper housing, and nearly 234,000 people are awaiting relocation while living in difficult border conditions.
Meanwhile, in Uganda’s Kiryandongo settlement, health facilities have closed and key nutrition programmes have been suspended, increasing the risk of disease among displaced populations.
Despite the financial challenges, UNHCR says the 2026 plan will continue to focus on delivering essential services such as food, shelter, healthcare and protection for new arrivals and vulnerable refugees.
However, Balde warned that the growing gap between humanitarian needs and available resources threatens both immediate relief efforts and longer-term recovery plans.
UNHCR has renewed its call for stronger international backing to address the persistent funding shortfall affecting countries hosting people fleeing the Sudan conflict.
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