Agencies, February 18, (DArfur24)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced Tuesday an urgent appeal for $1.6 billion to provide life-saving and dignity-preserving assistance to an estimated 5.9 million people displaced by the war in Sudan and now living in seven neighboring countries by the end of the year.
The appeal comes three years after the outbreak of the conflict, which the agency says has triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis and a deepening humanitarian emergency, as basic services continue to collapse and refugees face shrinking access to aid.
According to UNHCR, the 2026 Regional Response Plan prioritizes support for an expected 470,000 new refugees this year, in addition to thousands already stranded in border areas without sufficient assistance.
The agency warned that current funding levels are far from adequate. Assistance per refugee has dropped from $11 in 2022 to $4 in 2025, contributing to the closure of registration centers and hospitals and the suspension of essential programs, particularly in Uganda, Chad, and Egypt, the latter hosting the largest share of Sudanese refugees.
UNHCR cautioned that the widening gap between needs and available resources threatens both emergency response operations and long-term shelter efforts. It called on the international community to urgently scale up support to safeguard refugees while efforts toward lasting peace in Sudan continue.