The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued an urgent $1.6 billion appeal to address the escalating humanitarian crisis triggered by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The 2026 Regional Refugee Response Plan, developed in coordination with 123 humanitarian partners, seeks to provide life-saving assistance to nearly six million people across seven neighboring nations.
The plan targets refugees and host communities in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda. As reception capacities in these countries reach a breaking point, the UNHCR aims to use the funds to secure international protection and provide essential services, including food, healthcare, and education. A high priority of the 2026 plan is the anticipated arrival of 470,000 new refugees this year, who will join the hundreds of thousands already struggling in border areas with limited resources.
The requested €1.5 billion (equivalent) is intended for both immediate emergency relief and medium-term programs designed to stabilize host regions. UNHCR officials warned that rapid donor mobilization is critical to preventing the socioeconomic collapse of these fragile border zones. Without sustained international engagement, the agency insists that the massive influx of displaced persons could lead to heightened regional tensions and a catastrophic worsening of the humanitarian situation for one of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
MK/AK/Sf/fss/abj/APA