Full Analysis Summary
2026 Sudan refugee appeal
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), together with 123 partners, has launched a $1.6 billion 2026 Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan.
The plan aims to provide lifesaving aid to 5.9 million people displaced by nearly four years of war as the conflict approaches its fourth year.
UNHCR says the appeal is designed to respond to both existing displacement and newly expected refugees, reflecting what the agency called the relentless toll of the fighting.
The agency said the humanitarian response is strained by a severe global funding crunch.
UNHCR Regional Director Mamadou Dian Balde warned that the fourth consecutive appeal signals the conflict’s ongoing severity.
Regional refugee appeal
The appeal covers seven neighbouring countries — the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda — and prioritises roughly 470,000 newly expected refugees as well as thousands in border areas with only basic assistance.
UNHCR frames the response as regional, acknowledging that displacement is spread across multiple states and that the plan seeks to support both refugees and affected host communities pushed to the brink.
Sudanese displacement in region
UNHCR emphasises the magnitude of regional displacement: about 4.3 million Sudanese are displaced across the region, with Egypt and eastern Chad hosting the largest numbers.
The report singles out Egypt as hosting 1.4 million Sudanese.
It notes that steep funding cuts in Egypt have already forced UNHCR to close two of three registration centres there, reducing access to critical protection services.
UNHCR appeal and displacement
UNHCR and partners warn that fighting has collapsed services.
They say the fighting has limited humanitarian access and is forcing thousands to flee weekly into already vulnerable host communities described as 'pushed to the brink'.
The agency frames the new appeal as necessary to restore lifesaving services and to support both refugees and overstretched host populations, and it highlights that a severe global funding crunch has strained the humanitarian response over successive appeals.
UNHCR funding cuts impact
Dabanga reports that steep funding cuts have already forced UNHCR to scale back services in key host countries, including the closure of two of three registration centres in Egypt, which reduces access to protection services for many Sudanese.
The combination of large caseloads — 5.9 million people targeted across the plan and about 4.3 million currently displaced across the region — and limited funding underpins UNHCR's call for a $1.6 billion regional appeal.