The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has issued a fresh appeal for global support to address the spiraling humanitarian crisis in the Sahel, where nearly 4 million people have been forcibly displaced across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and neighboring nations. This staggering figure represents a two-thirds increase over the past five years, driven by escalating insecurity, limited access to essential services, and the worsening impacts of climate change.
Speaking at a press briefing, Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, the UNHCR Regional Director for West and Central Africa, highlighted the growing strain on host communities and national systems due to increasingly frequent cross-border movements of displaced populations. « While most internally displaced persons remain within their countries, the surge in transnational displacement is placing unprecedented pressure on already fragile infrastructures, » he noted.
humanitarian funding gap widens as needs surge
The crisis has been exacerbated by dwindling financial resources and shrinking humanitarian access. Since 2022, funding for critical aid programs in the Sahel has plummeted, even as humanitarian needs have skyrocketed. The UNHCR has received less than a third of its requested $409 million budget for 2024, leading to severe cuts in essential services.
Key operations such as registration, documentation, healthcare, education, and shelter have been severely disrupted. Over 212,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger remain unregistered, denying them access to vital services and exposing them to arbitrary detention and harassment. The situation is further compounded by the ongoing violence perpetrated by jihadist groups, which continues to destabilize the region, forcing families into displacement, recruitment, and restricted movement.
education and healthcare systems collapse under pressure
The escalating violence has forced more than 900 health facilities to close, depriving millions of essential medical care. Additionally, over 14,800 schools across the region have shut down as of mid-2025, leaving 3 million children without education and safe spaces. This disruption not only jeopardizes the future of an entire generation but also increases their vulnerability to forced recruitment and human trafficking.
The UNHCR also warned that food insecurity has become a major driver of displacement, with the proportion of displaced individuals and host community members citing it as a cause doubling in recent years. Climate-related shocks are exacerbating these challenges, intensifying competition for scarce natural resources like land and water, and straining social cohesion between displaced populations and their host communities.
With women and children constituting 80% of the forcibly displaced population, gender-based violence remains a pervasive and urgent concern. Recent data from the inter-agency protection monitoring system in West and Central Africa indicates a significant rise in such incidents this year, further compounding the humanitarian emergency.
The UNHCR is urging renewed and strengthened international commitment to tackle the Sahel’s deepening crisis. Regional governments alone cannot address these monumental challenges, and without immediate, coordinated action, the situation risks spiraling further out of control.
