In 2026, over 42 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Chad will require assistance to survive and remain safe. Without immediate resources, families in West and Central Africa face escalating hunger, displacement, and heightened protection risks, warns Charles Bernimolin, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Regional Office for West and Central Africa.

According to OCHA, the region is grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis affecting millions. Persistent violence, ongoing conflicts, and environmental disasters continue to uproot families and undermine their ability to meet basic needs.

Escalating insecurity in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin

Insecurity in the central Sahel—particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—is spilling over into Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania. Meanwhile, instability in the Lake Chad Basin and the conflict in Sudan are driving further displacement.

Millions remain displaced across the region, including 12.7 million internally displaced persons and 3.7 million refugees and asylum seekers. Women and children make up the majority, often forced to flee multiple times and facing heightened risks such as gender-based violence and exploitation, including reports of rape and survival sex.

As violence spreads, climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities. In 2025, intense rainfall and floods affected over 2 million people across 12 countries, destroying crops, damaging homes, and disrupting access to schools and healthcare. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was particularly hard-hit, with more than 830,000 people affected.

The devastating impact of budget cuts on humanitarian aid

In the Central African Republic, the number of people receiving cash assistance dropped by 75%.

Despite generous donor contributions in 2025, the region’s humanitarian operations faced severe funding shortfalls: of the $7.8 billion requested, only $1.8 billion was received—just 24%. These shortfalls forced aid organizations to scale back responses and make difficult choices about where to intervene and which vulnerable communities to prioritize.

The consequences have been devastating. In the Central African Republic, for example, a 75% reduction in cash assistance has left families struggling to meet urgent needs. In the DRC, where conflict has triggered new mass displacements, 85% of people targeted for shelter support received no assistance at all.

Despite these challenges, humanitarian partners remain committed to addressing urgent needs across West and Central Africa. By the end of 2025, aid workers had provided some form of assistance to 19 million people in the region. However, agencies emphasize that millions more remain unreached due to funding gaps.