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Regional Overview
Sudan is the world’s largest displacement and protection crisis, with the violence creating a humanitarian catastrophe across the country and region. After nearly three years of conflict which began in April 2023, some 4.4 million Sudanese refugees remain displaced in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda 4 . The majority of Sudanese refugees are hosted in Egypt and Eastern Chad. The countries of asylum host new arrivals in addition to 840,000 Sudanese refugees who were already in the region prior to April 2023, as well as receiving their own citizens returning under adverse circumstances5 . Arrivals often enter impoverished areas with limited services and economic opportunities. Disrupted cross-border trade between Sudan and its neighbours has driven food and fuel inflation, worsening macroeconomic pressures. Food insecurity has spilled across borders, with 1 in 10 newly arrived Sudanese refugee children in Chad being malnourished. In addition to poor infrastructure in border areas, countries including the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan face insecurity, with armed actors exacerbating instability and interrupting access for the humanitarian response. The anticipated reduction in peacekeeping capacity in the Central African Republic and South Sudan further threatens the safe movement and the delivery of assistance. Extreme weather events have compounded needs in South Sudan and Chad, causing damage to shelter and infrastructure, disrupting livelihoods, and hindering aid delivery. Concurrently, there have been cholera outbreaks in South Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia in 2025, linked to Sudan’s outbreak. Uganda, despite not bordering Sudan, has received about 91,000 Sudanese refugees, adding to more than 1.9 million refugees in the country. Severe underfunding of the 2025 humanitarian response has reduced humanitarian assistance across all the receiving countries, heightening the vulnerability of refugees and the communities hosting them. The pursuit for peace continues with multiple ceasefire attempts. The return of displaced Sudanese is ongoing 6 and expected to continue in 2026. Some are choosing to return to areas of relative calm, while others are compelled by hardship in countries of asylum. However, returnees find widespread destruction, insecurity, and at times open conflict. In 2025, Sudan was ranked as the deadliest conflict in Africa, with over 17,000 civilian fatalities between January and November 20257 and widespread reports of sexual violence. Essential services have collapsed, and parties to the conflict are blocking humanitarian access in some areas. Many returnees are forced to flee again, whether internally or across international borders. In October 2025, the Rapid Support Force (RSF) captured El Fasher in the North Darfur region, triggering a new surge of violence, displacement and loss of life. By December 2025, intense fighting had extended to Kordofan. Conflict and human rights violations are likely to persist into 2026, prolonging displacement and leaving over 4 million Sudanese refugees in seven countries of asylum in urgent need of assistance. The RRP countries continue to show solidarity despite overstretched resources, underscoring the need for sustained international support. The Central African Republic hosts an estimated 40,000 Sudanese refugees across remote and insecure border prefectures where poor infrastructure, rising prices, and limited partner presence severely constrain assistance. Insecurity driven by armed actors, cross-border movements, and weak state authority heightens protection risks and restricts humanitarian access, while the UN peacekeeping mission's reduced capacity further undermines safe operations. Despite an out-of-camp policy and legal protections for refugees, funding shortfalls and growing needs threaten the ability to provide essential servicesin sectors such as health, education, WASH and livelihoods. It is urgent to provide flexible support to uphold asylum space and deliver life-saving assistance.