UNHCR Halts Critical Refugee Aid in Egypt Amid Funding Crisis, Leaving Thousands at Risk

Due to the lack of donor funding and severe financial uncertainty in 2025, UNHCR has suspended all non-emergency medical services for refugees in Egypt.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been forced to make a devastating decision: to suspend vital medical and protection services for tens of thousands of refugees in Egypt due to an acute global funding shortfall. The move threatens the lives and wellbeing of many, especially Sudanese refugees who fled one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises and are now left vulnerable and unsupported in their host country.

Medical Lifelines Cut for Thousands

Due to the lack of donor funding and severe financial uncertainty in 2025, UNHCR has suspended all non-emergency medical services for refugees in Egypt. The cuts affect over 20,000 registered patients who rely on the agency for treatment of chronic and life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Only life-saving emergency interventions remain available.

“The consequences are heartbreaking,” said Jakob Arhem, UNHCR Public Health Officer in Cairo. “Refugees with chronic illnesses have no way to afford private care. Many will deteriorate rapidly without medication or procedures. For some, it’s a death sentence.”

Among those affected is 54-year-old Abdelazim Mohamed, who fled Khartoum with his wife in the early months of the war in Sudan. Diagnosed with ischemic heart disease, Abdelazim previously underwent two successful stent placements under a UNHCR health program in Cairo. But without continued access to medication, his condition is worsening.

“I fought so hard to live,” he said. “Now I’m watching everything unravel. If I can’t get my medicine, what happens to me? Who takes care of my wife if I’m gone?”

The Sudan Crisis and Egypt's Heavy Burden

The brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that erupted in April 2023 has displaced more than 12.5 million people — making it the worst displacement crisis globally. Egypt has received the largest share of refugees: over 1.5 million Sudanese, including approximately 670,000 officially registered with UNHCR.

Many of the arrivals fled not only violence but also the collapse of Sudan’s healthcare system. Hospitals were destroyed or shuttered, and access to medication all but disappeared. For thousands, crossing the border into Egypt was the only hope for survival and medical care.

“People didn’t just flee bombs. They fled because they couldn’t find insulin or cancer medication. Their hospitals were rubble,” explained Arhem.

Although Egypt grants refugees access to its public health system, most cannot afford the fees. UNHCR’s support helped bridge that gap—until now.

Funding Shortfall Forces Impossible Choices

In 2024, UNHCR received under 50 percent of the $135 million needed to support nearly one million refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt. This year, the financial picture is even bleaker, forcing the agency to make painful decisions about which programs to maintain and which to suspend.

Among the hardest hit are medical services, child protection, and mental health support. UNHCR is now focusing its remaining resources on the most vulnerable: unaccompanied children, survivors of sexual violence and torture, and people with critical emergency needs. But even those programs are under threat without an urgent infusion of funding.

Children and the Disabled Left Without Support

Farah Nassef, a UNHCR Child Protection Officer in Egypt, recounted the story of a young Sudanese refugee who arrived as an unaccompanied minor and was receiving full-time care for both mental and physical disabilities. That care has now been withdrawn.

“He has no family, no support system, and now he’s on his own,” said Nassef. “It’s an awful thing to witness—young people with no one to turn to, no means to survive, left entirely at risk.”

Such stories are becoming common. Refugee families who once had hope of recovery are now spiraling into desperation. As UNHCR workers scramble to do more with less, morale is sinking.

“To shut down life-saving activities—it goes against everything we’re here to do,” Arhem said. “It’s not just medical care. It’s survival.”

An Urgent Call to the Global Community

UNHCR officials are calling on governments, the private sector, and individuals to respond immediately and generously to the growing crisis.

“The needs are multiplying daily, but support is dwindling,” said Marti Romero, UNHCR’s Deputy Representative in Egypt. “Egypt is carrying a heavy load by hosting over a million refugees. But without international solidarity, both refugees and the Egyptian communities that host them will suffer.”

Romero emphasized that the refugee crisis is not just a Sudanese or Egyptian problem — it’s a global issue demanding a global response.

“We’re watching lives hang in the balance,” she said. “If donors don’t act now, this humanitarian crisis will deepen beyond repair.”

How You Can Help

UNHCR urges individuals, philanthropies, and businesses to contribute to emergency appeals and to spread awareness of the dire situation facing refugees in Egypt and beyond. Every contribution, no matter how small, can help restore critical services and save lives.

For more information and to donate, visit www.unhcr.org

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Key Facts:

• Over 1.5 million Sudanese refugees have fled to Egypt since April 2023.

• 670,000+ are registered with UNHCR in Egypt.

• UNHCR supports over 939,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 60+ countries in Egypt.

• Funding in 2024 fell below 50% of the required $135 million.

• Now, only emergency medical procedures are available to refugees.

• Vital services for children, survivors of violence, and the chronically ill are being suspended.