UNHCR Halts Vital Aid for Sudanese Refugees in Egypt Amid Funding Crisis

A severe and deepening global humanitarian funding crisis has forced the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to make devastating cuts to essential support programs for refugees in Egypt, including tens of thousands who fled the brutal civil war in Sudan. Critical services such as medical treatment, child protection, and psychological support have been suspended, leaving already vulnerable populations at serious risk.

With less than 50% of the $135 million needed in 2024 secured by UNHCR, funding shortfalls have reached a breaking point. The agency has now suspended all non-emergency medical care for refugees in Egypt, a country hosting more than 1.5 million Sudanese refugees — more than any other nation since conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023.

“This is a humanitarian catastrophe in slow motion,” said Jakob Arhem, UNHCR’s Public Health Officer based in Cairo. “We are being forced to make impossible decisions – to choose which lives to save, and which to let go.”

A War Without End, and Refugees Without Relief

The conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has displaced over 12.5 million people, with more than 3.7 million fleeing to neighboring countries. Egypt alone has absorbed an enormous influx of refugees, including about 670,000 registered with UNHCR.

Many of those fleeing had urgent medical needs, particularly because Sudan’s health system was among the first institutions to collapse under the pressure of war. For thousands, Egypt was the only option for survival.

However, while the Egyptian government has granted access to its national health system, most refugees cannot afford the steep fees associated with treatment. UNHCR had stepped in to bridge that gap — until now.

Around 20,000 refugees who once depended on UNHCR-supported healthcare will now be without access to cancer surgeries, chemotherapy, heart operations, and medications for chronic diseases like diabetes, epilepsy, and hypertension.

One Man’s Fight to Stay Alive

Abdelazim Mohamed, a 54-year-old refugee from Khartoum, is one of those affected. He and his wife fled to Cairo after his heart condition worsened and medical services became unavailable in Sudan. After registering with UNHCR, Abdelazim underwent life-saving procedures to treat his ischemic heart disease. For the first time in years, he had hope.

“I was slowly dying back home,” he said. “After the procedures, I saw a future. But now, I don’t know if I’ll make it. If I can’t afford my medicine, what happens to me? What happens to my wife?”

Abdelazim now lives in a cramped apartment in Cairo’s Faisal neighborhood, his health hanging in the balance. Without the medications provided by UNHCR, he fears he could relapse at any moment.

Most Vulnerable Left Behind

The funding cuts are not only affecting adults with chronic diseases. UNHCR’s child protection programs are being slashed, putting unaccompanied minors and survivors of trauma in grave danger.

Farah Nassef, a Child Protection Officer with UNHCR in Cairo, shared the story of a young Sudanese boy who arrived alone in Egypt, severely traumatized and disabled. Until recently, he had been receiving round-the-clock care. That assistance has now been withdrawn.

“He has no family, no support,” Nassef said. “Now he’s on his own, and we have no way to help. We see this day in and day out. It is heartbreaking and enraging.”

Plea for Urgent International Support

UNHCR says that even its most basic services — support for survivors of sexual violence, mental health care, and emergency shelter — could soon be on the chopping block without an urgent and sustained increase in international funding.

Marti Romero, Deputy Representative at UNHCR Egypt, warned of the cascading impact the crisis could have: “The needs of Sudanese refugees are growing by the day, but the funding is simply not keeping pace. Egypt is doing what it can, but essential services are overwhelmed. Without more support, not only refugees but Egyptian host communities will suffer.”

UNHCR is now calling on governments, corporations, philanthropic organizations, and individuals to step up.

“We cannot turn our backs on people who have already lost everything,” Romero said. “This is not just a Sudanese crisis. It’s a global responsibility.”

How You Can Help

UNHCR continues to accept donations from the public and encourages advocacy to raise awareness of the worsening humanitarian situation. Every contribution, large or small, can help provide life-saving care to those who have nowhere else to turn.

For people like Abdelazim, time is running out — but it’s not too late to act.