During a press briefing, Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Director of the UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, highlighted that while most displaced individuals remain within their own countries, cross-border movements are becoming increasingly prevalent. This trend places significant strain on host communities and existing national infrastructures.

These ongoing population shifts are occurring amidst severe challenges to both humanitarian access and crucial funding. The Sahel region has witnessed a sharp escalation in humanitarian needs, yet resources have dramatically diminished since 2022.

Critical funding shortfalls impacting Sahel aid

The UNHCR is advocating for a renewed and strengthened international commitment to address the multifaceted crisis in the central Sahel. The nations within this region are unable to manage these immense challenges independently. For the current year, the agency has secured less than a third of its required $409 million funding appeal.

Vital operations, including registration, documentation, educational programs, healthcare provisions, and shelter initiatives, have been severely compromised. Mr. Gnon-Konde noted, “Over 212,000 refugees and asylum-seekers across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger remain unregistered, which severely impedes their access to essential services and heightens their vulnerability to arbitrary detention and harassment.”

These significant budget cuts coincide with the unrelenting violence perpetrated by jihadist groups. The pervasive insecurity throughout the region exposes populations to brutal violence, forced recruitment, restrictions on movement, and arbitrary detention.

Women and children constitute a staggering 80% of those forcibly displaced in the region, and gender-based violence persists as a grave and widespread concern. According to the inter-agency protection monitoring system for West and Central Africa, the incidence of such events has seen a substantial rise this year.

Thousands of schools forced to close amid crisis

Within this volatile security environment, more than 900 healthcare facilities have also been compelled to cease operations, thereby denying millions of people access to critical medical care. Across the region, over 14,800 schools had shut their doors by mid-2025, leaving 3 million children without access to education and safe learning environments. This dire situation further exposes forcibly displaced youth to the dangers of forced recruitment and human trafficking.

Furthermore, food insecurity has emerged as an increasingly significant driver of displacement; the proportion of both displaced individuals and members of host communities citing it as a reason for their relocation has doubled in recent years.

The UNHCR also reports that climate-related shocks are intensifying existing risks. These shocks exacerbate competition for scarce natural resources like land and water, creating additional obstacles to peaceful coexistence and social cohesion within host communities.