“While most displaced individuals in the region remain within their home countries, cross-border movements are becoming increasingly common, placing significant strain on host communities and national infrastructures,” stated Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Director of the UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, during a press briefing. These ongoing population shifts coincide with severe challenges in humanitarian access and a drastic decline in funding. The Sahel has witnessed a sharp rise in humanitarian needs, yet resources have significantly dwindled since 2022.

Critical funding shortfalls

The UNHCR is advocating for a renewed and strengthened international commitment to address the escalating crisis in the central Sahel. The nations within the region are unable to tackle these multifaceted challenges independently. This year, the agency has secured less than a third of its required $409 million appeal, leading to severe operational limitations.

Essential services, including registration, documentation, education, healthcare, and shelter, have been critically impacted by these budget cuts. “More than 212,000 refugees and asylum-seekers across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger remain unregistered, severely restricting their access to vital services and heightening their vulnerability to arbitrary detention and harassment,” Mr. Gnon-Konde further elaborated.

These financial constraints come at a time when violence perpetrated by jihadist groups continues unabated. The pervasive insecurity across the region exposes populations to violence, forced recruitment, restrictions on movement, and arbitrary detention.

Women and children constitute a staggering 80% of all forcibly displaced persons in the region, and gender-based violence remains a grave and widespread concern. “Data from the inter-agency protection monitoring system in West and Central Africa indicates a substantial increase in reported incidents this year.”

Education and health systems collapsing

Amidst this climate of instability, over 900 health facilities have been forced to close, denying millions access to critical medical care. Region-wide, more than 14,800 schools had shuttered their doors by mid-2025, leaving 3 million children without access to education and safe learning environments. This dire situation further exposes “displaced young people to heightened risks of forced recruitment and human trafficking.”

Furthermore, food insecurity has emerged as an increasingly significant driver of displacement; the proportion of displaced persons and host community members citing it as a cause for their movement has doubled in recent years.

According to the UNHCR, climate-related shocks further exacerbate existing risks, intensifying competition for scarce natural resources like land and water, and creating additional barriers to peaceful coexistence and social cohesion with host communities.