United Nations funding cuts leave Sudanese refugees at risk
Sudanese refugees are facing a worst case scenario as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are being forced to suspend services.
According to The New Arab on April 3rd, Sudanese refugees in Egypt are expected to face grave consequences as a result of cuts to the UNHCR.
Vital programmes will face being suspended as a result of the cuts leaving the most vulnerable groups, including children, at the greatest risk of death.
Fatma Aly Mohamed, a Sudanese refugee told The New Arab: “The suspension of these services is very bad news for refugees with health problems, it just means that the refugees will be left to face the prospect of death in the absence of the required health services.”
Large amounts of the population have been forced to flee the country with estimates in June of last year suggesting around 10 million people had been internally displaced in Sudan.
The UNHCR is a vital service for refugees seeking safety from the civil war in Sudan as well as from other regional conflicts.
As of January 2024, around 902,700 refugees from 58 different nations were registered with the UNHCR, including 630,958 from Sudan.
The Sudanese Civil War – described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis by the United Nations – will soon be entering its second year.
The conflict between the military backed government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group has torn the country, including the capital of Khartoum, apart.
Official figures are impossible to know however estimates suggest that around 150,000 people have been killed during the conflict.
Recent USAID cuts have placed the country under even greater strain as nearly two million people have been further plunged into food poverty.
The cuts to UNHCR threaten the lives of Sudanese citizens seeking refuge in Egypt.
Whilst Sudanese citizens face consequences in Egypt, cuts to UNHCR would risk leaving 12.8 million people – 6.3 million of whom are children – at risk of being deprived of vital healthcare.
The New Arab, Maghrebi
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