In 2026, over 42 million people will require urgent assistance to survive and remain safe in countries including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Chad.

“Without immediate resources, families will face heightened hunger, displacement, and protection risks across West and Central Africa, leading to increased suffering,” warns Charles Bernimolin, Head of the UN OCHA Regional Office for West and Central Africa.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the region is grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis affecting millions. Ongoing violence, persistent conflicts, and environmental disasters continue to uproot families and erode their ability to meet basic needs.

Crisis in the Central Sahel and Lake Chad Basin

Instability in the Central Sahel—particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—is spilling into neighboring countries such as Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania. Simultaneously, insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin and the conflict in Sudan are driving further displacement.

Over 16 million people are now displaced across the region, including 12.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 3.7 million refugees and asylum seekers. Women and children make up the majority, often forced to flee multiple times and facing heightened risks such as gender-based violence and exploitation, including reports of rape and survival sex.

As violence expands, climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities. In 2025, severe flooding affected over 2 million people across 12 countries, destroying crops, damaging homes, and disrupting access to schools and healthcare. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was hit hardest, with over 830,000 people affected.

Dire consequences of funding gaps

In the Central African Republic, the number of people receiving cash assistance plummeted by 75%.

Despite generous donor contributions in 2025, humanitarian operations in the region faced severe funding shortfalls: only $1.8 billion of the $7.8 billion requested was received—just 24% of the total needed.

These funding gaps forced humanitarian agencies to scale back responses and make tough decisions about where and whom to assist. The impact has been devastating. In the Central African Republic, for instance, the drop in cash aid left families struggling to meet urgent needs. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict triggered massive new displacements, 85% of those targeted for shelter support received no assistance at all.

Despite cuts, humanitarian partners continue to prioritize critical needs in West and Central Africa. By the end of 2025, aid workers had provided some form of assistance to 19 million people in the region. “Yet, millions more remain beyond reach due to insufficient funding,” humanitarian agencies emphasized.