West and Central Africa faces severe humanitarian crisis in 2026
As the world gears up for the 2026 global humanitarian appeal totaling $33 billion, the United Nations and its partners are urgently calling for $5.1 billion to support 24 million of the most vulnerable individuals across West and Central Africa. This funding is critical to avert further suffering in a region grappling with escalating conflicts, climate disasters, and economic instability.
Who is most at risk in the region?
By 2026, an estimated 42 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Chad will require urgent humanitarian assistance to survive and remain safe. Without immediate resources, families face heightened risks of food insecurity, displacement, and protection threats, warns Charles Bernimolin, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for West and Central Africa.
Root causes of the crisis
The humanitarian emergency in West and Central Africa is driven by a combination of factors:
- Persistent conflicts: Violence in the Central Sahel—particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—has spilled over into neighboring countries, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania.
- Climate-induced disasters: In 2025, extreme weather events like floods and erratic rainfall affected over 2 million people across 12 countries, destroying crops, homes, and critical infrastructure such as schools and health centers. The DRC was hit hardest, with over 830,000 people displaced.
- Displacement crises: The region hosts 12.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 3.7 million refugees, many of whom are women and children facing repeated displacement and heightened risks of gender-based violence, exploitation, and survival sex.
Financial shortfalls exacerbate suffering
The UN’s humanitarian agencies report that only 24% of the required $7.8 billion funding for 2025 was met, leaving critical gaps in aid delivery. These funding shortages have forced humanitarian organizations to make difficult choices, prioritizing limited resources for the most urgent needs.
Consequences of underfunding include:
- A 75% reduction in cash-based assistance for people in the Central African Republic, severely limiting their ability to meet basic needs.
- 85% of displaced individuals in the DRC targeted for shelter support received no assistance, leaving them exposed to harsh conditions.
- Despite reaching 19 million people with some form of aid by the end of 2025, millions more remain without support due to insufficient resources.
« The lack of funding has prevented us from reaching millions who desperately need help, leaving them vulnerable to further hardship, » states an OCHA spokesperson.
Urgent call to action
Humanitarian agencies are urging immediate international support to:
- Scale up funding to meet the $5.1 billion appeal for West and Central Africa.
- Address the root causes of displacement and instability, including conflict resolution and climate adaptation strategies.
- Ensure protection for the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, who face disproportionate risks.
Without swift action, the humanitarian crisis in West and Central Africa will deepen, leaving millions in a cycle of poverty, displacement, and despair. The time to act is now.