Geneva, October 11, 2025 – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued an urgent call for international support on Friday to address the worsening displacement crisis in Africa’s Sahel region, where approximately 4 million people are now uprooted across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and neighboring countries. This figure represents a staggering two-thirds increase compared to five years ago, underscoring the rapid deterioration of conditions in the region. The UNHCR warned that without immediate and sustained global action, the crisis risks spiraling further, exacerbating human suffering and destabilizing an already fragile region.
Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, UNHCR’s regional director for West and Central Africa, delivered a stark message during a press briefing in Geneva. “The region cannot face these challenges alone,” he said, emphasizing the convergence of insecurity, food scarcity, and climate shocks as primary drivers of displacement. These factors have created a vicious cycle, forcing millions to flee their homes in search of safety, food, and basic services. The Sahel, a semi-arid belt stretching across Africa below the Sahara Desert, has long been plagued by complex challenges, but the scale of the current crisis is unprecedented.
According to UNHCR data, the number of displaced people in the Sahel has surged by approximately 66% since 2020, when the agency reported around 2.4 million uprooted individuals. This sharp rise reflects the compounding effects of ongoing armed conflicts, jihadist insurgencies, and intercommunal violence, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. These countries, often referred to as the central Sahel, are at the epicenter of the crisis, but the ripple effects are felt in neighboring states such as Chad, Mauritania, and Nigeria, where displaced populations have sought refuge.
Women and children bear the brunt of the crisis, making up 80% of the displaced population. Gnon-Konde highlighted the alarming rise in gender-based violence and forced recruitment by armed groups, which disproportionately affect vulnerable groups. Women and girls face heightened risks of sexual violence, trafficking, and exploitation, while young boys are increasingly coerced into joining militias. These human rights violations have deepened the trauma experienced by displaced communities and complicated efforts to provide protection and support.
The crisis has also devastated essential services, further compounding the challenges faced by displaced populations. Over 14,800 schools have closed across the Sahel due to insecurity, depriving millions of children of education and exposing them to risks such as child labor, early marriage, and recruitment into armed groups. Similarly, approximately 900 health facilities have shuttered, leaving millions without access to basic medical care. The closures have been driven by direct attacks on infrastructure, lack of resources, and the displacement of teachers and healthcare workers, who are often targeted by armed groups or forced to flee themselves.
Despite the overwhelming needs, humanitarian operations in the Sahel are severely underfunded, hampering the ability of aid agencies to respond effectively. UNHCR’s 2025 appeal for $409.7 million to support displaced populations and host communities in the Sahel is only 32% funded, a figure Gnon-Konde described as “woefully inadequate.” The funding shortfall has forced aid organizations to prioritize life-saving interventions, leaving critical long-term needs—such as education, livelihood support, and psychosocial care—largely unaddressed. “We are stretched to the limit,” Gnon-Konde said, noting that the gap between needs and resources continues to widen.
Local communities in the Sahel have shown remarkable solidarity, hosting displaced families despite their own limited resources. In many cases, host communities share food, water, and shelter with those who have fled violence, demonstrating a level of generosity that Gnon-Konde praised as “extraordinary.” However, this solidarity is not enough to meet the scale of the crisis, and host communities themselves are increasingly strained by the same challenges driving displacement, including food insecurity and climate-related shocks.
The Sahel is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and frequent droughts exacerbating food scarcity and livelihoods. The region has experienced a temperature increase of 1.5 times the global average, according to climate experts, leading to reduced agricultural yields and water shortages. These environmental stressors have intensified competition over scarce resources, fueling conflicts between farmers and herders and driving further displacement. In 2024 alone, floods and droughts displaced tens of thousands of people in the Sahel, compounding the challenges faced by already vulnerable populations.
Insecurity remains the primary driver of displacement, with jihadist groups such as Boko Haram, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and Al-Qaeda-affiliated factions operating across the region. These groups have exploited governance gaps, poverty, and ethnic tensions to expand their influence, targeting civilians, schools, and government institutions. In Burkina Faso, which hosts the largest number of displaced people in the Sahel, over 2 million individuals—nearly 10% of the population—are internally displaced. Mali and Niger face similar challenges, with cross-border displacement adding complexity to the crisis as refugees move between countries with porous borders.
The UNHCR has called for a multifaceted response to address the crisis, emphasizing the need for both immediate humanitarian aid and long-term development solutions. Gnon-Konde urged the international community to provide “unified, sustained international action and true solidarity with the Sahel” to protect millions and restore hope. This includes increased funding for humanitarian operations, as well as investments in climate resilience, education, and livelihoods to address the root causes of displacement. He also stressed the importance of protecting civilians, particularly women and children, from violence and exploitation, and called for stronger efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
The agency is working with local governments, regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and international partners to coordinate responses. However, political instability in the Sahel, including coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in recent years, has complicated these efforts. Sanctions imposed on military-led governments have further strained economies, limiting their capacity to address displacement and provide services. Gnon-Konde emphasized that humanitarian aid must remain independent of political considerations to ensure that assistance reaches those in need.
The international community’s response to the Sahel crisis has been mixed. While some donors, including the European Union and the United States, have provided significant funding, others have been slow to act, distracted by competing global crises such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The UNHCR has warned that neglecting the Sahel risks not only prolonging human suffering but also destabilizing the broader region, with potential spillover effects into North Africa and Europe. The Sahel’s strategic location and its role as a transit route for migration make it a critical area for global security and stability.
In addition to humanitarian and development efforts, the UNHCR is advocating for innovative solutions to address the crisis. These include expanding cash-based assistance to help displaced families meet their basic needs, supporting host communities to build resilience, and promoting inclusive policies that integrate displaced populations into national development plans. The agency is also exploring partnerships with the private sector to create job opportunities and improve access to services such as clean energy and water.
As the crisis continues to unfold, the stories of those affected highlight the human toll of displacement. In Burkina Faso, for example, a mother of five told UNHCR staff that she fled her village after armed men attacked, killing her husband and burning their home. Now living in a makeshift camp, she struggles to feed her children and fears for their safety. Similar stories are echoed across the Sahel, where millions are caught in a cycle of violence, poverty, and displacement.
The UNHCR’s call to action comes at a critical moment for the Sahel, where the convergence of conflict, climate change, and food insecurity threatens to push millions more into displacement. Without urgent and coordinated international support, the agency warns, the region risks becoming a forgotten crisis, with devastating consequences for its people and the world. Gnon-Konde’s message was clear: “The time to act is now. The Sahel needs our collective commitment to protect lives, restore dignity, and build a future where hope can thrive.”
