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

« Without immediate resources, families in West and Central Africa will face escalating hunger, displacement, and protection risks, with suffering intensifying,» warns Charles Bernimolin, Head of the UN OCHA Regional Office for West and Central Africa.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the region is grappling with a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis affecting millions. Persistent violence, ongoing conflicts, and environmental disasters continue to uproot families and undermine their ability to meet basic needs.

Escalating insecurity in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin

Instability in the central Sahel—particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—is spreading to Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania. Concurrently, insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin and the conflict in Sudan are driving further displacement.

Over 12.7 million people are internally displaced, while 3.7 million are refugees or asylum seekers. Women and children make up the majority, often forced to flee multiple times and facing heightened risks, including gender-based violence and exploitation, with reports of rape and survival sex.

As violence spreads, climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities. In 2025, intense rainfall and floods 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 particularly hard-hit, with over 830,000 people affected.

Devastating impact of budget cuts

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

OCHA highlights that despite generous donor support in 2025, humanitarian operations in the region faced severe funding gaps: only $1.8 billion of the $7.8 billion required was received, just 24%. These shortfalls forced aid agencies to scale back responses and make difficult choices about where to intervene and which vulnerable communities to prioritize.

The cuts have had devastating consequences. In the Central African Republic, for instance, the drop in cash assistance has left families struggling to meet urgent needs. In the DRC, where conflict has triggered new mass displacements, 85% of people targeted for shelter support received no assistance.

Despite funding constraints, humanitarian partners continue to address 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 funding gaps,» humanitarian agencies emphasize.