UN warns of $428 million shortfall for Sudanese refugees in Chad; CERF allocates $48 million to keep UNHAS flights operating
April 09, 2026 | United Nations, International
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United Nations officials warned that more than a million Sudanese refugees in Chad face immediate, life-threatening cuts to food, water, shelter, protection and health care unless additional funding is secured.
The spokesman said the combined shortfall for the World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Sudan–Chad response stands at $428 million. The briefing noted that Chad hosts roughly 1.3 million refugees from Sudan overall, more than 900,000 of them having crossed the border since the start of the war in 2023.
To sustain humanitarian access by air, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated $48 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for urgent support to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). The funding is intended to keep UNHAS flights operating in eight countries, including Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria, enabling humanitarian workers and critical supplies to reach people in need.
The spokesman said UNHAS also transports journalists in many cases and that shrinking humanitarian funding could otherwise force the air service to suspend flights. He added that the CERF allocation was made possible in part by a recent $2 billion contribution to UN-managed humanitarian funds.
UN officials appealed to donors to mobilize funds over the next six months to sustain life-saving assistance to refugees and host communities in Chad and elsewhere.
No implementing details or conditionalities for the CERF allocation were announced at the briefing; UN agencies will provide operational updates as funding is received and as needs evolve.
The spokesman said the combined shortfall for the World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Sudan–Chad response stands at $428 million. The briefing noted that Chad hosts roughly 1.3 million refugees from Sudan overall, more than 900,000 of them having crossed the border since the start of the war in 2023.
To sustain humanitarian access by air, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, allocated $48 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for urgent support to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). The funding is intended to keep UNHAS flights operating in eight countries, including Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria, enabling humanitarian workers and critical supplies to reach people in need.
The spokesman said UNHAS also transports journalists in many cases and that shrinking humanitarian funding could otherwise force the air service to suspend flights. He added that the CERF allocation was made possible in part by a recent $2 billion contribution to UN-managed humanitarian funds.
UN officials appealed to donors to mobilize funds over the next six months to sustain life-saving assistance to refugees and host communities in Chad and elsewhere.
No implementing details or conditionalities for the CERF allocation were announced at the briefing; UN agencies will provide operational updates as funding is received and as needs evolve.
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