As a new year unfolds, more than 117 million people around the world are forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict, violence, persecution and instability.

While global attention shifts quickly, humanitarian crises continue to deepen, leaving families struggling to survive. At the same time global humanitarian aid donations have been decimated, largely thanks to the Trump administration dismantling USAID, the US’ foreign aid agency.

The UN’s refugee agency UNHCR has identified six humanitarian crises that demand urgent attention in 2026.

Sudan

In 2026, Sudan remains one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in the world. Ongoing conflict has driven mass displacement, devastated communities, leaving millions in need of humanitarian assistance. Families continue to flee violence with little access to safety, shelter or basic services.

More than four million people have fled Sudan since the beginning of a civil war there in 2023, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has reported.

Many survivors now face inadequate shelter due to funding shortages, UNHCR says.

“Now in its fourth year, the four million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world’s most damaging displacement crisis at the moment,” the agency said in a statement.

“If the conflict continues, we expect thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake,” the statement said.

Sudan, which saw a civil war break out in April 2023, shares borders with Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya.

More than 800,000 of the refugees have arrived in Chad, where they are living dire circumstances because of funding shortages, with only 14 per cent of the UNHCR’s funding needs met.

DRC

The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains in acute crisis as escalating violence forces more people from their homes. Communities are overwhelmed, protection risks are growing, and millions are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as displacement continues to rise, UNHCR says.

The DRC is home to over 529,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled violence in neighbouring countries, mainly the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

The majority (72 per cent) live outside refugee camps or settlements, and only three per cent live in urban areas. In addition, due to high levels of insecurity and large-scale violence against civilians, around 5.6 million Congolese are internally displaced in the DRC, with over four million in the eastern provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri alone.

More than 990,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from the DRC are currently sheltered across the African continent, the UNHCR says. 

Ukraine

Nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, millions are still uprooted by the war. Fighting along the frontlines continues to force families from their homes, while prolonged displacement and damaged infrastructure intensify humanitarian needs across the country and beyond its borders, UNHCR says.

Violent attacks have forced more than ten million people to flee for their lives. Countless homes have been destroyed, along with schools, hospitals and vital infrastructure.

The humanitarian impact remains profound, with 14.6 million people identified as in need of assistance.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan remains in deep crisis. Millions of Afghans are returning from neighbouring countries, many not by choice, into a country already struggling with poverty and a collapsing humanitarian system. Needs are growing, but resources are falling short.

About 3.5 million people are internally displaced in Afghanistan, having fled their homes searching for refuge within the country.

The country has suffered more than 40 years of conflict, natural disasters, chronic poverty and food insecurity. Facing an ongoing humanitarian crisis, the resilience of refugees, internally displaced people and host communities is slowly reaching its limit, the UNHCR says.

Currently, sub-zero temperatures are leaving many families exposed. Nine in ten Afghans live in poverty despite the end of more than four decades of war.

The country is still facing an economic crisis, rising unemployment and public services and social support systems stretched to breaking point.

More than 2.2 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran this year in extremely difficult conditions. Many are coming back empty-handed and with few prospects.

The Sahel

Violence and instability across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger continue to drive mass displacement, spilling into neighbouring countries. Displaced families face extreme protection risks and urgent humanitarian needs, with few opportunities to rebuild their lives in safety.

There are 2.6 million people displaced across Burkina Faso, Mail, and Niger with 15.2 million people in desperate need.

Civilians are suffering as the military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger entrench their power and step-up bloody counterinsurgency campaigns against jihadist militants.

Burkina Faso’s junta is extending its rule even as dissent within the military builds after insurgents killed over a hundred soldiers in June. Troops have carried out their own massacres, and they continue to kidnap critics.

Myanmar

Ongoing conflict and persecution continue to force people from their homes across Myanmar. Those who have fled to neighbouring countries, including Rohingya refugees, are struggling to survive as resources, funding and essential services rapidly run out.

Atrocities and widespread abuse is occurring in Myanmar as the conflict between the ruling military junta and armed ethnic minority groups intensifies, the UN has warned.

The violence includes systematic atrocities, including torture, sexual violence, and attacks where civilians were “the target”, the UNHCR says.

How you can help.

To donate to Australians for UNHCR, click here: https://www.unrefugees.org.au/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=AU_PS_EN_general_UNHCR_CoreBrand&utm_code=OAWBNDO0025&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18842602503&gbraid=0AAAAAChjxf2zHA0mF9NzUuDCcnrg-rdtO&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhvKh2pGFkgMV0qJmAh0_bDdcEAAYASAAEgLsIvD_BwE