The UN and partners are appealing for $5.1 billion to deliver essential lifesaving aid and protection in West and Central Africa. Funding shortfalls have forced humanitarians to shrink the response and make tough choices about where to focus efforts and who can be supported among the most vulnerable communities.
·West and Central Africa is grappling with a worsening humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people. In 2026, more than 42 million people across the region will need help to survive and stay safe. Humanitarian organizations aim to deliver lifesaving aid and protection to 24 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.
· By the end of 2025, aid workers will have provided at least one form of assistance to 19 million people in the region. However, insufficient funding has prevented them from reaching millions of other vulnerable people.
Dakar, 8 December 2025 – The UN and partners today launched their global humanitarian appeal to save millions of lives where shocks hit hardest – in wars, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and where crop failures occur.
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The immediate priority is to save 87 million lives with US$23 billion in funding, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Ultimately, in 2026, the aim is to raise a total of US$33 billion to support 135 million people through 23 country operations and six plans for refugees and migrants.
“This appeal sets out where we need to focus our collective energy first: life by life,” said UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher. “The Global Humanitarian Overview 2026 is grounded in reform, evidence and efficiency. We’re shifting power to local organizations, putting more money directly into the hands of the people who need it, and behind it all, we are renewing and reimagining humanitarian action with idealism, humility and hope.”
In West and Central Africa, ongoing violence, persistent conflict and environmental disasters continue to force families from their homes and undermine their ability to meet basic needs. Millions of people remain displaced across the region, including 12.7 million internally displaced people and 3.7 million refugees and asylum-seekers. Most are women and children, many of whom have fled multiple times and face heightened risks, including gender-based violence and exploitation, with reports of rape and transactional sex as a means of survival.
Conflict continues to spread. Violence from the Central Sahel–especially in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger–has spilled over into Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Mauritania. Meanwhile, insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin and the ongoing conflict in Sudan are forcing even more people to flee.
Climate change is deepening vulnerabilities with severe weather making things worse. In 2025, heavy rains and flooding affected over 2 million people in 12 countries, destroying crops, damaging homes, and cutting off access to schools and clinics. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was hit particularly hard, with more than 831,000 people affected. These disasters are eroding livelihoods and food sources, pushing already fragile communities further into crisis.
Humanitarian access remains a major challenge. Insecurity, movement restrictions, bureaucratic impediments, logistical obstacles, and widespread misinformation and disinformation targeting humanitarians continue to hinder the delivery of life-saving assistance.
“Without urgent resources, families will increasingly face hunger, displacement and protection risks across West and Central Africa, leading to further suffering,” warned Charles Bernimolin, Head of OCHA’s Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROWCA). “The UN and humanitarian partners are appealing for US$5.1 billion in 2026 to support 24 million of the most vulnerable people across the region.”
In 2025, despite donors’ generosity, humanitarian responses in West and Central Africa faced a severe funding shortfall: of the US$7.8 billion required, only US$1.8 billion was received–just 24 per cent coverage. Funding cuts had devastating consequences: hunger surged, health systems came under crushing strain, education fell away and families faced blow after blow: no shelter, no cash assistance, no protection services. In Nigeria, despite renewed violence, 1.4 million people did not receive protection support. In the Central African Republic, the number of people receiving cash and voucher assistance fell by 76 per cent, limiting their ability to address their most urgent needs. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict has triggered massive new displacement, 85 per cent of people targeted for shelter support received no assistance.
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“Despite funding cuts, humanitarian partners will continue to meet priority needs in West and Central Africa. They are committed to focusing resources where they are needed most,” said Charles Bernimolin. “We ensure to plan and adapt responses based on crisis-affected people’s inputs and feedback even in the most complex and volatile emergencies. But this will only be possible if the world steps up its support: 2026 must be the year that humanity chooses global solidarity over indifference.”
Notes to editors :
– The Global Humanitarian Overview 2026 is a comprehensive assessment of global humanitarian needs, and it provides a snapshot of current and future trends in humanitarian action for large-scale resource mobilization. It includes 29 plans covering 50 countries: 20 country Humanitarian Needs and Response Plans (HNRPs), three Flash Appeals and six refugee and/or migrant response plans.
–Infographic: West and Central Africa: 2026 Humanitarian Needs & Requirements (as of 8 December 2025)
– Media contact for OCHA West and Central Africa in Dakar: Jean-Francois Ruel, [email protected]