Uganda is poised to host nearly two million refugees by the end of 2025, amid growing humanitarian crises in neighbouring countries and a sharp decline in emergency funding, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned. In a sobering statement released on Monday, UNHCR said that an average of 600 people per day have crossed into Uganda this year, primarily fleeing violence and instability in Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Already Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country, and the third largest globally, Uganda currently shelters over 1.93 million refugees—more than half of whom are children under the age of 18.
“Uganda has opened its doors, its schools, and its health centres. This model can succeed, but it can’t do it alone,”
— Dominique Hyde, UNHCR Director for External Relations.
Despite Uganda’s progressive and inclusive refugee policies, the humanitarian response faces one of the worst funding crises in decades, with UNHCR warning that emergency resources will run dry by September if additional support is not mobilized urgently.
Hyde painted a grim picture of what lies ahead if the funding gap is not addressed:
“More children will die of malnutrition, more girls will fall victim to sexual violence, and families will be left without shelter or protection unless the world steps up.”
UNHCR reports that the cost of supporting a refugee in Uganda is about $16 per month, yet with current financial constraints, they can only deliver $5 worth of assistance per refugee each month.
This has already led to a sharp increase in malnutrition rates, especially among children under five, as food, water, and medicine supplies dwindle.
The agency stressed that Uganda’s refugee response is currently only 2% funded, calling this level of underfunding “alarming” and “unsustainable.”
UNHCR is now appealing to the international community—including governments, development agencies, and humanitarian partners—to urgently step in with sustained financial and logistical support.
“This is not just a Ugandan responsibility; it is a global one,” the agency emphasized.
As Uganda prepares to absorb even more people seeking safety, the call is clear: without solidarity and action, millions of lives hang in the balance.
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