Egypt — humanitarian situation

Egypt continues to receive substantial refugee and asylum seeker populations, primarily driven by the protracted conflict in Sudan that began in April 2023 and has now exceeded 1,200 days. The Sudan crisis has generated 11.3 million forcibly displaced persons, including 6.5 million internally displaced and 4.6 million who have fled to neighboring countries UNHCR. Egypt remains a significant destination for Sudanese fleeing violence, with new arrivals monitored through mid-August 2026, though specific displacement figures to Egypt were not provided in available reports. The country also hosts Syrian refugees, with ongoing monitoring of return movements to Syria documented through August 2026 UNHCR. Within Sudan itself, an estimated 8.6 million internally displaced persons were recorded across all 18 states, alongside 4.9 million returnees documented across 76 localities in nine states, with 82 percent of these returnees having moved back from internal displacement within Sudan IOM. The humanitarian situation reflects families who expected brief displacement but have now spent years away from home, with children born at the conflict's outset in April 2023 now toddlers. Some displaced populations are beginning to return to neighborhoods where homes, schools, and infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed IFRC. Egypt's asylum system is undergoing institutional strengthening, with UNHCR engaging the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs in July 2026 to advance preparations for implementing the country's new asylum framework. Discussions centered on a capacity-development package including technical training, institutional strengthening, strategic planning, learning management systems, and study visits to support operational readiness UNHCR. The broader regional response to the Sudan crisis requires additional support to provide protection and life-saving assistance, including water, food, shelter, and health services for both newly displaced populations and pre-existing refugee communities UNHCR. Agricultural concerns include potential locust breeding risks, with above-normal rainfall forecast for northern Africa in September 2026 due to El Niño intensification FAO.