UNHCR: Over 500,000 Refugees Fled to Egypt Following Conflict in Sudan

Hundreds of thousands refugees, comprising 500,000 Sudanese and 8,827 from various other nationalities, have entered Egypt from the beginning of the Sudanese conflict in April 2023 until March 2024, as per the latest official data provided by the Egyptian government to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

UNHCR Egypt has reported that as of 14 March, the aid group has registered 207,889 individuals out of the 433,140 fleeing Sudan who have received pre-registration appointments since the conflict began.

In a report titled “Sudan Emergency Update in Egypt,” the UNHCR revealed that 53 percent of the Sudanese refugees who have been registered are women. The agency also noted that 89 percent of the newly registered arrivals come from Khartoum.

Of the newly registered individuals, 93 percent are Sudanese nationals, with three percent each from South Sudan and Eritrea.

In terms of distribution, Giza governorate hosts the largest number of registered Sudanese refugees at 156,964, followed by Cairo with 79,192, Alexandria with 18,897, and Aswan with 3,615.

Despite the pressing needs, UNHCR stated that they have only received six percent of the  USD 54.7 million (EGP 2.5 billion) required for funding the Sudan emergency response in Egypt for the year 2024.

Previously, the agency indicated that Egypt has provided refuge to approximately half a million registered refugees and asylum-seekers hailing from six different nationalities.

According to International Organization for Migration (IOM) data, Sudanese nationals constitute the largest group among nationalities in Egypt, numbering around four million, followed by Syrians (1.5 million), Yemenis (one million), and Libyans (one million). These four nationalities combined represent approximately 80 percent of the international migrant population residing in Egypt.

Estimations from Egyptian officials and the IOM suggest that a total of nine million migrants and refugees are present in Egypt.