Middle East and North Africa

Regional overview

Multiple new emergencies occurred in and neighbouring the Middle East and North Africa in 2023. The already dire humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic was further compounded by the February earthquakes, which affected more than 8.8 million people and claimed thousands of lives. Massive flooding occurred in Libya, displacing an estimated 44,000 people. In Sudan, a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces drove over 400,000 Sudanese and individuals of other nationalities into Egypt between April and December. Increased conflict in Mali, coupled with the withdrawal of the UN Stabilization Mission, caused 55,000 Malians and 8,000 Mauritanian refugee returnees to flee into Mauritania. Most new arrivals settled in the Hodh Chargui region, which has high levels of multidimensional poverty and is prone to climate shocks. The war in Gaza has had widespread implications for the region, including an intensification of cross-border clashes between Lebanon and Israel, attacks against US forces and installations and related retaliations in Syria and Iraq, and the launch of attacks by Ansar Allah in the Red Sea, which increasingly threatened global trade and regional stability.

Deteriorating socioeconomic conditions and insecurity contributed to a further shrinking of the already tight protection space in the region. Several countries experienced heightened anti-refugee rhetoric, continued restrictions on access to territory and safety, and increased expulsions. North Africa in particular saw increased onward movements from countries of first asylum, including by sea to Europe: arrivals to Italy from Tunisia more than tripled in 2023 compared to the year prior. A worsening funding outlook prompted reductions in UNHCR's protection and assistance, with over $214 million less received for the region than in 2022.

As a result of ongoing clashes along Lebanon’s southern border, 76,000 people had been newly displaced to other parts of the country by the end of 2023, including nearly 4,000 Syrian refugees. UNHCR and its partners supported the Government of Lebanon’s advanced preparedness and emergency response with emergency relief items, cash assistance, monitoring of risks and needs in collective shelters, and referrals to specialized services. In Egypt, UNHCR worked with the Government, through the Egyptian Red Crescent, to send humanitarian aid to Gaza and prepare contingency stocks of relief items.

In 2023, over 323,000 individuals were newly registered with UNHCR across the region, a 62% increase compared to 2022, primarily as a result of the conflict in Sudan and new arrivals in Egypt. As people fled from Sudan, UNHCR enhanced reception conditions at border-crossing points in Egypt and increased registration capacity, registering over 138,000 new refugees from Sudan for protection and assistance. By year-end, the Sudanese refugee population in Egypt grew to 207,000, surpassing the number of Syrian refugees. UNHCR also strengthened registration and assistance capacity in Tunisia, where asylum applications increased sevenfold from 2022, mainly due to arrivals from Sudan. In Libya, new arrivals from Sudan were also observed, though access was limited.

There was a decrease in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) across the region, including in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Most significantly, in Libya, the total number of IDPs decreased from 135,000 to some 50,000 who still require substantial effort to realize solutions.

In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, UNHCR and UNDP continued to co-lead the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, focused on protecting people, promoting durable solutions, contributing to dignified lives, and enhancing local and national capacities with a long-term, solutions-oriented response.

Dialogue continued in 2023 to address obstacles to voluntary return, however, UNHCR considered that the conditions inside Syria were not yet conducive for the facilitation of large-scale voluntary returns in safety and dignity. The number of refugees returning to Syria fell to 38,300, down from 50,800 in 2022 and back to levels seen during the pandemic. The eighth regional survey on “Syrian refugees’ perceptions and intentions on return to Syria” found only 1.1% of refugees intended to return to Syria in the next 12 months, citing concerns over safety and security, livelihoods, basic services and housing as the main factors influencing their decision-making.

The lives of many refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs across the region were supported through cash assistance, with Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq and Egypt among the largest UNHCR operations delivering cash assistance. UNHCR distributed $243 million to 2.8 million forcibly displaced individuals across 16 operations in 2023, of which 90% was unrestricted cash assistance, providing dignity of choice in meeting recipients’ needs, mitigating risks and advancing protection outcomes. Across the region, 95% of cash recipients felt that the assistance improved their living conditions and well-being.

Voluntary return and local integration remained elusive for most refugees. In 2023, there were 27,000 resettlement departures of refugees of all nationalities from the region, an increase from the 21,000 refugees who departed in 2022. Despite the rise, resettlement spaces within the region (excluding Türkiye) were still well below the projected needs of 463,380.

Protection

Child protection

Basic needs

Shelter

Health

Nutrition