The UN refugee agency in Egypt announced on Tuesday it will begin cutting regular cash assistance to refugee families starting this month, citing severe funding shortages.
In a statement, UNHCR declared that only the most vulnerable families would continue to receive monthly assistance, citing a severe funding shortfall. Text messages are being sent to notify those who will lose support, the agency added.
All economic vulnerability assessments have been paused, effectively halting appeals or new applications for aid.
"This is a death sentence," commented Nour Khalil, executive director of the Refugees Platform in Egypt.
According to Khalil, the decision will deepen the hardships facing Egypt's refugee population, many of whom already face obstacles accessing public services due to documentation issues.
Earlier this year, UNHCR stopped providing emergency medical services to more than 20,000 refugees through local partners. Since then, those in need of care have been directed to public hospitals, which require a valid residency permit—a document many refugees struggle to obtain, according to Khalil.
"After the cessation of medical assistance, if someone’s child gets sick, they might die at the hospital gates," said Khalil. He also noted that thousands of refugee children have been left without schooling options, as community schools catering to refugees continue to shut down.
Residency permits are issued by the Ministry of Interior Administration of Passports, Emigration and Nationality, but according to Khalil, the process remains deeply bureaucratic and inaccessible.
"Refugees applying today are often given appointments as far ahead as 2027, while the permits themselves are valid for only six months and extendable to one year," explained Khalil, "meaning individuals may lose their legal status regardless."
He noted that the immigration authority still operates under the old system, despite the passage of a refugee law in 2024. "That law, despite its shortcomings, has yet to be implemented due to the absence of executive regulations," he said.
Khalil added that more than 1,500 refugees were deported in the first three months of this year, the majority of them Sudanese, including women and children. "The main reason for their arrest was the lack of residency permits," he said.
He warned that the withdrawal of support, which rarely exceeded 1000 Egyptian pounds (around $20), forces refugees into impossible choices such as returning to war-torn countries like Sudan, or risking their lives in irregular migration attempts to Europe via Libya.
"We’re seeing more refugees being arrested at Egypt’s western border. That means more are trying to cross," he said. "Many Sudanese have already gone back despite the war. All it took was one side saying they had taken Khartoum."
Egypt hosts more than 9 million foreign nationals, including refugees and migrants, according to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Only around 800,000 are registered with the UNHCR, the majority of which are Sudanese.
In April 2024, Egypt received a 7.4 billion euro ($8 billion) financing package from the EU. Of that, 1 billion euro is earmarked for immediate macroeconomic support. Migration was highlighted as a key pillar of the agreement.
In a 2024 report, Amnesty International documented Egypt’s violation of the Refugee Convention by deporting 800 Sudanese nationals between January and March, who were all denied the possibility to claim asylum, including by accessing UNHCR, or to challenge deportation decisions.
