The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Friday that the cost of delivering aid to Sudan—currently facing the world’s largest displacement crisis—has more than doubled due to disruptions linked to the Iran crisis.
The agency noted that insecurity along major shipping routes in the Gulf region, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, has led to higher costs and delays in aid deliveries.
UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wulf said that humanitarian supplies are reaching beneficiaries later than planned because of these challenges.
Wulf added that aid shipments, which were previously transported from Dubai through the Strait of Hormuz, are now being rerouted via land through Aqaba in Jordan or shipped from Oman to Port Sudan. Shorter routes are being prioritized to reduce delivery times.
It is worth noting that the cost of transporting 2,018 tons of relief supplies from Dubai to Sudan and neighboring Chad has more than doubled—from $927,000 to $1.87 million. The United Nations describes the humanitarian crisis resulting from the war in Sudan as the largest in the world.
