Misryoum reports UNHCR says higher shipping costs and delays from the Middle East war are disrupting refugee aid deliveries.
A war that started far from many refugee camps is now showing up on shipping invoices and delivery timetables.
Misryoum reports that the UN refugee agency says the Middle East war has pushed freight rates sharply higher, complicating deliveries of emergency supplies to refugees across the wider region and in parts of Africa.. The agency pointed to a near 18 percent rise in shipping costs from its main source countries for relief shipments, while citing delivery delays and port congestion as added pressure.
For humanitarian planners, these changes can be as damaging as a shortage of supplies, because every added cost and delay slows assistance.
Misryoum says the impact is not only about price.. The UNHCR also faces reduced responsiveness from its usual transport providers, with the capacity available for requests falling from earlier in the year.. In response, the agency has adjusted routes, including rerouting sea cargo via Jordan’s Aqaba port and using alternative land corridors such as trucking routes linked to Dubai.
The agency warned that higher war-risk insurance premiums and fuel expenses translate into less money available for frontline work.. Misryoum adds that for some shipments, costs have more than doubled, including transport of items moving from UNHCR’s global stockpiles in Dubai to operations in Sudan and Chad.
This matters because routing changes and higher premiums can create bottlenecks that are hard to unwind quickly, even when stockpiles are intact.
Misryoum also notes that the war began with attacks linked to Iran, followed by wider regional escalation. The resulting restrictions and disruptions, as described by the UNHCR, have had wider economic effects, which in turn show up in humanitarian logistics.
In Africa, Misryoum reports that the agency said the situation is especially concerning.. Fuel price increases have contributed to delays and reduced truck availability for shipments to countries including Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.. In Sudan, UNHCR said delivery costs have doubled in recent months, and that rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope has added up to about 25 days to transit times.
Meanwhile, Misryoum says the agency warned that if disruptions continue, rising costs, delays, and limited transport capacity are likely to further constrain humanitarian operations, potentially reducing both the scale and speed of assistance.
In a sign of the longer-term strain, Misryoum reports UNHCR said global stockpiles are currently in good condition, but it is concerned about how expensive it will be to restock. The agency said it needs $8.5 billion for operations this year, with only part of that amount funded so far.
That funding gap, paired with volatile transport costs, is likely to determine how quickly aid can be scaled up when people need it most.