As the world marks World Refugee Day, humanitarian agencies are confronting a widening gap between the number of refugees in need of protection and the limited pathways available to help them rebuild their lives.

The challenge is particularly acute in Africa, where conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Somalia continue to drive mass displacement across borders, straining host countries and international aid systems alike.

According to the latest UNHCR data, millions of Africans remain uprooted by conflict, insecurity and political instability, while durable solutions such as voluntary return, local integration and third-country resettlement remain difficult to achieve. 

Globally, there were 41.6 million refugees by the end of 2025, even after large-scale returns to countries including Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria.

For many African refugees, returning home is not yet a viable option.

In Sudan, where conflict has entered its fourth year, more than 651,000 refugees returned in 2025, primarily from Egypt and South Sudan. Many have returned to communities where basic services have collapsed, infrastructure has been severely damaged, and economic opportunities remain scarce, complicating efforts to rebuild their lives. 

The presence of unexploded ordnance, recurring disease outbreaks, and deteriorating humanitarian conditions continues to hinder the safe and sustainable reintegration of returnees.

The crisis has also driven significant reverse migration across Africa. More than 199,000 South Sudanese refugees returned from Sudan in 2025 despite worsening insecurity and political tensions in South Sudan, with a further 42,400 returning in 2026. 

These movements underscore the difficult choices displaced families continue to make as they navigate ongoing conflict, instability, and limited prospects for safety and livelihood.

Elsewhere on the continent, refugee returns remain modest. In 2025, Nigeria recorded about 26,800 refugee returns, while the Central African Republic received 21,700 returnees. Burundi welcomed 17,800 returning refugees and Rwanda about 7,200. Together, those returns accounted for only a small fraction of global refugee movements.

Aid agencies say the numbers underscore a broader reality: Many refugees want to return home but lasting peace, security and economic recovery remain elusive.

UNHCR warns that without sustained investment in housing, livelihoods, healthcare and education, many returns risk becoming unsustainable. The agency says support is needed not only in countries of origin but also in host nations, which continue to shoulder much of the responsibility for protecting displaced populations.

For global humanitarian agencies, the task ahead extends far beyond moving refugees across borders. It is about creating the conditions that allow millions of Africans displaced by conflict to return home safely, integrate into host communities, or begin new lives elsewhere, a goal that remains increasingly difficult as displacement continues to outpace solutions.