Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has disrupted aid routes and increased prices for food and fuel, worsening hardship for millions, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Instability around key Gulf transport routes, especially the Strait of Hormuz, has raised the cost of essential goods and delayed the delivery of vital supplies. This especially affects the most vulnerable, including refugees and displaced people worldwide, UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wolf stated.
UNHCR has responded by rerouting sea cargo and relying more on alternative land corridors, resulting in longer transport times and higher expenses. Freight rates for relief items have increased by nearly 18% since early 2026, while the agency's global transport provider capacity has dropped from 97% to 77%, according to Wolf.
Wolf noted that some shipment costs have more than doubled, including transporting relief items from UNHCR's stockpiles in Dubai to operations in Sudan and Chad. She expressed concern about Africa, where multiple displacement crises overlap.
In Kenya, where a significant UNHCR stockpile is located, rising fuel prices have limited truck availability for transporting emergency supplies to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan, causing further delays in aid delivery.
UNHCR operations worldwide are funded at only 23% of the $8.5 billion required. Increased transport costs mean less funding is available for people forced to flee their homes.
Restrictions on the transport of fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz are also pushing up food prices and inflation, further reducing the purchasing power of vulnerable groups in emergency settings.