More than a million Sudanese refugees face drastic cuts in life-saving aid such as food and water unless donors fill a funding shortfall of over $400-million, two UN agencies said on Thursday.

Over 1.3-million Sudanese refugees are living in neighbouring Chad, with most of them arriving since the start of the conflict in Sudan between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. Among them are survivors of mass killings and famine from Darfur.

The World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency do not have enough funds to help them all and envisage further cuts in the coming months unless a $428-million shortfall can be met, they said in a joint statement. 

"...With less than half the resources we require, we cannot deliver sufficient food to the people who need it most,” said WFP Chad Country Director Sarah Gordon-Gibson. "This will force them into devastating coping strategies and put lives at risk.”

The UN joint statement did not specify which donors had cut money although the UNHCR refugee agency has previously said that US cuts in foreign aid are a major reason for funding gaps. Still, both Sudan and Chad are on a list of 17 countries set to receive $2-billion in US aid in 2026.

Other Western donors have also cut back foreign aid as they shift funds to defence.

Already, the UNHCR said it can only help four of every 10 refugees in Chad, leaving many without access to shelter, while most classrooms have over 100 children for every teacher. In the northeastern province of Ennedi Est, refugees are surviving on less than half the minimum amount of daily water, it said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council described extreme hunger levels in Chad, citing a survey showing that 70% of refugee families in Chad reported reducing meals in the past month.