Middle East Crisis Makes Refugee Aid More Expensive and Slow

UNHCR warned that disruptions in the Gulf route, including the Strait of Hormuz, made the delivery of aid to refugees and displaced people more expensive, slow, and complicated. (UNHCR Doc.)

JAKARTA - The Middle East crisis is beginning to hit the world's humanitarian aid routes. UNHCR warns that disruptions in the Gulf route, including the Strait of Hormuz, make it more expensive, slow, and complicated to send aid to refugees and displaced people.

According to a Xinhua report quoted on Sunday, May 3, UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Wolf said insecurity on the main Gulf route had disrupted maritime traffic. The impact spilled over into the cost of fuel, food, and freight.

The increase in costs, said Wolf, is felt most heavily by people who are already living in emergencies. They include millions of refugees and displaced people. At the same time, aid agencies are increasingly difficult to send timely help.

The closure of the main sea lanes forced shipments to take longer and more expensive routes. Shipping rates from major supplier countries have risen by almost 18 percent since hostilities began.

UNHCR's global transport provider capacity has also dropped from 97 percent to 77 percent since the beginning of the year.

"For some shipments, the cost has more than doubled," Wolf said. He cited the cost of shipping relief supplies from UNHCR's global stock in Dubai to operations in Sudan and Chad.

UNHCR pays special attention to Africa. The region hosts many overlapping and often neglected refugee crises.

In Kenya, one of UNHCR's global stock locations, a fuel price hike of around 15 percent triggered delays and reduced truck availability. The impact was felt on shipments to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.

In Sudan, the cost of shipping aid has doubled in recent months. Rerouting through Tanjung Harapan also adds 25 days to delivery time.

"If instability in the Middle East continues, rising costs, delays, and limited transportation capacity will likely further limit humanitarian operations," Wolf said.