Refugees in Chad who have fled Sudan are among millions facing delayed food aid as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, with supplies taking weeks longer to arrive. The volatility of global oil prices caused by the US and Israel's war on Iran is severely impacting the most vulnerable populations by slowing or blocking food and medical aid.
Calls for Humanitarian Corridor
Aid organizations are now urging the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor" through the Strait of Hormuz amid skyrocketing transportation costs. Bob Kitchen, vice president for emergencies at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), emphasized the need for "serious and immediate conversations about humanitarian corridors through the strait of Hormuz so, at the very least, we can get supplies that are currently stuck in humanitarian hubs through the strait to resupply."
Vital medicines are failing to reach their destinations. Shipping disruptions have prevented the IRC from accessing $130,000 worth of supplies stuck in Dubai that are urgently needed by 20,000 people in Sudan. In Nigeria and Ethiopia, government oil rations have forced the emergency relief body to limit generator use in health clinics. Kitchen warned that if the situation continues, hospitals may have to shut off electricity in certain areas to keep critical operations running.
Budget Strain on Aid Agencies
Kitchen noted that aid agencies are rapidly depleting their budgets. "It is more expensive to buy fuel to run our operations, moving commodities, moving personnel around many of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa," he said. Cecile Terraz, director at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, confirmed that the increase in oil prices is undeniably affecting both people's lives and their operations.
Since the conflict began in February, oil prices have fluctuated dramatically, peaking at nearly $120 per barrel—up from $60 at the start of the year—as the US and Iran have alternately closed and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. Limiting cargo ships through the 5km-wide passage has had an extraordinary global impact, reducing the supply of oil, food, fertilizer, and medicine while driving up prices. The current cost of oil stands at nearly $111 per barrel.
Impact on Aid Deliveries
Major aid agencies, still recovering from US and European funding cuts, have been severely affected. Many export humanitarian products from hubs in India and Dubai to communities in need, particularly in Africa. Save the Children estimates that every $5 increase per barrel of oil costs the charity an additional $340,000 per month in shipping, fuel, food, and medical supplies compared to budgeted amounts at the start of the year. This is equivalent to a month of aid for nearly 40,000 children, according to Willem Zuidema, the agency's director of global supply. If oil prices remain around $100 for the rest of 2026, the charity could face an extra $27 million in costs this year.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the disruption could push an additional 45 million people into hunger, on top of the 318 million already considered food insecure before February's attacks. Zuidema stated, "We are being squeezed from both ends. While world leaders are cutting aid budgets, conflict is driving up the cost of every shipment, every sachet of food, every medical kit we send."
Global Funding Cuts
The US cut its foreign assistance by 57% in 2025, while UK aid last year was at its lowest since 2008. Norway, Germany, and France have also slashed their aid budgets. In Yemen, where nearly half the population needs aid after a decade of war, shipping costs have risen by up to 20% due to fuel costs, and food prices have increased by 30%, according to Save the Children.
Regional Consequences
In Somalia, Robyn Savage, Care's humanitarian director, reported that the cost of importing key medications for acute malnutrition in children has tripled since the conflict began. "This means there is less medication available for those children, and that will result in fewer children being able to be treated," she said. Somalia, experiencing severe drought, has also seen basic food prices rise by 20% due to higher transportation costs.
In Myanmar, a basket of goods has increased by 19%. The cost of getting food into landlocked Afghanistan has tripled, said John Aylieff, the WFP's Afghanistan country director. The WFP's supply of fortified biscuits now travels by road through seven countries from Dubai to Afghanistan to avoid the usual route via the Strait of Hormuz, taking three weeks longer than usual. "Afghan children today are going hungry as a result," Aylieff added, warning that many could die.
WFP's Challenges
A WFP spokesperson told the Guardian that the oil price increase means the organization will likely be unable to reach approximately 1.5 million people worldwide in the coming months. The UN agency is rerouting about 93,000 tonnes of food, including fortified biscuits and nutrition supplements, destined for communities with urgent needs, such as refugees from the war in Sudan—the world's largest humanitarian emergency. This effort involves significant costs and delays. The disruption is not limited to ships routed through the Strait of Hormuz; all shipping in the region is affected by widespread congestion at sea.
For example, supplies from manufacturing hubs in India typically sail from near Mumbai to Oman, through the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb to Jeddah, and on to Port Sudan. Now, due to risk and congestion, ships sail around the Cape of Good Hope through the Mediterranean to the Suez Canal and then to Jeddah, adding 9,000 kilometers and several weeks to the journey.
Impact on Refugees and Farmers
In Bangladesh, the world's largest development NGO, Brac, reported that its staff spend five hours a week queuing for rationed fuel, reducing time spent working in refugee communities. Even if a ceasefire holds, Savage warned of long-lasting ramifications. "We haven't even seen the tip of the damage that's already been incurred," she said.
In Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia, where planting season has begun, shortages of fertilizer and fuel will severely affect farmers' ability to grow crops, worsening food insecurity, said Nick Jones-Bannister of Mercy Corps. Up to 45% of the world's seeds and fertilizers depend on access through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UN. "That will have a knock-on impact on civil conflict and on migration," Jones-Bannister concluded.
