diff --git a/dev-libs/icu/files/icu-flagparser.patch b/dev-libs/icu/files/icu-flagparser.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..bd642762a0f31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-libs/icu/files/icu-flagparser.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+Index: source/tools/toolutil/flagparser.c
+===================================================================
+--- a/source/tools/toolutil/flagparser.c	(revision 38080)
++++ b/source/tools/toolutil/flagparser.c	(revision 38081)
+@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
+ 
+     T_FileStream_close(f);
+     
+-    if (U_FAILURE(*status)) {
++    if (U_FAILURE(*status) && *status != U_BUFFER_OVERFLOW_ERROR) {
+         return -1;
+     }
+ 
diff --git a/dev-libs/icu/icu-56.1-r1.ebuild b/dev-libs/icu/icu-56.1-r1.ebuild
index e8a0e2beac094..3968b3a1dda8d 100644
--- a/dev-libs/icu/icu-56.1-r1.ebuild
+++ b/dev-libs/icu/icu-56.1-r1.ebuild
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ src_prepare() {
 	local variable
 
 	epatch "${FILESDIR}/${PN}-remove-bashisms.patch"
+	epatch "${FILESDIR}/${PN}-flagparser.patch"
 	epatch_user
 
 	# Disable renaming as it is stupind thing to do