SITUATION OVERVIEW
Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have continued since mid-April for nearly three months, with violence recently being reported in Khartoum, Kordofan states, Darfur states and Blue Nile. In past days, fighting involving various branches of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has taken place in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. At least 1,136 people have reportedly been killed and 12,000 injured due to the conflict, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) as of 5 July. These figures have yet to be verified and only reflect data collected from hospitals, and actual figures are likely much higher. Most of the deaths are reported in Khartoum, North Kordofan and West Darfur states.
The widespread use of conventional weapons including field artillery, mortars, air-dropped weapons and anti-aircraft guns during the clashes have left unexploded ordnances (UXOs) in Khartoum and other urban areas such as Al Obeid in North Kordofan, Al Fasher in North Darfur, Ag Geneina in West Darfur and Nyala in South Darfur, according to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
New displacement continues to be reported across the country, with over 3 million people who have now left their homes due to the conflict. This includes more than 2.4 million people displaced internally, according to the International Organization for Migration(IOM) as of 11 July. The vast majority of people (72 per cent) have been displaced from Khartoum State (1.7 million), followed by West Darfur (11 per cent), North Darfur (7 per cent), South Darfur (7per cent), and Central Darfur (5 per cent) states. The majority of displaced people are staying with host communities, while only a small percentage of them have taken refuge in camps or shelters for displaced people. In addition, about 650,000 refugees, asylum seekers and returnees have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, including Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as of 11 July.
The number of sexual assault cases is sharply increasing. The Combating Violence Against Women Unit (CVAW), under Sudan’s Ministry of Social Development, has reported 97 cases since the outbreak of conflict as of 11 July. This includes 51 cases in Khartoum, 25 in Nyala (South Darfur) and 21 in Ag Geneina (West Darfur). Actual numbers are likely much higher due to shame, stigma and fear of reprisal. Additionally, the CVAW reported the alleged kidnapping of two girls from their home in Bahri (Khartoum North) on 4 July and of a minor girl in Omdurman on 2 July. The heads of UN entities issued a statement on 5 July condemning the increasing reports of gender-based violence in Sudan and stressing the need to swiftly scale up gender-based violence prevention and response services in Sudan as well as in neighbouring countries, where those fleeing violence have sought safety as refugees.
Access to health care continues to be limited by the conflict, shortages of supplies, damage or occupation of facilities and assaults on medical staff. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an increase in the number of attacks on health care in Sudan and the occupation of health facilities such as the National Public Health Laboratory, the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Medical Supply Funds Warehouse in Khartoum and the Central Blood Bank. WHO has verified 50 attacks on health care, resulting in 10 deaths and 21 injuries between 15 April and 11 July.
With the onset of the rainy season, there is an increased risk of outbreaks of water-borne and vector-borne diseases compounded by challenges in waste management in Khartoum and other conflict-affected states posing significant health risks. Interruption of vector control efforts to contain dengue fever and malaria is a concern. Reports of cases of severe acute malnutrition, dengue, measles and acute watery diarrhoea cases are being received by WHO from different states.
STATE UPDATES
In Khartoum State, fighting between SAF and RSF intensified across Omdurman since 2 July, with air strikes, heavy artillery and ground battles reported. Artillery shelling and heavy shootings were also reported in Khartoum and Bahri (Khartoum North). As a result, an unspecified number of causalities were reported among civilians as well as combatants. Several residences and a soap factory were reportedly damaged. Previously, on 25 June, 28 refugees living in a house in Omdurman were killed during clashes between SAF and RSF, while other refugees were injured, according to UNHCR.
The three states of eastern Sudan, Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea, continue to receive newly displace people. Most of the new arrivals in Kassala reside with relatives or with the host community, while some families have taken refuge in the 10 gathering sites in the state. Gedaref has more than 38 gathering sites hosting internally displaced people, the majority of whom are women and children. There are reports of displaced people moving from Wad Medani in Aj Jazirah State to Gedaref due to the high price of living conditions and to seek better livelihood opportunities. Stocks of ready-to-use supplementary food in Kassala and Gedaref states have run out in all nutrition centres. In addition, scarcity of resources and limited access to cash are affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in eastern Sudan.
In the Kordofan region, insecurity and cases of extortion, looting and gender-based violence have been reported. There have been increased reports of the presence of unidentified armed groups/criminals in West Kordofan State.
In North Kordofan, displaced people have taken refuge in 14 gathering sites—including 13 school buildings and a club—in the state capital Al Obeid, and need urgent food, shelter and non-food item (S/NFI) assistance. People from nearby villages continue to arrive in Al Obeid fleeing insecurity. Local sources reported that Bara town (62 kilometres from El Obeid) was attacked and shops, pharmacies and vehicles looted. Several doctors were reportedly kidnapped. Many locals, including women, were reportedly physically assaulted by the attackers.
In South Kordofan, thousands of people have fled their homes following clashes between SAF and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)-Al Hilu faction in Dilling, Kadugli, Habila and Talodi localities. Residents of Kurgol and Alrtdel villages in Habilia locality have also fled in fear of the escalation in fighting between SAF and SPLM-N.IOM reports that between 4,000 and 4,500 people fled to Alrgol and Katang villages within the same locality.
Blue Nile State is hosting over 36,000 people who fled Khartoum since 15 April, according to IOM DTM estimates. The displaced people are living with the host community or have rented accommodations. In addition, there are unverified reports from partners on the ground that an estimated 36,000 people fled their homes in Abu Nezir, Jorot West and Dem Mansour villages following the renewal of clashes between SPLM-N and SAF, that started on 25 June, across Al Kurmuk locality, reports IOM DTM. This displacement includes 32,000 people to Dindoro, 754 people into SPLM-N-controlled areas, and 4,000 to 6,000 across the border into Ethiopia. The rainy season has started and road access to various locations including Al Kurmuk, Geisan and Baw localities has become challenging.
In North Darfur State, out of the 170,000 people displaced since 15 April, about 15,600 people have arrived in the past week in Al Fasher town from Tawila locality and are taking refuge in 13 school buildings in Zamzam and As Salam camps for internally displaced people. There is a shortage of health and other aid supplies across the state.
In West Darfur, civilians continue to flee Ag Geneina town and are arriving in neighbouring localities, including Sirba, Kulbus and Jebel Moon. The most urgent needs are health, food, water, shelter, nutrition and education assistance. The food situation is dire, and communities continue to share the stocks they have, which will soon run out. The Kulbus Hospital and health facilities in Sirba have run out of medical supplies.
In South Darfur, conflict between SAF and RSF forces continues to be reported in the state, especially in the capital, Nyala town. On 2 July, IOM reported clashes near the Police headquarters in Nyala town, leading to the displacement of about 200 people from Otash camp to As Sereif neighbourhood in the town. There are reports that the office of drug administration in Nyala town has reportedly been looted, and a group of armed men attempted to loot the Nyala North hospital on 3 July. In addition, a warehouse containing humanitarian supplies in Nyala was looted on 1 July. The Sudan Commission for Refugees (COR) offices in Um Dafog locality and in Al Amal refugee camp were reportedly looted.
Clashes between SAF and RSF have also been reported in Manawashi village, Mershing locality on 27 and 28 June. Preliminary reports indicate that between 14,000 and 14,500 people have taken refuge in Mershing town, Duma town, and Abu Ramlah village in Mershing locality, as well as in the Nigaya area in Shia'ria locality, East Darfur State, according to IOM DTM.
The Executive Office of the Native Administration for South Darfur tribes—a body representing the Bani Halba, Taaisha, Targam, Fallata, Misseriya and Rezeigat tribes—announced on 3 July their support to the RSF and asked all forces to withdraw their support from the SAF and join the RSF.
In East Darfur, needs are increasing as people from South Darfur, Central Darfur and North Darfur continue to arrive in the state. Humanitarian partners report that available food, nutrition, health and NFI supplies in the state are rapidly depleting, which will adversely affect refugees and other vulnerable people. During the current rainy season—usually from June to September—needs will further increase, and some areas will be cut off due to impassable roads. Humanitarian stocks in the state need to be replenished to prevent a break in services.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE AND CHALLENGES
Since the start of clashes in mid-April, humanitarians have worked hard to ensure the continued delivery of much needed life-saving assistance to people in need where and when possible. Between 22 May and 7 July, OCHA facilitated the movement of 631 trucks carrying over 28,500 metric tons of aid in 10 states. In addition, four trucks with supplies arrived in Al Obeid, North Kordofan, on 12 July.
Humanitarians have faced numerous challenges, including insecurity, bureaucratic access impediments, and looting of humanitarian premises and warehouses, which have hampered the delivery of assistance. Additionally, funding shortfalls, low capacity of humanitarian personnel and government counterparts on the ground, lack of fuel needed for the transportation of humanitarian supplies and staff, lack of access to money in banks, and the inability to deliver humanitarian supplies to areas outside the state capitals due to insecurity have affected the humanitarian response. All this is further compounded by power outages and poor internet and telephone connectivity.
CLUSTER UPDATES
Education Cluster: A digital programme called Learning Passport has been rolled out to support the Ministry of Education in Sudan. This programme, adapted for emergency response and developed by UNICEF and Microsoft, creates country-level sites available to learners to support continued access to learning for children affected by the crisis and displacement. The ongoing crisis in Sudan has massively disrupted children’s education, and the learning passport has allowed 22,300 newly displaced children, youth and teachers to access lessons both online and offline. Interactive learning resources in the passport platform are in line with the Sudan Education curriculum/syllabi-based learning resources.
Nutrition Cluster: The nutrition situation is projected to continue deteriorating further in most parts of the country, as the May to September period is characterized with peaks in admissions of severe and moderate acute malnourished children in treatment feeding programmes in Sudan. In addition, the inadequate or lack of health services resulting in low vaccination coverage against childhood illnesses and sub-optimal caring practices, will likely lead to an increase in morbidities among children under age 5. The Nutrition Cluster has mobilized partners to scale up nutrition services in all accessible sites hosting displaced people across the country using a combination of response strategies and modalities. Despite the shortage of funding and access challenges, in collaboration with other humanitarian actors, nutrition partners continue providing life-saving nutrition services across the country in accessible and hotspot areas when access opportunities allow. Nutrition partners have reached over 190,291 malnourished children and pregnant women, of whom 6,453 had SAM with medical complications; 82,000 were SAM cases without medical complications; 76,323 were children with MAM; and 25,215 acutely malnourished pregnant and lactating women. For the first time since conflict erupted in mid-April, 1,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) arrived in Central Darfur’s Shamal Jabal Marrah locality and was distributed to partners. The RUTF is enough to treat 1,000 children under age 5 with SAM. Moreover, a new shipment of 1,012 Modules of SAM kits have arrived in the country. These kits will help stabilization centres treat cases of SAM with medical complications.
Protection - Gender-Based Violence (GBV): The presence of armed actors and resource shortages—including water, food and fuel—continue to exacerbate the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). Across the country, 22 GBV partners in 15 states continue to support existing service delivery points. Activities have been scaled up, with confidential corners and women’s centres established in states hosting displaced people and in some states that have been affected by conflict.
Remote services, such as phone-based psychosocial support and GBV case management, are being provided in states that are hard to access, such as Khartoum. Since mid-April, about 5,430 dignity kits and sanitary napkins were distributed to support women and girls to increase mobility, respond to their own hygiene needs and mitigate some of the protection risks. Since the conflict began, the GBV sub-cluster has trained 317 GBV actors and service providers in GBV in Emergencies, remote service provision, psychosocial support, emergency response planning, referrals, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
Protection – Mine Action: In response to the current crisis, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has broadcasted messages to mitigate the risk of explosive ordnance on social media, and plans are underway to broadcast via television and radio; produced materials in hard copy for distribution; and has delivered safety briefings to humanitarian and civil society organizations to raise awareness among their personnel on how to stay safe and avoid the risks posed by explosive remnants of war (ERW).
Shelter and Non-Food Items (S/NFI) Cluster: Since 15 April, partners in the Shelter and NFI (S/NFI) Cluster have assisted about 80,000 displaced people, returnees and vulnerable residents across 12 states—mainly Blue Nile, South Darfur, North Darfur, Red Sea, Aj Jazirah, Northern, Gedaref, South Kordofan, North Kordofan, White Nile, West Kordofan and Khartoum. Partners distributed about 12,000 NFI kits, 2,400 emergency shelter kits, 435 tents and 300 cash grants for NFIs. Moreover, 60 cash grants were provided for shelter, and 15 communal shelters were set up, while five generators were distributed to health facilities. Additionally, Cluster partners have also supported 50,340 refugees across White Nile, Gedaref, Kassala, and Blue Nile states with 4,057 NFI kits, 3,200 cash grants for shelter, 2,662 emergency shelter kits, 1,083 tents and 30 communal shelters. S/NFI partners continue to bring in supplies from outside of Sudan. Over the past week approximately 15,000 NFI kits have arrived by air.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster: Due to growing needs brought about by the conflict, WASH Cluster partners have reached about 2.1 million with basic water supplies, 2.5 million have been reached with hygiene interventions, and about 250,000 have been reached with sanitation services. Partners have provided WASH interventions in health and nutrition facilities, schools, and other learning spaces.
Refugee Consultation Forum (RCF): Remote protection monitoring is being carried out in refugee settlements located in areas where access is restricted due to security, notably in the Darfur states. In Aj Jazirah State, the Refugee Working Group was initiated in Wad Madani to support the coordination of refugee response in the state. Authorities in White Nile have cleared a new location in Abu Dolou, Aj Jabalian locality, for the establishment of a new refugee settlement. Since the start of the conflict in mid-April, Refugee Consultation Forum (RCF) partners delivered about 58,600 outpatient consultations, admitted about 5,000 refugees for inpatient treatment, and carried out about 4,600 antenatal care visits. In addition, 1,375 refugee children under age 5 and pregnant and lactating women received SAM or MAM treatment. To promote continued access to education in emergencies for refugee children, eight classrooms were built in White Nile, and 192 teachers were given incentives. Refugees were also provided with WASH assistance. About 19,300 refugee women and girls of reproductive age received personal dignity supplies, about 30,000 refugee households received soap, and 13 handpumps were rehabilitated for improved access to safe water. Food rations have been distributed to an estimated 487,000 refugees.
Logistics Cluster: Partners are actively monitoring and assessing cross-border entry points to move humanitarian cargo into Sudan in terms of accessibility, customs capacity and procedures. Port Sudan remains the main international entry point with the consequent difficulties in reaching some of the most affected areas in the east and with the peak of the rainy season approaching fast. The Logistics Cluster is supporting with sea transport services from Jeddah to Port Sudan and with storage capacity. Additional storage capacity has also been made available in Wad Madani, Gedaref and Kosti to facilitate the humanitarian response in surrounding areas.
FUNDING
Humanitarian partners require additional resources to scale up responses across the country. The revised Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requires US$2.6 billion to provide life-saving multisectoral assistance and protection services to 18.1 million people until the end of this year, of which, only 22.6 per cent is funded, with $580.8 million received as of 13 July, according to the Financial Tracking Service.
The Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), administered by OCHA, has recently allocated $40 million to to scale up urgent response across the country, including support newly internally displaced people with life-saving assistance & protection. About 30 per cent of the funds is expected to be spent by national NGOs. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has also allocated $22 million to address priority needs, in addition of the previously allocated CERF funding of $18 million under the underfunded emergency window, which has been re-directed towards the current needs.
For a PDF version click here