HIGHLIGHTS

• Despite high-level calls for an Eid ceasefire, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued on 21 April in Sudan for a seventh consecutive day, especially in Khartoum.

• The death toll from the conflict continues to rise, with over 400 people killed, and over 3,500 injured.

• An IOM staff member has been killed, bringing the aid worker deaths to five.

• Civilians are increasingly fleeing areas affected by fighting, including Khartoum.

• Civil society organizations and networks have mobilized to respond to immediate needs, especially in Khartoum.

• Looting of international and humanitarian organizations’ assets and offices has compromised humanitarian action in key areas of the country.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Despite renewed calls for a ceasefire, especially for Eid al-Fitr, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted on 15 April 2023 continued as of 21 April, with reports of clashes intensifying in Khartoum North. In El Fasher, North Darfur, heavy gunshots were heard during the night, while the neighbourhood committees in Wad Madani, Aj Jazirah state, warned of clashes between SAF and RSF forces along the road from Khartoum to Madani—which has been one of the main routes used by those fleeing the capital—calling on residents to stay home and travellers to get off the main road.

At least 413 people have been killed nationwide, including 132 in Khartoum, and more than 3,500 people are injured, according to the Ministry of Health, as of 20 April. An aid worker from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was killed on 21 April after the vehicle he was traveling in with his family south of El Obeid, North Kordofan, was caught in a crossfire between warring parties. This brings the number of aid workers killed in Sudan since 15 April to five.

Increased displacement is being reported in multiple locations across Khartoum state, as well as to Aj Jazirah, Sennar, White Nile, River Nile and Gedaref states, due to fighting and lack of basic commodities, according to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix. In North Kordofan, between 7,500 and 8,000 people have reportedly been displaced from El Obeid Town and have sought shelter in the locations of Almadina Altydua, Folat Ebaid, Taiba North, Arafat neighbourhood across Sheikan locality. Displacement has also been reported in Al Fasher, North Darfur. The majority of the estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Chad are women and children, most of whom are currently sheltering out in the open, according to UNHCR.

Lack of safe drinking water—which is widely reported in conflict-affected areas—is increasing the risk of water-borne diseases, including cholera, while vector control efforts for mosquito-borne diseases (including dengue fever and malaria) could cause cases to rise, according to the Ministry of Health.

Record numbers of people were already facing hunger in Sudan before the conflict erupted on 15 April, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), and the food security situation was already expected to deteriorate in the period ahead, with the annual lean season beginning in April/May, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). With aid agencies unable to deliver critical assistance, and communities’ resilience severely undermined by the ongoing conflict in multiple areas, these figures are expected to rise in the period ahead.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian leadership and partners are urgently calling on all parties to the conflict to implement humanitarian pauses and cease hostilities to allow civilians, including aid workers, to move to safety, replenish their supplies and access basic services. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has reminded all parties of their obligations under international law, including ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers. The Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, has also called for an end of the attacks on medical and humanitarian facilities and staff and for parties to the conflict to prioritize the safety and well-being of civilians during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The conflict, meanwhile, has forced humanitarians to halt operations in multiple areas. Following the killing of its staff member, IOM has announced the suspension of its humanitarian operations in Sudan. This follows WFP’s suspension of its operations in Sudan after the killing of three of its staff members. The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by WFP on behalf of the international community, has been completely grounded and one aircraft has been damaged beyond repair at Khartoum International Airport. UNHAS ordinarily flies to over 30 destinations in Sudan and is a lifeline for humanitarian partners. Meanwhile, at least ten WFP vehicles and six food trucks have been stolen and the WFP guesthouses, offices, and warehouses in Nyala, South Darfur, have been overrun and looted, with the loss of up to 4,000 metric tonnes of food.

As more hospitals become non-functional due to lack of health supplies, a dedicated group—including WHO, Ministry of Health and mass casualty management teams—is coordinating with pharmacies and drug stores on the availability of supplies and ensuring that medicines and supplies are directed to where they are needed most, according to WHO. Civil society networks are also continuing to respond to the crisis. Neighbourhood committees in multiple locations have established emergency rooms to provide basic healthcare, given the closure of many hospitals. Several committees are also supporting the coordination of civilian evacuations from areas that have been hardest-hit by the conflict. In Blue Nile, humanitarian partners continue to assist in the provision of water, food and health care for refugees.

BACKGROUND ON HUMANITARIAN NEEDS IN SUDAN

Before the conflict erupted, humanitarian needs across Sudan had reached record levels, with 15.8 million people—about a third of the total population—requiring humanitarian assistance, according to the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). This is 1.5 million more people in need of humanitarian assistance than in 2022, the highest since 2011. About 4 million children under age 5 and pregnant and lactating women (PLW)—a quarter of the people in need of assistance— will be malnourished and need lifesaving nutrition services in 2023. Prior to the current conflict, humanitarian organizations aimed to reach 12.5 million of the most vulnerable nationwide with some form of humanitarian assistance. However, under-resourcing was a major constraint, with the Humanitarian Response Plan just 13.5 per cent funded.