Sudan

Situation Report

Highlights

  • The number of people displaced by conflict since 15 April inside and outside of Sudan has reached 8.1 million.
  • Since mid-April, ACLED has recorded about 13,900 reported fatalities in Sudan.
  • With expectations of a reduced upcoming harvest, prices of staple food are likely to remain atypically high in the harvest season.
  • Suspected cholera cases continue to increase, with over 10,700 suspected cases, including 292 associated deaths, reported as of 17 February 2024.
  • In January, health cluster partners provided medical consultations for about 181,000 people in 12 states and delivered medicines to about 115,000 people in eight states.
OCHA-Ala Kheir
People receive non-food item assistance Gedaref State | Credit: OCHA

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Situation Report

Key Figures

24.8M
People in need of assistance in 2024
14.7M
people targeted for assistance in 2024
6.5M
Internally displaced since 15 April (IOM)
1.76M
Crossed the border since 15 April (UNHCR)

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Funding

$2.7B
Required
$139.5M
Received
5%
Progress
FTS

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Contacts

Pierre Peron

Public Information Officer/Head of Communications and Analysis (a.i.)

Sudan

Situation Report
Analysis
SDN Displacement Clashes- Map FU 20022024

Sudan Humanitarian Update (23 February 2024)

SITUATION UPDATE

The number of people displaced by the conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that started on 15 April 2023 continues to increase. About 8.1 million people fled their homes in Sudan, this includes about 6.3 million people displaced within Sudan and another 1.8 million people who fled abroad. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) increased by about 53,500 people over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Weekly Displacement Snapshot 21. The IDPs are located in 6,771 locations – an increase of 62 locations over the past week - across all of Sudan’s 18 states. The highest proportions of displaced people are in the Darfur region (37 per cent) followed by River Nile (11 per cent), White Nile (8 per cent), Sennar (7 per cent), Gedaref (6 per cent), Northern (6 per cent), and Aj Jazirah states (6 per cent). IOM DTM field teams report that the IDPs were originally displaced from 12 states; 57 per cent of whom were displaced from Khartoum (3.5 million IDPs), followed by 33 per cent from Darfur states, 7 per cent from Aj Jazirah, and the rest from other states. Of the 1.8 million people who fled Sudan, about 1.65 million crossed into neighbouring countries, according to the UNHCR.

Since the fighting broke out on 15 April, ACLED has recorded about 13,900 reported fatalities across Sudan. Meanwhile, the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) reports that about 27,700 people were injured between 15 April 2023 and 26 January 2024.

The price of staple grain could rise by 50–100 per cent in the next months – FAO and WFP

A joint update by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on food security in Sudan issued in February indicates that harvests, currently underway, are projected as significantly below average in localized areas of greater Darfur and greater Kordofan, and severely reduced in West Darfur and Central Darfur states. National food availability will be affected as the greater Darfur, the Kordofan and Khartoum states together account for about 40 and over 80 per cent of the total national production of sorghum and millet, respectively. A higher proportion of households will then rely more on markets and humanitarian assistance for their food consumption. With expectations of a reduced harvest, prices of staple food are likely to remain atypically high in the harvest season and will likely rise further during the post-harvest period, with significant deviations from the norm. The price of staple grain could rise by 50–100 per cent in the next months compared to last year. This will further aggravate the trend of soaring staple food prices, observed since the conflict began. In 2023, food prices were 228 per cent higher than the previous two years, with the average cost of the local food basket 88 per cent higher compared to before the conflict, according to the FAO-WFP report.

Suspected cholera cases continue to rise amidst declining health system

Suspected cholera cases continue to increase, with 10,730 suspected cases, including 296 associated deaths, reported from 60 localities of 11 states as of 19 February 2024, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Sudan Outbreaks Dashboard. This is an increase of 650 cases compared to 19 January. The overall trend over the past three months has been on a downward trajectory, with a much lower increase compared to previous months. WHO reports that 15 million people across the country lack access to health care and between 70 – 80 per cent of health facilities are not functioning due to the ongoing conflict.

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

Various challenges - insecurity, looting, bureaucratic impediments, poor network and phone connectivity, lack of cash, and limited technical and humanitarian staff on the ground – have been affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of the country. Fuel shortages also affect the movement of humanitarian staff and supplies and the generation of power needed for operations (maintaining cold chain storage, supplying water, etc). Despite all these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to the vulnerable people they can reach. The conflict – particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation.

Between June and December 2023, humanitarian organizations managed to move about 177,500 metric tonnes (MT) of relief supplies across lines of conflict in parts of Sudan, bringing emergency food, medical, shelter, WASH and other non-food supplies for most vulnerable people affected by the conflict. This is against the backdrop of 62,600 MT of relif supplies that have been postponed and cancelled during the same period due to insecurity and other impediments. During August 2023, humanitarian organisations managed to dispatch the highest amount of supplies across lines of conflict – about 62,000 MT, while December marked the lowest level of crossline delivery – 441 MT of supplies. Meanwhile, since mid-December 2023, all cross-line movements have been suspended due to bureaucratic impediments, insecurity and the expansion of the conflict to eastern parts of Sudan.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Despite all the challenges facing humanitarian operations, humanitarians continue to deliver of much needed assistance to vulnerable people across the country.

Health cluster partners provide medical consultations to about 181,000 people in January

During January 2024, seven health cluster partners provided medical consultations for about 181,000 people in 12 states, and delivered medicines to about 115,000 people in eight states, according to the most recent health cluster update. In addition, health cluster partners provided operational and funding support to 16 mobile clinics and seven ambulances in Blue Nile, East Darfur, Gedaref, Kassala, North Darfur, Sennar, South Darfur and South Kordofan states. During January, about 3,100 deliveries were assisted or an average of more than 100 deliveries per day during the past month, according to the health cluster.

ICRC provides clean water to over 2 million people in four state

During 2023, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that it ensured the provision of clean drinking water for over 2 million people in Gedaref, Kassala, Aj Jazirah and Khartoum states. ICRC donated essential supplies for water purification, including 16 tons of calcium hypochlorite, 22 tons of polyaluminium chloride and 430,000 water purification tablets. These supplies contributed to enhancing the quality and quantity of water production in these four states.

In Focus: Response in Blue Nile and Sennar states

IOM DTM estimates that 133,500 displaced people have arrived in Blue Nile State from Khartoum and Aj Jazirah, taking refuge in 133 locations in all seven localities. In addition, over 38,000 IDPs remain displaced in four localities of Blue Nile due to inter-communal violence that erupted in July 2022, according to the IOM DTM. All these displaced people need humanitarian assistance and between 9-15 February, humanitarians responded to some of these needs.

WFP and partners distributed food assistance to about 22,600 IDPs from Khartoum across the state. More distributions are currently ongoing.

For water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance, IOM constructed 570 latrines in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities. The latrines serve more than 11,000 IDPs. The UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) supported daily water chlorination at five water plants in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities, as well as daily monitoring of water quality. International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted hygiene awareness activities through household visits, reaching about 1,500 people in Ar Rusayris, Wad Al Mahi and Ed Damzaine localities. The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) organized three general cleaning campaigns in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities, including in new gathering points for IDPs from Aj Jazirah, as well as one in Ed Damazine market. SRCS also supported the maintenance of three hand pumps in Ahmer Sidik, Baw locality. ACTED distributed 500 dignity kits to IDPs from Aj Jazirah and host communities in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities, and trained 40 health promoters in Ed Damazine, Ar Rusayris, Tadamon, and Geisan localities. Action Africa Help International (AAH-I) distributed 400 hygiene kits to households in the Kurmuk and Tadamon localities and completed the drilling of two boreholes in Kurmuk locality, with plans to install hand pumps soon. ADRA provided hygiene kits to 1,300 households, containing eight washing and eight bathing soaps and two 10-litre jerry cans.

For health and nutrition assistance, International Medical Corps (IMC) transferred medical supplies to nine primary healthcare facilities in Baw and Geisan localities. World Vision International (WVI) organized 10 training sessions on nutrition targeting 50 health workers in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities. WVI has also carried out mis-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening in Baw and Geisan localities reaching 12,000 children under five years of age. In addition, IOM established solar systems in Bout and Roro hospitals in Tadamon locality.

UNHCR and partners continue providing essential services to Ethiopian refugees in Camp 6, Wad Al Mahi locality.

In Sennar State, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) distributed multi-purpose cash assistance to about 3,500 IDPs from Aj Jazirah staying in school buildings in Sennar and Sinja localities.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSE PLAN FUNDING OVERVIEW

On 20 February 2024, Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths released US$20 million for life-saving humanitarian support to vulnerable people across the Sudan through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This year the CERF allocation is among the smallest in recent years for the world’s least-financed crises. This reflects the reduced funding that CERF received in 2023, its lowest since 2018, and the dire reality that donor funding is failing to keep up with soaring humanitarian needs.

The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requires $2.7 billion to provide life-saving multi-cluster and protection assistance to 14.7 million people across Sudan in 2024. As of 23 February 2024, the appeal is 3.5 per cent funded, with $95.5 million received, according to the Financial Tracking Service.

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Sudan: Ten months of conflict, Key Facts and Figures

Ten months after war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023, Sudan is facing one of the fastest unfolding crises globally, with unprecedented needs emerging in such a short period. About 25 million people – of whom over 14 million are children – need humanitarian assistance and support. More than 8 million people – about 15 per cent of the total population of the country – have fled their homes since the conflict started. They have sought refuge within Sudan or in neighbouring countries, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world. With every second person in Sudan in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN and partners are aiming to reach 14.7 million people with assistance through 2024.

More than 6.2 million people displaced within Sudan and 1.8 million fled the country

More than 8 million people have been displaced by fighting within Sudan and neighbouring countries. Over 6.2million of them have been displaced and are sheltering mainly with host communities in 6,709 locations across Sudan’s 18 states, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM). Out of the 1.8 million that fled the country more than 1.6 million people have sought refuge in the neighbouring countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan as of 6 February, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). With close to 4 million children displaced, Sudan is facing the largest child displacement crisis in the world. The internally displaced people (IDPs) are originally from 12 states, with the majority - about 3.5 million people (57 per cent of all IDPs post-April) - from Khartoum. Most sought refuge in South Darfur followed by River Nile, East Darfur, Aj Jazirah, White Nile, North Darfur, Sennar, Northern, Central Darfur, Gedaref, Aj Jazirah – most of which saw high levels of violence recently – and other states. As the conflict spread into Aj Jazirah in December, more than half a million people had to flee in a month, many for a second time having previously displaced from Khartoum.

Close to 10,500 suspected cholera cases, other disease outbreaks

Disease outbreaks are increasing in the face of disruptions of basic public health services, including disease surveillance, functions of public health laboratories and rapid response teams. In addition, insecurity, displacement, limited access to medicines, medical supplies, electricity, and water continue to pose enormous challenges to delivering health care across the country. About 65 per cent of the population lack access to healthcare and between 70 - 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functional. About 10,500 suspected cases of cholera, including 292 deaths, have been reported from nine states as of 27 January, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Other disease outbreaks are ongoing in several states, including measles (4,650 cases with 106deaths), malaria, and dengue fever.

About 17.7 million people face acute hunger, 4.9 million in emergency levels

Devastating conflict and organized violence, coupled with the continued economic decline, have driven about 17.7 million people across Sudan (37 per cent of the population) into high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse) between October 2023 and February 2024. This includes about 4.9 million people (10 per cent of the population) who are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and almost 12.8 million people (27 per cent of the population analyzed) are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). WFP issued a statement calling for unfettered humanitarian access to support people who are in the highest levels of hunger and trapped in conflict hotspots. Currently, only one in ten people in emergency levels of hunger are in areas where they can receive assistance due to access constraints and ongoing fighting. IRC is also warning that Sudan is suffering from a severe hunger crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sounded the alarm about the escalating food security crisis in Sudan, urging immediate and collective action to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe. Parts of Sudan are at a high risk of slipping into catastrophic hunger conditions by next year’s lean season if humanitarian organizations, including the World Food Programme (WFP), are unable to expand access and regularly deliver food assistance to people trapped in conflict hotspots such as Khartoum, the Darfurs, and the Kordofans, WFP warned. The expansion of fighting in December 2023 between the SAF and the RSF into parts of central and eastern Sudan—the country’s most important regions for crop production—has driven a significant increase in humanitarian needs during the harvesting season (December and January), according to the FEWS NET. This development is expected to lead to considerable deterioration in acute food insecurity in the southeast from what was previously expected, worsening an already dire situation.

Over 700,000 children expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition

Nearly 5 million children had been forcibly displaced in Sudan by the end of 2023, including 2 million children displaced in previous crises, making it the world’s largest internal displacement crisis for children. Nearly 14 million – half the country’s children – now require humanitarian assistance, and around 900,000 children have sought refuge in neighbouring countries since the start of the war. Thousands of children have been killed or injured, and countless more exposed to grave protection risks including sexual violence and recruitment or use in the conflict. At least 3.5 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, including over 700,000 who are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and require specialized, uninterrupted life-saving treatment. With most schools shuttered or struggling to re-open across the country, a staggering 19 million school-aged children risk losing out on their education, with grave implications for their future prospects, for Sudan, and beyond.

Livelihoods decimated, economy to shrink by 18.3 per cent in 2024

The conflict is devastating the livelihoods of millions of people in Sudan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that Sudan’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is likely to reduce by 18.3 per cent in 2024. According to the World Bank, the economy contracted by 12 per cent in 2023 as the conflict has halted production and destroyed human capital and state capacity. Moreover, the armed conflict has damaged the country’s industrial base, education, and health facilities. It has also led to a collapse in economic activity — including commerce, financial, and information and communications technology services — and the erosion of state capacity, with detrimental impacts on food security and forced displacement. For comparison, the economies of Yemen and Syria have shrunk by about 50 per cent over the past decade, or about 5 per cent per year on average. The pace of economic contraction in Sudan is on pace to more than double that decline.

About 8.1 million people have received lifesaving assistance since April

Despite various challenges - insecurity, looting, high levels of bureaucratic impediments, poor network and phone connectivity problems, lack of cash, and few technical and humanitarian staff on the ground – affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of the country, humanitarian organizations reached about 8.1 million people with multi-cluster life-saving assistance and 5.7 million people with agriculture and livelihood support between 15 April and 31 December 2023. Mutual support and locally led aid efforts by volunteers have been instrumental in supporting people, particularly for those trapped in conflict or hard to reach areas. Prior to the conflict, 2.7 million people were reached with some form of humanitarian assistance from January to March 2023. This includes vital education, health, food, nutrition, water assistance and protection services.

More funding needed to reach more people

The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) is seeking US$2.7 billion from donors to provide life-saving multi-cluster and protection assistance to 14.7 million people in desperate need through the end of 2024. According to the Financial Tracking Service, the 2024 HNRP was only 3.5 per cent funded, with $94.5 million received as of 11 February 2024. In 2024, the 167UN and NGO partners in Sudan can provide more people with assistance and services if the funding for humanitarian response is expanded with an emphasis on funding early in the year.

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Sudan Humanitarian Update (12 February 2024)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The number of people displaced by the conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that started on 15 April 2023 continues to increase. It has reached 7.76 million inside and outside of Sudan. An estimated 6.14 million people have been displaced within the country, according to IOM DTM Weekly Displacement Snapshot 19. This is an increase of about 51,600 newly displaced people compared to the previous week. In addition, about 1.61 million people crossed into neighbouring countries since 15 April, according to UNHCR. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering in 6,594 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states, an increase of 112 locations compared to the previous week. The highest proportions of IDPs were observed in South Darfur (12 per cent), River Nile (11 per cent), East Darfur (11 per cent), White Nile (8 per cent), North Darfur (8 per cent), Northern (7 per cent) and Sennar (7 per cent).

Conflict continues to fuel cross-border displacement, and forced immobility

The Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) reported in its Quarterly Mixed Migration Update on Eastern and Southern Africa, Egypt and Yemen that cross-border movements from Sudan have increased by 65 per cent to South Sudan, by 39 per cent to the Central African Republic (CAR), by 28 per cent to Chad, by 26 per cent to Libya, by 23 per cent to Ethiopia, and by 6 per cent to Egypt compared to the previous quarter. According to the report, about 1.55 million people fled Sudan and crossed into neighbouring countries. Since the beginning of the conflict, an estimated 63 per cent of arrivals in neighbouring countries are Sudanese nationals and 37 per cent are foreign nationals and returnees according to the MMC.

Food assistance needs in Sudan are rapidly accelerating – FEWS NET

Food assistance needs are rapidly accelerating due to the recent expansion in fighting between the SAF and RSF into the southeast of the country, according to the latest Sudan Food Security Alert by FEWS NET. Sudan is now expected to have the third highest share of the population in need among FEWS NET’s monitored countries in 2024. The opening of this new front further disrupts trade and agricultural activities in Sudan’s breadbasket, posing a significant threat to national food availability. The widening of hostilities, combined with large-scale population displacement, atrocities against civilians, destruction of goods and infrastructure, pervasive looting, and poor humanitarian access, is worsening an already severe food security situation. Some households are expected to deteriorate to catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) in Omdurman of Khartoum and Ag Geneina of West Darfur in the upcoming lean season, according to FEWS NET. Expedited approvals for humanitarians to cross conflict lines and assurances of safe passage for both aid and commercial trade flows, at a minimum, are critical to preventing deepening hunger during the 2024 lean season.

Access, insecurity and lack of supplies are affecting health facilities run by humanitarian agencies, with one in every 11 health facilities not functioning

Forty-three health facilities (9 per cent) of the 503 facilities run by humanitarian organizations across Sudan are not functional and another 40 health facilities (8 per cent) are partially functioning, according to the Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) January 2024 report by the World Health Organization (WHO). Of the 83 non-functioning or partially functioning health facilities, 23 facilities were dysfunctional due to a lack of security; seven facilities lacked medical supplies; four facilities lacked staff; three facilities lacked access and medical equipment; and the remaining 46 facilities the reasons were not specified.

The Desert Locust situation has deteriorated since mid-2023 – FAO

The Desert Locust situation in Sudan has significantly worsened since mid-2023, Adam Yao, Deputy Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Sudan, told the UN Geneva press briefing from Port Sudan. This deterioration could be attributed to the absence of surveillance and control operations in Sudan’s central and western regions, resulting from the ongoing conflict and the internal breeding along the Red Sea coast. In December 2023, the Desert Locust situation had reached a threat level. Precipitation in the winter breeding zone during December created favourable ecological conditions for locust breeding and the formation of locust swarms. In addition, more swarms were expected to invade Sudan from neighbouring countries in early 2024 and destroy crops and pastures, particularly in the eastern states. According to the FAO, the current window in the run-up to the upcoming planting season is a crucial opportunity to implement actions to curb the spread of Desert Locusts and safeguard the food production of the most vulnerable populations.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Various challenges - insecurity, looting, bureaucratic impediments, poor network and phone connectivity, lack of cash, and limited technical and humanitarian staff on the ground – have been affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance in many parts of the country. Fuel shortages also affect the movement of humanitarian staff and supplies and the generation of power needed for operations (maintaining cold chain storage, supplying water, etc). Despite all these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to the vulnerable people they can reach. The conflict – particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has distributed 1.1 million units of Oxytocin and other essential medicines for managing obstetric haemorrhage in all states except South Kordofan and the Darfur region due to access challenges. UNFPA is currently exploring options with partners to reach these areas. Obstetric haemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable maternal deaths in Sudan. An additional 1.1 million units of Oxytocin and Inter-Agency Reproductive Health (IARH) kits covering the reproductive health needs of 25,000 people arrived in-country in late December and are under customs clearance. Overall, between 15 April and 31 December 2023, humanitarian organisations reached about 1.8 million people across Sudan with health care services and medicines. Overall, in 2023 health cluster partners reached 1.8 million people with health care services.

More than 33,000 people who received cash assistance from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in 2023 mostly spent it on food and health care, according to the NRC survey. About 2,300 beneficiaries surveyed spent 37 per cent of the cash on food, 31 per cent on health care, 12 per cent on water, 8 per cent on shelter and 6 per cent on non-food supplies. This cash assistance improved food consumption and basic needs, indicating a beneficial impact. Additionally, the community relies less on emergency livelihood strategies to survive. NRC said this decrease could indicate better economic conditions, resource access, and community resilience.

Between 15 April and 31 December 2023, 167 humanitarian organizations provided about 7 million people across Sudan with life-saving assistance and 5.7 million people received agricultural and livelihood support, according to the latest Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard. The number of people UN and humanitarian partners reached with lifesaving assistance increased by about 1.8 million compared to the previous reporting period (15 April – 30 November 2023). About 6.5 million people were reached with water, sanitation and hygiene services – an increase of about 2.5 million compared to 4 million people reached from 15 April to 30 November 2023. About 9 million people received emergency food and livelihood support, including 2.93 million who received emergency food supplies and 5.72 million who received agricultural and livelihood support. Health sector partners provided an estimated 1.8 million people with medicines, consultations and other health services – an increase of 200,000 people in one month.

Humanitarian needs across Sudan are at record highs with 24.8 million people, or every second person, needing humanitarian assistance in 2024. This is 9 million more than in 2023. Millions lack access to essential goods and services such as food, water, shelter, electricity, education, health care and nutrition.

For more information on cluster-specific response see the latest Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSE PLAN FUNDING OVERVIEW

The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requires US$2.7 billion to provide life-saving multi-cluster and protection assistance to 14.7 million people across Sudan in 2024. As of 12 February 2024, the appeal is 3.5 per cent funded, with $94.5 million received, according to the Financial Tracking Service.

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Press Release: As Sudan conflict fuels epic suffering, UN launches humanitarian and refugee response plans for 2024

(Geneva, 7 February 2024) The United Nations and its partners today appealed for a combined US$4.1 billion to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of civilians in war-torn Sudan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries.

Ten months since the conflict erupted, half of Sudan’s population – some 25 million people – needs humanitarian assistance and protection. More than 1.5 million people have fled across Sudan’s borders to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The expansion of fighting in Sudan – including to the country’s breadbasket, Aj Jazirah – has created one of the world’s largest displacement and protection crises. Hunger is rampant, with nearly 18 million people facing acute food insecurity.

Intense hostilities continue to damage water supply networks and other critical civilian infrastructure in Sudan, and nearly three quarters of health facilities are out of service in conflict-affected states. Diseases including cholera, measles and malaria are spreading at a time when two thirds of the population lack access to health care. Some 19 million children are out of school. Human rights violations are widespread, with continued reports of gender-based violence.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordinates the response inside Sudan, with this year’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan calling for $2.7 billion to reach 14.7 million people. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, coordinates the Regional Refugee Response Plan, which requests $1.4 billion and targets nearly 2.7 million people in five countries neighbouring Sudan.

Together, both plans aim to support some 17.4 million people in Sudan and the region.

"Ten months of conflict have robbed the people of Sudan of nearly everything – their safety, their homes and their livelihoods," said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths. “The generosity of donors helps us provide food and nutrition, shelter, clean water, and education for children, and to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and care for the survivors. But last year’s appeal was less than half funded. This year, we must do better and with a heightened sense of urgency.”

The war has already forced more than 1.5 million people to flee to neighbouring countries that already had overstretched resources and were hosting large refugee populations. They include refugees and people compelled to return to their home countries prematurely. Most of them are arriving in remote and difficult-to-access locations that lack essential services. Support for the humanitarian response is crucial, but investments to strengthen national services and community resilience are equally critical to support host Governments and enable people to live in dignity.

“I just met with Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia and displaced people inside Sudan – they have lost so much,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. “Time after time, we hear the same message from them: We want peace so we can go home, and we need support to rebuild our lives. People are doing the best they can to get by with the basic support the host communities and humanitarian partners can give them. I urge the international community to step up their support for the people in Sudan. They desperately need help, and they need it now.”

Note to editors:

Aid workers from 167 humanitarian organizations reached some 7 million people in Sudan in 2023, with the support of international donors. Despite major access challenges, the humanitarian community delivered life-saving assistance across conflict lines in Sudan, and it continues to support Sudanese local responders in areas that few international partners can reach, including Khartoum and Darfur. Cross-border access from Chad has been a critical lifeline, with other avenues under consideration.

In 2023, 64 partners supported host Governments in providing more than 1.5 million people with critical life-saving support and protection in five neighbouring countries: the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. In 2024, the Refugee Response Plan aims for 82 partners across the five countries to continue the life-saving interventions and additionally support resilience-building interventions for up to 2.7 million people.

Overview of the plans, photos and B-roll:

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Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator - 2024 demands swift action to stem Sudan’s ruinous conflict

(New York, 4 January 2024) Nearly nine months of war have tipped Sudan into a downward spiral that only grows more ruinous by the day. As the conflict spreads, human suffering is deepening, humanitarian access is shrinking, and hope is dwindling. This cannot continue. 2024 demands that the international community – particularly those with influence on the parties to the conflict in Sudan – take decisive and immediate action to stop the fighting and safeguard humanitarian operations meant to help millions of civilians.

Now that hostilities have reached the country’s breadbasket in Aj Jazirah State, there is even more at stake. More than 500,000 people have fled fighting in and around the state capital Wad Medani, long a place of refuge for those uprooted by clashes elsewhere. Ongoing mass displacement could also fuel the rapid spread of a cholera outbreak in the state, with more than 1,800 suspected cases reported there so far.

The same horrific abuses that have defined this war in other hotspots – Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – are now being reported in Wad Medani. Accounts of widespread human rights violations, including sexual violence, remind us that the parties to this conflict are still failing to uphold their commitments to protect civilians.

There are also serious concerns about the parties’ compliance with international humanitarian law. Given Wad Medani’s significance as a hub for relief operations, the fighting there – and looting of humanitarian warehouses and supplies – is a body blow to our efforts to deliver food, water, health care and other critical aid. Once again, I strongly condemn the looting of humanitarian supplies, which undermines our ability to save lives.

Across Sudan, nearly 25 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2024. But the bleak reality is that intensifying hostilities are putting most of them beyond our reach. Deliveries across conflict lines have ground to a halt. And though the cross-border aid operation from Chad continues to serve as a lifeline for people in Darfur, efforts to deliver elsewhere are increasingly under threat.

The escalating violence in Sudan is also imperiling regional stability. The war has unleashed the world’s largest displacement crisis, uprooting the lives of more than 7 million people, some 1.4 million of whom have crossed into neighbouring countries already hosting large refugee populations.

For Sudan’s people, 2023 was a year of suffering. In 2024, the parties to the conflict must do three things to end it: Protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and stop the fighting – immediately.

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MEDIA CONTACT: In New York: Amanda Price, +1 917 853 2839 OCHA press releases are available at www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int

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Sudan: Humanitarian Response Dashboard

Fighting in Sudan has resulted in devastating consequences for civilians. Needs in the country across all clusters were already at an all-time high, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023.

Since then, over 5.4 million people have been internally displaced across the country. Many others have been cut off from access to basic services in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan states. Prices of food commodities, when available, continue to soar. The protection of civilians remains a key concern, with reports of increased sexual and gender-based violence as well as reports of family separation and child recruitment. Access to health continues to be hampered by the ongoing conflict. Health facilities lack sufficient staff and supplies and are barely functional in some areas.

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Sudan

Situation Report
Visual

People displaced into neighbouring countries due to SAF & RSF conflict since 15 April 2023

Refugees in neighbouring countries 19Oct23

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Sudan

Situation Report
Background

Sudan Crisis: Humanitarian Key Messages – November 2023

More than six months since fighting erupted on 15 April, Sudan is experiencing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. Civilians are paying the price of the ongoing fighting. About half of the population – 24.7 million people, including 14 million children – needs humanitarian aid and protection assistance. About 5.8 million people are displaced inside Sudan or have fled to neighbouring countries, half of whom are children. Women make up 69 per cent of the internally displaced persons (IDPs), including those in war zones, and data from Chad indicates that 90 per cent of the refugees crossing the borders are women and girls. Similarly in Egypt, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has recorded that most of the registered households upon crossing the borders were female-headed ones. The conflict – and surging hunger, disease and displacement – threatens to consume the entire country. It is time to silence the guns.

●      Millions of people – especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – lack access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education, health care and nutrition. As the humanitarian situation deteriorates, the communities’coping capacity has weakened. Hunger and malnutrition were already at record levels before the fighting, now, an estimated 20.3 million people – 42 per cent of the population – face acute food insecurity. Of these, 6.3 million people are at emergency levels of hunger, only one step away from famine. Over 18 million people lack access to improved sanitation and around 8 million people practice open defecation. About 3.5 million children under five years are acutely malnourished, of whom 700,000 suffer from severe acute malnourishment and are at 11 times higher risk of death compared with their healthy peers. This adds to the burden of care on women and girls and exposes them to multiple risks in the context of the armed conflict.

●      Parties to the conflict must put an end to harming civilians and respect international humanitarian law, as agreed under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.  The parties must allow civilians safe passage. People fleeing conflict – especially women, children and those with special needs – must be able to do so safely. Attacks on hospitals, schools and other essential civilian infrastructure must stop.Access to critical items and services must be guaranteed. All health facilities occupied by parties to the conflict must be vacated. De-escalation, dialogue and a cessation of hostilities are essential to resolve the crisis.  

●      The spread and escalation of fighting is deeply concerning, especially as the conflict reaches new areas.  Hostilities have started to spill over into Aj Jazirah State, Sudan’s breadbasket, which could have grave consequences for the harvest season and agricultural productivity. Shortages of critical inputs like seeds and fertilizers coupled with erratic weather patterns threaten both planting and harvesting. A below average harvest in the coming months would push more people into hunger and others into more severe levels of hunger.

●     Protection remains an urgent priority, with an increasing number of reports of sexual and gender-based violence, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and grave violations of human and children’s rights. Parties to the conflict should not use rape as a weapon of war and those accused of it should be held accountable. As inter-communal tensions mount, the ability to access protection services and support systems reduces. Civilians are at risk of explosive hazards, though the extent and level of new contamination is unknown. Parties to the conflict must protect civilians, including children, from grave violations of their rights.

●     The war in Sudan is now the world’s largest displacement crisis. As more refugees flee across Sudan’s borders, host communities in neighbouring countries are struggling. A protracted conflict in Sudan could tip the entire region into a humanitarian catastrophe. Humanitarian partners are working closely with governments in neighbouring countries to respond. New arrivals need protection and assistance. Moreover, host communities in remote border areas, where services and infrastructure are scarce or non-existent, were already suffering due to climate shocks and food scarcity.  

●      Outbreaks of diseases pose a growing threat, particularly in overcrowded shelter sites and sites with poor water, sanitation and hygiene. Sudan is already facing outbreaks of cholera, dengue, measles, and malaria. Even in relatively safe locations hosting displaced populations, living conditions are deteriorating. Displacement sites have been flooded during the rainy season, raising the risk of further spread of deadly diseases. Partners must step up to contain ongoing disease outbreaks and mitigate the risks of potential outbreaks. Projections based on Johns Hopkins’ Lives Saved Tool modelling indicate that at least 10,000 children under five years may die by the end of 2023 due to an increase in food insecurity, and disruptions to essential services

●     About 19 million children are awaiting schools to re-open. For children, education is about more than the right to learn. Schools can protect children from the physical dangers around them – including abuse, exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups. Schools serve as centres for multiple services. Children can be reached with life-saving information, food, water, immunizations, healthcare, and hygiene supplies. Teachers and other education personnel can support children’s mental health, providing children with stability and structure to help them cope with the trauma they experience every day and referring children for any necessary additional support. Should the conflict result in schools remaining closed, this will have devastating impacts on children’s development and psychosocial well-being.

●      Humanitarians continue to face immense obstacles to assist people in need. Bureaucratic and administrative impediments must be lifted so that aid workers can move supplies more swiftly. Visas, travel permits, and other procedures required to move staff and assistance inside the country delay the delivery of assistance. Looting and attacks against humanitarian personnel, facilities and supplies further compromise the ability of partners to deliver aid and services. The parties to the conflict must adhere to international humanitarian law and guarantee unhindered access for humanitarian personnel and supplies.  Aid convoys face threats, roadblocks, restrictions and bureaucratic impediments, while intensified airstrikes and shelling in Khartoum make safe access almost impossible.

●      Despite the challenges, humanitarian agencies in Sudan have made strides in accessing people across Sudan, including in hard-to-reach areas. Through both crossline and cross-border movements, convoys have reached East Darfur, North Darfur, South Darfur, West Darfur, North Kordofan states, Jabal Awlia in Khartoum, and other areas. More than 3.7 million people have received lifesaving food, emergency shelter, health, nutrition, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH) and other assistance since 15 April. An estimated 5.2 million people received livelihood assistance. Aid must be scaled up and sustained to reach more people in desperate need. To expand assistance to people in hard-to-reach areas, innovative approaches to working with communities are critical.

●    Additional resources are urgently required to support a humanitarian response that was already significantly underfunded prior to the current conflict. Humanitarian actors require US$2.6 billion to provide life-saving multi-cluster assistance and protection services to 18.1 million people through the end of this year. So far, only 33.6 per cent has been received. Additional funds are urgently needed to meet immense needs, including critical funding to national NGOs on the frontlines of the response.

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