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Current Requirements (US$)$4.16 billion
Crisis overview
After more than 20 months of relentless conflict, Sudan has become one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Ongoing armed conflict and attacks against civilians, displacement, hunger, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks have left nearly two-thirds of the population in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.
The conflict has triggered massive displacement, with some 11.5 million people having fled their homes since the fighting began in April 2023, many of whom were already living in situations of displacement. In total, roughly 11 million people are currently estimated to remain internally displaced within the country’s borders, making Sudan the largest internal displacement crisis in the world. A further 3 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries. Children make up well over half of the displaced population.
Sudan is also experiencing an unprecedented hunger crisis, with close to 26 million people suffering from acute food insecurity as of late September. The situation is particularly dire for those trapped in conflict zones, including in Aj Jazirah, North Darfur and Khartoum states, and in the Kordofan region. In late July, famine conditions were confirmed in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, with similar conditions likely in other displacement sites in the area, and many other locations at imminent risk.
Recent nutrition surveys reveal a worsening situation, with a global acute malnutrition rate of 13.6 per cent in surveyed areas, placing Sudan among the four countries with the highest rates. The 2025 outlook suggests further deterioration, especially as conflict intensifies in parts of the country as of October 2024.
Port Sudan, Sudan
A young girl prepares breakfast cooking Gorasah—a traditional bread—in Um Algurah school, which now shelters internally displaced families.
WFP/Abubaker GarelnabeiIn addition to the spreading conflict, climate shocks—including unusually heavy rains and flooding—and disease outbreaks like cholera, malaria, and measles, are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The conflict has placed 24 million children at severe risk, with over 17 million out of school, creating a true generational catastrophe. School-aged girls face additional threats including child marriage, female genital mutilation, and sexual exploitation and abuse.
Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. The fighting has caused mass displacement, and shocking patterns of sexual violence against women and girls, indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, widespread damage and destruction of civilian infrastructure, attacks on health care facilities and ethnically motivated killings. Children continue to be killed and maimed, subjected to sexual violence, recruited by armed actors and denied essential services and humanitarian assistance. Women and girls face increased risk of conflict-related sexual violence, with an estimated 12.1 million people in need of gender-based violence (GBV) services. Most conflict-affected areas are now heavily contaminated by large-scale explosive hazards.
Access to essential services has sharply declined due to the conflict. In the worst-hit areas, less than 25 per cent of health facilities remain functional, and national vaccination coverage has plummeted from 85 per cent before the war, to around 50 per cent. In active conflict zones the rates are averaging at 30 per cent.
The levels of need are staggering. While assistance is reaching many areas, with local communities and networks playing a critical role, humanitarian access challenges severely limit the ability of humanitarian organizations to scale up, especially in high-conflict zones where needs are generally most acute.
Kasala, Sudan
Crowds gather at a mobile clinic in the West Airport displacement settlement, where Alight, an organization supported by the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, became the first partner to address health needs after the settlement opened in August 2024.
OCHA/Yao ChenResponse priorities in 2025
As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis enters its third year of conflict in early 2025, the new Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) aims to address rapidly escalating needs in a constantly changing and highly complex operational environment. With millions of people facing extreme deprivation, displacement, and violence, the humanitarian response focuses on alleviating suffering and preventing further deterioration, carefully balancing urgent priorities with the many constraints imposed by ongoing conflict.
The 2025 HNRP seeks to support 20.9 million people with urgent life-saving support and services, requiring US$4.16 billion in funding. The planning process has taken into account the severity of needs in conflict-affected regions, including Darfur, Kordofan, and the greater Khartoum area, and the urgent need to secure unhindered access for humanitarian workers and supplies. The HNRP’s boundaries are determined by balancing these needs with the realities of humanitarian access constraints, operational capacity, and ensuring the safety of humanitarian staff in an unpredictable and often dangerous context.
Protection remains central to the response, with a focus on conflict-sensitive assistance to address the dire protection needs, including emerging risks, such GBV which has disproportionately affected women, children, and ethnic minorities, and other child protection issues. Expanded protection services will promote accountability for human rights violations and compliance with international humanitarian norms, particularly in the hardest-hit conflict zones.
At the same time, the plan aims to provide safe, dignified, and equitable access to critical basic services and livelihood opportunities for the most vulnerable, aiming to preserve their coping abilities. Securing access through ongoing negotiations with all parties to the conflict will be essential to ensuring aid reaches those in need. The fluidity of the conflict means humanitarian actors will need to regularly reassess the situation, adjusting their operations and priorities to meet evolving needs and changes on the ground.
El Fasher, Sudan
In Sudan, conflict's impact on children is stark—sadness, fear, and hopelessness—weigh heavily on their lives. The exposure causes deep emotional stress with lasting health and psychosocial impacts. Adam, 9, was displaced from Tawila and shares his exhaustion from war, and his dreams of peace: “I wish world leaders would come here, greet me and the people of Tawila, and help us achieve peace and stop the war.”
UNICEFGiven the continuing constraints in access and operational capacity, the 2025 HNRP emphasizes strengthening local partnerships and localization to ensure effective and appropriate delivery of health, education, and protection services in areas where international access remains limited. Increased direct funding to local responders will continue to be promoted.
The $4.16 billion funding requirement reflects both the immense scale of the crisis and the need for flexible funding mechanisms that allow humanitarian actors to respond swiftly to the most urgent needs, whether in relation to food security, health, nutrition, WASH or protection. Flexibility will also enable scaling up in regions where access improves, to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
The response, however, anticipates continued access challenges in 2025, particularly in conflict-affected areas. Ensuring sustainable operational capacity, especially regarding the safety and security of humanitarian workers, will remain a significant hurdle.
In conclusion, the 2025 HNRP for Sudan seeks to expand life-saving assistance, strengthen centrality of protection efforts across the operation, and adapt to the complex realities of the ongoing conflict. By focusing on protection, building local partnerships, and ensuring additional and flexible funding, the humanitarian community aims to prevent further deterioration of the situation and meet the urgent lifesaving needs of Sudan’s most vulnerable populations. Without these measures, millions more will remain at risk of hunger, displacement, and violence.
Kasala, Sudan
In November 2024, a UNHCR team visited people displaced by armed violence in Aj Jazirah, now sheltered at Nahr Atbara.
OCHA/Yao ChenFinancial requirements
The 2025 HNRP requires $4.16 billion to meet the needs of 20.9 million people using an activity-based costing methodology.
Several key factors drive the cost of humanitarian operations in Sudan:
- Scale of the crisis: In one of the largest and most acute crises in the world, 30.4 million people require assistance. This represents a 23 per cent increase from last year, demanding substantial resources to provide necessities.
- Complexity and volatility: The multifaceted nature of the crisis, with numerous underlying causes, complicates the delivery of effective and efficient humanitarian assistance. The unpredictable security situation further hampers operations, often requiring additional resources to mitigate risks for humanitarian workers.
- Logistical challenges: Poor infrastructure and limited access to many areas significantly raise the costs of transporting supplies and personnel to where they are most needed.
- Inflation: The high cost of basic goods and services in Sudan, driven by inflation, further increases the overall operational expenses.
Evolution of the humanitarian response
14-Apr-2026
Evolution of the humanitarian response
| Year | Type | People in need | People targeted | Requirements ($) | Funding ($) | % Funded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 |
33.7 million
|
20.4 million
|
$2.87 billion
|
$476.2 million
|
16.6%
|
|
| 2025 |
30.4 million
|
20.9 million
|
$4.16 billion
|
$1.65 billion
|
39.5%
|
|
| 2024 |
24.8 million
|
14.7 million
|
$2.70 billion
|
$1.91 billion
|
70.7%
|
|
| 2023 |
24.7 million
|
18.1 million
|
$2.57 billion
|
$1.32 billion
|
51.4%
|
|
| 2022 |
14.3 million
|
10.9 million
|
$1.94 billion
|
$1.12 billion
|
57.6%
|
|
| 2021 |
13.4 million
|
8.9 million
|
$1.94 billion
|
$735.6 million
|
37.9%
|
|
| 2020 |
9.3 million
|
6.1 million
|
$1.63 billion
|
$871.9 million
|
53.4%
|
|
| 2019 |
5.7 million
|
4.4 million
|
$1.15 billion
|
$605 million
|
52.6%
|
|
| 2018 |
5.5 million
|
4.3 million
|
$1.01 billion
|
$611.8 million
|
60.7%
|
|
| 2017 |
HRP
|
|
|
$804 million
|
$477.5 million
|
59.4%
|
2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
In response to the severity of the situation, the humanitarian strategy and operational priorities were revised in 2024. In April, a Famine Prevention Plan was launched to mobilize resources and sharpen the focus on key priorities, while an International Conference for Sudan and neighbouring countries, held in Paris raised over $2 billion for Sudan and the region. The Sudan Operations Coordination Center was established in Port Sudan in July, integrating with the existing IASC structure. Humanitarian hubs were set up to decentralize coordination and bring aid closer to affected communities. Humanitarian actors promoted cash and voucher assistance programmes, increased partner presence, and extended support to community-based responders and grassroots organizations. Collaborating with women-led organizations, humanitarians delivered a multisectoral response. Advocacy and engagement with relevant parties also improved humanitarian access. The reopening of the Adre border crossing between Chad and Sudan facilitated the flow of essential relief supplies to severely affected areas.
Despite access challenges and funding gaps, about 159 humanitarian partners in Sudan reached about 12 million of the 14.7 million people targeted for assistance with some form of humanitarian assistance at least once between January 2024 and the end of October, according to the latest Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard. Key achievements include providing:
Food and livelihood
Food and livelihood support to 11 million people
Water, sanitation and hygiene
WASH assistance to 9 million people
Health
Health services to 2 million people
Nutrition
Nutrition support to 1 million people
However, many received aid just once, with significant gaps in essential services, and some of the most critical areas remain effectively cut off from external aid for much of the year.
Consequences of inaction
Food insecurity
If the humanitarian operations fail, tens of millions of people will continue to suffer from acute food insecurity, with a risk that famine conditions will spread into more areas of the country, causing death and disease and further waves of displacement.
Gender-Based Violence
About 6 million women and girls bearing the brunt of the conflict will not be able to access services to prevent and mitigate the disproportionate risk of GBV. Eighty per cent of them will struggle to access safe drinking water, with 84 per cent unable to access a minimum acceptable diet.
Health
About 5 million people, including children under the age of five and pregnant women, will face heightened threat of death due to a lack of access healthcare services. At least two-thirds of Sudan’s 18 states are already facing multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria and measles amid a collapsed public healthcare system.
Education
Sudan is facing the worst learning crisis in the world. Over 17 million children are out of school and might never continue with education, risking a lost generation.
Malnutrition
About 5 million children and pregnant and lactating women are already at elevated risk of death due to preventable diseases and malnutrition-related causes. This includes 730,000 children suffering severe acute malnutrition.
Shelter and Non-Food item
Failure to meet shelter and non-food item needs for 4.4 million displaced people in overcrowded camp and camp-like settings including open informal settlements will heighten protection risks for vulnerable groups, including GBV and discrimination.
Livelihood
About 9 million people will be unable to reverse acute hunger and restore livelihoods without urgent and timely provision of seeds and other agricultural support.