Sudan

After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict of alarming scale in mid-April 2023 when fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, broke out initially in the capital Khartoum, and quickly expanded to other areas across the country. The current bout of insecurity has resulted in human casualties, with more than 12,000 fatalities.¹ Khartoum has been the site of heavy fighting, while severe violent clashes and heavy bombardments have also been reported in the greater Darfur and Kordofan regions. The escalating hostilities have resulted in extensive damage to critical infrastructure and facilities, including water and healthcare, the collapse of banking and financial services, frequent interruptions to electricity supply and telecommunication services and widespread looting.

The conflict created massive displacement, with over 6.1 million people forced to leave their homes in search of safety elsewhere.² Of this, 1.3 million crossed the border to neighbouring countries³, while 4.85 million were internally displaced (54 per cent women) – the majority of whom were originally from Khartoum areas and over half were children (under 18 years of age).⁴ In addition to the 3.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs ) resulting from past internal conflicts, Sudan currently faces the largest internal displacement crisis in the world⁵, and also the most significant child displacement crisis, with 3 million children displaced inside and outside the country.⁶

Non-stop, brutal, targeted attacks on civilians are among the main features of this conflict.⁷

These indiscriminate attacks constitute violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), raising serious concerns over the increased harm inflicted on civilians. This conflict, marked by complex protection challenges, is exacerbated by limited access to humanitarian services and the breakdown of the rule of law and institutions to protect civilians.⁸ Reports of escalating use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war, including gang rape,⁹ are widespread, while targeted attacks on - or harm against – civilians, based on ethnicity, theft and extortion continue unabated. Threat posed by explosive ordnances (EOs) is increasing in all regions affected by the hostilities. As displacement continues, people face heightened risks and exposure to EOs due to their increased movement.¹⁰

The hostilities have triggered a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation across the country, including in the areas previously not affected by conflict. People who were unable to safely move away from active fighting or decided to remain in place are reported to be without food, water, adequate shelter, and other basic services. Those who moved and became internally displaced – many of whom lost their homes due to fighting - experience daily and significant challenges to obtain the basic necessities for survival. The surge of newly displaced people across Sudan has overwhelmed public services and resources in the areas of arrival, creating appalling living conditions, particularly in hundreds of gathering sites where new IDPs continue to arrive. Increasing demands for shelter among the displaced prompt the creation of new sites.

Millions of ordinary people and families – many of them are headed by women - face hindered access to food, water, shelter, cash, fuel, and other basic services, while livelihood opportunities have dwindled. Sudan is one of the top four hunger hotspots of highest concern globally.¹¹Nearly one in three people in Sudan could soon become food insecure. Malnutrition rates among under five children are among the highest in the world and are an increasing concern in all states for children and pregnant or lactating women, raising the risks of compromised immune systems, vulnerability to disease, and associated mortality.¹² The already-fragile health system is in tatters, with looming disease outbreaks, including cholera, dengue fever, measles and malaria.¹³ More than 70 per cent of health facilities in conflict areas are out of service, and two-thirds of the population lack access to health care.¹⁴

The conflict leaves a generation of children in Sudan on the brink. Some 14 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with many living in fear of being killed, injured, recruited, or used by armed actors.¹⁵ Since April, there have been allegations of over 3,150 severe child rights violations, including the killing and maiming of children.¹⁶ A generation of children risk missing out on education. This is particularly concerning among displaced children as 9 in 10 displaced households reported unavailability of education services in their areas of displacement.¹⁷ The unprecedented number of displaced school-aged children hosted in non-conflict areas puts enormous pressure on the already fragile education system. Moreover, the closure of schools and limited access to social services have increased the vulnerability of children to recruitment or association with armed groups.

Reports of gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence are widespread.¹⁸,¹⁹,²⁰ Women have been attacked while fleeing and while sourcing food and water. Women and girls, particularly conflict-affected regions such as Darfur states, Kordofan states and Khartoum, fear being attacked, raped or kidnapped while traveling to the market or any location outside of their homes.²¹ The breakdown of families due to separation, and lack of kinship support, forced women to spend long hours outside their homes, increasing their vulnerability to opportunistic attacks and assaults.²² Of alarming concernare the recent reports of women and girls being abducted and held in inhuman, degrading slave-like conditions in areas controlled by the RSF in Darfur, where they are allegedly forcibly married and held for ransom.²³ Men, on the other hand, face a greater risk of intentional killings, injury or detention. [please refer to the Sudan GBV key messages on the IASC scale-up and visit the Gender Mainstreaming online dashboard for further information on gender analysis].

The peace talks between the two principal parties to the conflict resumed in late October. Nonetheless, the possible evolution of the crisis remains highly unpredictable, with crossline movement of staff and supplies experiencing increasing obstacles. Without a lasting political solution, civilians—particularly women, children, and girls—will continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.

Please refer to the sectoral pages under “Part 3: Cluster Needs and Cluster Response Plans” for specific overview of humanitarian needs in the respective clusters.

Monthly secondary data review via a DEEP project (implemented by Data Friendly Space) is also available at this link.