In order to address the most urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, the humanitarian community is requesting $2.9 billion for the 2026 HNRP. This requirement—the result of a strict prioritization exercise—is a decrease of almost one-third compared to last year and is a direct result of the challenging funding environment that continues to impact the aid operation in Sudan. The ask—which includes $2.3 billion for people in inter-sectoral severity 4 and 5 localities and pockets of severe need in inter-sectoral severity 3 localities as well as $526 million for the Refugee Response Plan—reflects the minimum resources required to provide a basic minimum survival package of assistance for the 20.4 million people most at risk and affected by the crisis.
HNRP requirements and funding
If fully funded, this HNRP will provide relief to millions of people on the brink of survival. It will enable humanitarian organizations to scale up presence and assistance in the worst affected areas, strengthen partnerships with and delivery through national and local partners, and replenish depleted pipelines.
However, devastating consequences remain on the horizon, particularly for the more than 13 million people in need who remain outside the scope of this plan. Without humanitarian assistance in 2026, their conditions will likely deteriorate significantly unless adequate development support is channeled to strengthen resilience, recovery and livelihoods. As their access to essential services and assistance shrinks, there is a high likelihood that these communities will face more severe humanitarian needs over the course of the year, including increased acute food insecurity, heightened child mortality due to malnutrition and disease, elevated protection risks and other life-threatening outcomes.
Operating costs and cost efficiencies
Operating costs remain high in Sudan due to the sheer complexity and scale of the crisis. Convoys travel long distances to reach locations in need, with journeys often delayed by the impact of hostilities, high insecurity, damaged and poor infrastructure, seasonal flooding and other constraints, sometimes taking months to complete. These factors, combined with high fuel costs in remote areas, drive up transportation costs significantly. In addition to the primary eastern corridor via Port Sudan, organizations are also using alternative cross-border corridors, although these equally face high transport costs and operational complexities. The scarcity of reliable, safe and secure storage facilities outside of main cities further compounds operational costs. Inflation also continues to impact the cost of goods and services, with the currency having lost 43 per cent of its value over the past year. Meanwhile, the breakdown of local markets in many parts of the country continues to create challenges for local procurement.
Over the course of 2025, work has been undertaken to identify cost efficiencies to maximize the limited resources available. Stricter geographic and partner prioritization has reduced overlap and concentrated resources where needs are most acute. Mobile and outreach service delivery has been prioritized in insecure and hard-to-reach areas, reducing fixed infrastructure and overhead costs while maintaining coverage. For the Health Cluster, integrated delivery of primary health care, nutrition screening, immunization and disease surveillance at a single service point has minimized duplication of staff, transport and logistics. Increased investment in multi-purpose cash assistance is also helping to enhance cost efficiencies by enabling households to address multiple essential needs through a single transfer, and reducing the need for parallel interventions. Cash interventions also lower logistics and delivery costs, minimize duplication and leverage existing markets to effectively achieve multi-sectoral outcomes. Targeted investments in displacement sites, including shelter reinforcement and basic infrastructure improvements, help to reduce losses during floods and lower the need for repeated distributions.
Despite these efforts, rising operating costs and significant funding gaps have continued to inhibit humanitarian organizations from delivering at scale, and forced them to cut back life-saving programming. Coordination, information sharing and the provision of common logistics services remain imperative to ensure cost efficiency and maximize the impact of limited resources in a highly constrained operating environment.
The financial requirement for the 2026 HNRP was estimated using a unit-based costing methodology, which facilitates accuracy and transparency by linking direct costs to specific activities or units. It also allows for more precise budgeting, aligns resources with prioritized needs, and improves accountability, ensuring that funding is effectively allocated to achieve targeted humanitarian outcomes.
References
- WFP. Sudan Market Monitor (November 2025) (link).