Needs Overview
Despite the ongoing conflict, Sudan maintains an open-door policy to refugees and asylum-seekers, with over 82,000 new arrivals since the start of 2025. As of December 2025, there are more than 860,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, who have suffered devastating impacts due to active conflict. Roughly 66 per cent of refugees reside in overcrowded camps with restricted movement, and 34 per cent live in urban/peri-urban settings where they are highly vulnerable to exploitation, eviction, abuse and other protection risks. Refugees and asylum-seekers also face conflict-related sexual violence, exposure to trafficking networks, and arrest and detention. Worsening food insecurity, recurrent disease outbreaks and increasing malnutrition rates exacerbate already dire living conditions.
Response Strategy
Sudan’s 2026 Country Refugee Response Plan (CRRP), developed with the Commission for Refugees (COR) and 19 partners and aligned with the HNRP, is a multi-sectoral, inter-agency plan that aims to deliver critical life-saving services across 91 localities in 18 states. The CRRP’s strategic objectives are to: (1) Strengthen the protection environment for refugees and asylum-seekers; (2) Enable access to timely interventions and assistance for refugees, asylum-seekers and host communities; and (3) Provide equitable access to basic services and strengthen opportunities for resilience and self-reliance through durable solutions for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Protection activities will target the most vulnerable refugees both in and out of camps. Refugees and asylum-seekers living in camps will be prioritized for critical assistance and basic services. Multi-sectoral support includes protection (general, child protection, GBV); education; food security; health and nutrition; shelter/NFIs; and WASH. Access permitting, refugees in conflict zones and urban areas will be reached through community-based approaches, emphasizing life-saving assistance, documentation and other protection needs. Supporting COR on refugee registration is a pressing priority.
Promoting quality and inclusive programming
AAP: Sudan’s CRRP resulted from inclusive consultations with partners and stakeholders committed to engaging refugees throughout the programme cycle. Strengthened community feedback and complaint mechanisms; capacity-building for partners; active participation in AAP coordination platforms; and enhanced community outreach ensure meaningful engagement with women, youth and other groups of concern.
Localization: Community-based and refugee-led organizations are engaged from joint planning and needs assessments to implementation and monitoring. Equitable partnerships, strengthened capacity, flexible funding and co-leadership in emergency coordination ensure local actors drive sustainable, accountable and context-specific responses across Sudan.
PSEA: Partners will strengthen prevention, risk mitigation and response to SEA through survivor-centered approaches, capacity development, and safe, accessible reporting mechanisms, coordinated and guided by the PSEA Network.
Age, gender and diversity mainstreaming: Women, men, girls, and boys, persons of all ages (particularly older persons) and persons with disabilities, will be empowered as active agents of change within their families and communities.
References
- For purposes of prioritization, this chapter highlights critical protection and lifesaving humanitarian needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in Sudan. See the Country Refugee Response Plan (CRRP) for a comprehensive reflection including on solutions.