One year after fighting broke out between rival factions of Sudan’s military, the conflict in Sudan has had catastrophic impacts on almost every aspect of day-to-day life in the country. The ongoing fighting has resulted in significant loss of life, with over 14,700 people killed and almost 30,000 injured.
More than 8.2 million people have fled their homes since the conflict started on April 15, 2023, making the conflict in Sudan the world’s largest displacement crisis. Close to 25 million people (around half of the population) are in immediate need of assistance, including 18 million people facing acute food insecurity.
A new report released by the IRC shares the stories of individuals and families who have been forced to flee their homes—seeking refuge in neighboring states in Sudan or neighboring countries—and whose experiences reflect the myriad of challenges faced by millions of Sudanese.
Eatizaz Yousif, IRC Country Director for Sudan, said: “We stand at a critical juncture in Sudan’s history, where the choices we make today will shape the future of generations to come. The past year has been marked by immense challenges and hardships for the people of Sudan. The conflict has resulted in significant loss of life, displacement, and economic strain. Beyond the figures, our new report aims to show the very real, multifaceted, human impact of the crisis on the people that have become displaced due to an entire year of this conflict.”
Sudan is on course to become the world’s largest hunger crisis—this and the humanitarian situation in the country will continue to deteriorate until parties to the conflict agree to stop the fighting, protect civilians, and ensure they have unrestricted access to lifesaving humanitarian aid.
With almost two million people already displaced into neighboring countries like Chad, Uganda, and South Sudan which were already struggling with meeting humanitarian needs themselves, the low-income fragile countries that have opened their doors to refugees must be better supported by the international community, especially by fully funding their humanitarian and refugee response plans. While the European Union is readying a US$9 billion aid package for Egypt amid fears that the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan will raise immigration pressure on Europe, the UN’s US$2.7 billion humanitarian appeal for Sudan is only 6% funded.
As the fighting continues in Sudan, humanitarian agencies like IRC are facing impediments that prevent us from reaching and providing aid to those in need. The IRC’s efforts to provide water, health care, and protection services to those who have fled the conflict are vital and must continue.
Ultimately, this crisis will not abate until the fighting comes to a stop, which requires a reinvigoration of diplomatic efforts to bring parties to the table to agree to a cessation of hostilities and bring forward a long-term resolution to the conflict. In the meantime, both parties must respect their commitments to protect civilians and remove all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and morally incumbent that donors urgently increase the funding needed to support an expansion of operations.