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The UN and the crisis in Sudan

10.2 million
displaced by conflict since 15 April 2023
14,000+
reportedly killed
26 million
People in need of assistance in 2024

What is the crisis about?

On 15 April 15, 2023, the fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The armed conflict is affecting millions of lives in Sudan and causing mass displacement, food insecurity and education challenges that require immediate humanitarian help.

Right now, Sudan is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe with over 25 million people in desperate need of assistance.

More information on the background to the conflict.

Latest developments

26 November

  • UN relief chief underlines “epidemic of sexual violence” against women and girls (OCHA)
  • Statement by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, on the 16 Days of Activism Campaign (RC/HC Sudan)
  • General Assembly President urges collective action on Sudan as crisis deepens (UN News)

22 November

Displaced Sudanese people wait to receive food from WFP. Photo © WFP
Displaced Sudanese people wait to receive food from WFP. Photo © WFP

A World Food Programme (WFP) convoy arrived in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, Sudan, on Friday – the first since famine was declared there three months ago, the UN agency has reported. (UN News)

  • WFP announces major surge in food aid into Sudan’s hard-to-reach areas (WFP)

19 November

  • “You don’t see young women in some camps”: Harrowing reports of sexual violence and healthcare attacks in Sudan’s Aj Jazirah State (UNFPA)

15 November

  • UNISFA statement on killings in Abyei town (UNISFA)

14 November

Sudanese refugees in Adre, a border crossing between Sudan and Chad that is a vital aid lifeline for millions in Sudan. UNICEF/Annadjib © Ramadane Mahamat
Sudanese refugees in Adre, a border crossing between Sudan and Chad that is a vital aid lifeline for millions in Sudan. UNICEF/Annadjib © Ramadane Mahamat

The top UN humanitarian official in Sudan has welcomed the Government’s decision to extend the use of the Adre border crossing, a vital conduit for humanitarian assistance, for an additional three months. (UN News)

  • Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan welcomes the decision to keep Adre border crossing point open for aid supplies for another three months (OCHA, UN RC/HC Sudan)
  • WFP calls for the safe passage of life-saving aid, as opening of critical Adre border is extended (WFP)

13 November

  • Sudan kicks off polio campaign to protect over 648 000 children in hard-to-reach areas in White Nile State (WHO)

12 November

A mother holds the bullet that was removed from her eight-year-old daughter after she was hit at her home on the outskirts of capital Khartoum.
A mother holds the bullet that was removed from her eight-year-old daughter after she was hit at her home on the outskirts of capital Khartoum. © UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih

The people of Sudan face an ever-deepening crisis as the relentless war between rival militaries pushes the country further into chaos, the UN’s top political affairs official told the Security Council on Tuesday, underscoring that a ceasefire and a negotiated political solution remain the only viable path to peace. (UN News)

  • OCHA urges Security Council to act as Sudan faces “unimaginable suffering” amid escalating violence (OCHA)
  • New Study: Short-term humanitarian aid alone insufficient to address severe deterioration in employment, income, access to essential services and food security (UNDP)
  • Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, Director, Coordination Division, OCHA, on behalf of Acting USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Ms. Joyce Msuya – Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Sudan (OCHA)
  • UN strongly condemns continued attacks against civilians in Sudan, calls on warring parties for immediate ceasefire (UNDPPA)
Sudan Emergency: Population movements from Sudan (11 November 2024)
(Click for PDF)

Sudan Emergency: Population movements from Sudan (UNHCR)

8 November

  • Sudan’s displaced have endured ‘unimaginable suffering, brutal atrocities’ (UN News)
  • Sudanese refugee foster families offer hope and a home to lone children (UNHCR)
  • Unrelenting violence in Sudan drives continued refugee exodus (UNHCR)

5 November

Peacekeepers help to recover bogged down vehicles and rescue stranded civilians following heavy rains.
Peacekeepers help to recover bogged down vehicles and rescue stranded civilians following heavy rains | © UNISFA

In addition to driving a regional refugee crisis, the brutal war in Sudan is exacerbating instability in the contested region of Abyei, a senior UN peacekeeping official said on Tuesday, highlighting escalating challenges. (UN News)

  • IOM Intensifies Response to Cholera Outbreak in Renk Amid Risks to Displaced Populations (IOM)
  • UN experts condemn campaign of violence against civilians amid rising displacement (OHCHR)
  • In a historic health milestone, Sudan has launched its first malaria vaccination campaign amid 18 months of civil conflict, aiming to protect thousands of children from the deadly disease. (UN News)

4 November

Al Fasher hospital in Darfur following artillery strikes in October. Aid teams have warned that medical facilities in conflict areas are overwhelmed and continue to be attacked.
Al Fasher hospital in Darfur following artillery strikes in October. Aid teams have warned that medical facilities in conflict areas are overwhelmed and continue to be attacked | © Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital

War in Sudan has devastated towns and cities across the country and pushed the healthcare system to collapse, just as cases of cholera and dengue fever are surging and hunger levels remain “above the famine threshold”, humanitarians have warned. (UN News)

  • Sudan rolls out first malaria vaccines (WHO)

1 November

  • SG Spokesperson noon briefing highlights (OSSG)
  • Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on Sudan (OSSG)

31 October

  • New UN report warns of conflict-induced famine and catastrophic hunger in 5 major hotspots alongside the looming La Niña climate threat in others (FAO)
  • ‘Catastrophic’ hunger persists in multiple countries, warn food agencies (UN News)

30 October

  • Humanitarian impact of Armed Violence in Aj Jazirah – Flash Update No. 02 (OCHA)

29 October

A mother carries her baby in Port Sudan, on the Sudanese coast.
© WFP/Abubakar Garelnabei – A mother carries her baby in Port Sudan, on the Sudanese coast.

Sudan’s ‘living nightmare’ continues as 11 million flee war, mass killings (UN News)

Escalating violence and new atrocities in Sudan have pushed the humanitarian crisis to unprecedented levels, with displacement now exceeding 11 million people amid reports of mass killings and systematic-sexual violence across multiple regions.

  • Escalating violence in Al-Jazirah (OHCHR)
  • UN Fact-Finding Mission documents large-scale sexual violence and other human rights violations in newly issued report (OHCHR)
  • Displacement in Sudan Crosses 11 Million as Devastating Crisis Reaches New Heights: IOM Chief  (IOM)

28 October

  • Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council – on Sudan (OSSG)
  • Sudan trapped in a ‘nightmare of violence’, UN chief tells Security Council (UN News)

26 October

  • Statement by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, on the attacks in Aj Jazirah State (RC/HC Sudan)

25 October

  • UN agencies warn of spiraling Sudan crisis as civilians face grave risks and famine threat grows amid access barriers (UNHCR-UNICEF)
  • Sudan Situation External Update #84 — 13 – 19 October, 2024 (UNHCR)
  • SG Spokesperson noon briefing highlights (OSSG)

24 October

  • Statement by the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, on the United Nations Day (OCHA – RC/HC Sudan)

22 October

  • Rights defenders integral to achieving sustainable development, UN expert says (UN News)

17 October

  • Sudan faces one of the worst famines in decades, warn UN experts (OHCHR)

11 October

© UNICEF/Mark Naftalin A girl collects water from a communal tap in the town of Renk, South Sudan. Since April 2023, over 810,000 people have crossed into the country from Sudan, many among them children.
© UNICEF/Mark Naftalin A girl collects water from a communal tap in the town of Renk, South Sudan. Since April 2023, over 810,000 people have crossed into the country from Sudan, many among them children.

The number of Sudanese refugees in South Sudan has surpassed half a million, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announced on Friday, as ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan continues to drive massive displacement. (UN News)

  • Refugee figures in South Sudan hit the half a million mark as thousands arrive, fleeing conflict in Sudan (UNHCR)

10 October

  • Voices of the displaced – The mental health impact of Sudan’s war on children (UNICEF)
  • The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday extended the mandate of the independent expert on the human rights situation in Russia for another year. (UN News)

9 October

  • WFP and Republic of Korea partner to save lives in war-torn Sudan (WFP)
  • Young Sudanese volunteer honoured for her selfless work supporting refugees in Egypt (UNHCR)
Sudan: Famine Prevention Snapshot, May - August 2024
Sudan: Famine Prevention Snapshot, May – August 2024 – Click for PDF download.

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