Sudan Crisis

Sudan Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Sudan, gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1956, is a state in Northeast Africa with access to the Red Sea.  The country shares land borders with Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya. Its capital is Khartoum. Sudan covers an area of 1,861,484 square kilometers. As of 2022, the country had an estimated population of around 48 million people.

The humanitarian situation

Due to the complex crisis in Sudan, a third of the country’s population are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023. The growing humanitarian needs in Sudan are driven by political instability following the military takeover on October 25, 2021, a socioeconomic crisis, insecurity and violence, displacements, floods, drought and disease outbreaks. About 349,000 people were affected by recent torrential rains and flash floods across Sudan.

According to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), Sudan hosts about 1.2 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. South Sudanese represent more than 70% of the refugees (758,000) in Sudan, followed by 135,000 Eritrean refugees (11%) and 131,000 refugees from Ethiopia (11%). Some 3,8 million Sudanese are internally displaced, mostly in the Darfur region that has experienced a volatile security situation since 2003. Since the beginning of 2022, almost 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to conflict, 896 people were reported killed and another 1,092 injured because of conflict and violence. According to the United Nations, the majority of the internally displaced are in Blue Nile (127,961), West Darfur (93,779) and West Kordofan (30,272).

At least 14.3 million Sudanese required humanitarian assistance in 2022. Estimates for June-September 2022 show that a quarter of Sudan's population - 11.7 million people - are severely food insecure. Over 3 million children under 5 currently suffer from acute malnutrition in the country, with an estimated 650,000 children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.  The UN estimates that some 15.8 million people — a third of the population — will require humanitarian aid across Sudan in 2023.

In 2022, the United Nations appealed for 1.94 billion US Dollar in funding for the Sudan crisis. As of Dezember 2022, only 837 million US Dollar have been received from donors (43% coverage). Scarce funding, insecurity, and access restrictions limit the ability of aid organizations to respond to humanitarian needs in Sudan.

Sudan LocationThe security situation

In April 2019, a civilian uprising grew out of protests against high prices for bread, fuel shortages, and other economic issues. On April 11, the Sudanese military overthrew long-term President Omar al-Bashir in support of a popular revolution, and subsequent political uncertainty contributed to heightened humanitarian security and protection concerns. In August 2019, a signed constitutional declaration laid out arrangements for a civilian-led transitional government for a 39-month period, with Abdalla Hamdouk appointed as Prime Minister.

However, the military took over the government on October 25, 2021, arresting civilian leadership. On November 21, Hamdouk was reinstated as Prime Minister under a power-sharing agreement with military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan but has since resigned on January 2, 2022. Due to the military coup and the de facto suspension of the transition to civilian rule Sudan remains in a political stalemate.

The October 2021 military takeover derailed Sudan’s democratic transition and also upended the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement between the transitional government and armed groups in the country. The ensuing and escalating violence, particularly in the Darfur region, has displaced more than 700,000 Sudanese in 2021.  2022 has witnessed an increase in the number and intensity of violent incidents throughout Sudan. As of December 2022, 300,000 people were freshly displaced due to conflict.

On December 5, 2022, more than fifty Sudanese political forces, civil society groups and the current military leaders signed a power-sharing deal that raised hopes of ending violent clashes between security forces and protesters . The agreement calls for immediate security and military reforms which include combining all militias, including the Sudan paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, into one unified army. The agreement also stresses the need to resolve issues regarding transitional justice in the country.  Officials from the United Nations, African Union and European Union congratulated the Sudanese parties for reaching the agreement and urged them to engage in genuine dialogue to complete the remaining tasks that will lead to the formation of a transitional government.

Donations

Your donation for the Sudan emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

Currently, there are only a few active appeals for the Sudan Crisis. You may also consider making an unearmarked donation or a broader earmarked donation.

You can find more organizations to donate to in:  DONARE: Humanitarian Crisis Relief , DONARE: Refugees and IDPS , DONARE: Children in Need and DONARE: Hunger and Food Insecurity.

Further information

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