Four United Nations agencies are calling for urgent international attention to address the immense suffering and growing dangers facing the Sudanese population. Over 900 days of brutal fighting, widespread human rights violations, famine, and the collapse of essential services have pushed millions, particularly women and children, to the brink of survival.
In a joint statement released Thursday, senior leaders from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP) described the devastating impact of the crisis they witnessed across Sudan, including in the Darfur region, the capital city of Khartoum, and other conflict-affected areas during their recent visits.
The four UN agencies are jointly calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians — especially children — as well as unhindered humanitarian access to all affected populations, including a UN presence throughout the country and simplified procedures for aid delivery and staff movement.
They also called for urgent and flexible funding to scale up life-saving interventions, support for durable solutions for displaced populations (including returnees and host communities), and continued support for internally displaced people and the nearly 900,000 refugees in Sudan who are in need of international protection.
In their statement, IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WFP reaffirmed their commitment to working together to deliver life-saving assistance and protection to children and families across Sudan. However, they warn that the humanitarian community cannot act alone. The UN agencies stress that the world must provide the necessary funding and support to address this emergency.
The world's largest humanitarian crisis
Sudan is currently experiencing the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 30 million people in need of urgent assistance, including nearly 15 million children. The brutal conflict that began in April 2023 has destroyed essential services, such as healthcare and education.
Some 14 million school-age children are out of school, and entire communities have been displaced. Families have been forced to flee for their lives, facing human rights violations and grave protection risks.
Last year, famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan, and the hunger situation remains catastrophic, with children being hit hardest. Malnutrition rates have soared, and thousands are at imminent risk of death without immediate food and nutrition assistance.
As of October 2025, over 9.6 million women, men, and children are internally displaced, including 2.4 million displaced before April 2023, making Sudan the country with the largest internal displacement crisis in the world.
An additional 4.5 million people have crossed borders into other countries, joining at least 500,000 Sudanese who had already fled before the war escalated. The total number of Sudanese refugees is now estimated at over 5 million.
Overall, about 15 million people are currently displaced by conflict in Sudan, making the country's displacement crisis by far the largest in the world.
Returnees lack access to essential services
While around 2.6 million people have returned to their homes in recent months as fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country has eased, many have found their homes and neighborhoods damaged or destroyed, leaving them without access to essential services. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 1 million people have returned to Khartoum alone.
“This scale of return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM’s Deputy Director General for Operations, who has just returned from a visit to Sudan.
"I met people coming back to a city still scarred by conflict, where homes are damaged, and basic services are barely functioning."
Daniels highlighted the remarkable determination of those returning to rebuild, but emphasized that life remains incredibly fragile.
“Across Sudan, cholera, dengue and malaria are spreading, making it even more urgent to invest in clean water, health care and other essential services so that people can truly start over,” she added.
Hotspots in Darfur and Kordofan states
According to the UN agencies, access to the most affected populations remains severely limited. Humanitarian actors face insecurity, bureaucratic obstacles, and logistical challenges that make delivering life-saving aid extremely difficult. Attacks against civilians continue to be widespread, and women and girls are still at serious risk of conflict-related sexual violence.
The situation in Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions is deeply concerning, with humanitarian needs escalating. Communities are becoming more and more isolated, and the collapse of critical services is leaving millions vulnerable. Humanitarian organizations are making every effort to reach civilians in areas where children and families are enduring conditions that defy survival.
“This is one of the worst protection crises we’ve seen in decades” said Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at UNHCR, following a visit to displacement sites in Port Sudan and outside of Khartoum.
“Millions are displaced inside and outside of the country and returning families have little support with the absence of other options.”
Situation in El Fasher remains catastrophic
The capital of North Darfur State, El Fasher is home to over 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, who have been trapped under siege for over 16 months — cut off from food, water, and healthcare. Health facilities have collapsed, leaving thousands of severely malnourished children without treatment and facing imminent death.
The situation in El Fasher remains catastrophic, with no end in sight. Heavy clashes and drone attacks were reported Tuesday and Wednesday across the city and in Korma, a town 80 kilometers away, marking one of the most intense escalations in recent days.
Clements said she spoke with families who recently fled El Fasher and who shared horrific stories of being forced to leave everything behind while "taking treacherous routes at great risk. It’s a dynamic environment, and support is needed everywhere."
Reports of killings, sexual violence, and forced recruitment are mounting daily. In the Kordofan region, towns such as Dilling and Kadugli have been isolated for months. Families there are enduring destroyed water systems and non-functioning health services. Meanwhile, outbreaks of cholera and measles are spreading unchecked.
“What I witnessed in Darfur and elsewhere this week is a stark reminder of what is at stake: children facing hunger, disease, and the collapse of essential services,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director.
“Entire communities are surviving in conditions that defy dignity. Children are malnourished, exposed to violence, and at risk of dying from preventable diseases.”
Funding shortfalls are putting millions of lives at risk
Lack of funding further compounds the crisis. The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan totals US$4.2 billion but remains critically underfunded at only 25 percent, with only US$1.1 billion received thus far, which threatens the scale and continuity of emergency operations.
In Northern State, for example, the health situation in the Ad-Dabah locality is deteriorating as hospitals struggle with severe shortages of medicine and supplies. The anticipated closure of a major health project in November threatens to leave a critical gap in essential services for thousands of displaced people arriving from the Darfur and Kordofan regions.
“Families are doing everything they can to survive, showing extraordinary resolve in the face of unimaginable hardship,” Chaiban said.
“It is clear that the UN and partners are responding, but the resolve of families must be matched by urgent global action to stop the conflict.”
The humanitarian response in Sudan has reached over 13.5 million people so far this year, including those in the hardest-hit areas of Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum, and Al Jazira, despite the massive challenges. However, without additional resources, humanitarian agencies will be forced to scale back life-saving interventions, putting millions of lives at risk.
Clashes and drone attacks are spreading across Sudan
Also on Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the escalating violence continues to endanger civilians in multiple regions of Sudan, as drone attacks and clashes have spread beyond Darfur into other states.
The humanitarian office expressed concern that the use of aerial weapons in densely populated areas in recent days has further endangered civilians and strained essential services.
Since Tuesday, multiple incidents have been reported in the states of Khartoum, Blue Nile, North Kordofan, and Sennar. On Thursday, there were reports of drone attacks on the Khartoum airport for the third consecutive day, impacting its reopening after more than two years of closure.
Meanwhile, attacks in the cities of Sennar, Damazine, and El Obeid triggered widespread power outages. In South Darfur State, insecurity remains high in the state capital, Nyala, where there are ongoing reports of drone attacks.
OCHA once again reiterated that civilians must be protected, essential infrastructure must never be targeted, and safe humanitarian access must be ensured. All warring parties must immediately cease hostilities and comply with international humanitarian law.