With the conflict in Sudan entering its second month, the United Nations and its humanitarian partner organizations have called Wednesday for US$3 billion to help millions of people in the country and hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries, saying 25 million people in Sudan are in need of humanitarian aid and protection.
As the death toll mounts, humanitarian needs soar, and displacement grows, the UN is launching two revised response plans to provide food, health care, shelter, protection and other critical assistance.
At least 676 people have been killed and 5,576 injured since the fighting erupted more than a month ago, with the true toll likely much higher. The conflict between Sudan’s military headed up by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out on April 15 after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
"This conflict is a cruel blow for the people of Sudan, already staggering under the weight of a desperate humanitarian situation. The desire, willingness and impatience of humanitarian agencies to deliver remains as strong as ever," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths.
The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Sudan has been revised due to the soaring needs spurred by the current crisis. It now requires $2.56 billion, an increase of $800 million from just a few months ago, to help 18 million people until the end of this year, making it the largest appeal ever issued for Sudan.
The Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) seeks $470.4 million to support refugees, returnees and host communities in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The funds are intended to help over 1 million people, including refugees, returnees and third country nationals.
"The signing of the Declaration of Commitment was a welcome first step towards protecting civilians and delivering aid safely. But now we need the generosity of the international community to scale up our response and reach all those in need," Griffiths said.
Sudan's warring parties signed a commitment on May 11, establishing guidelines for allowing humanitarian assistance into the country. However, the “Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan” did not include a cease-fire. The agreement is intended to ensure the protection of civilians, including “allowing safe passage for civilians to leave areas of active hostilities on a voluntary basis, in the direction they choose.”
The Declaration of Commitment requires both sides to permit humanitarian assistance, to allow the restoration of electricity, water and other basic services, to withdraw security forces from hospitals and to arrange for “respectful burial” of the dead.
The most recent fighting has already displaced more than 1 million people. While at least 846,000 people are displaced inside Sudan, over 220,000 refugees and refugee returnees have fled the country, with many Sudanese escaping to Chad, the Central African Republic, and Egypt, and South Sudanese refugees returning home in adverse conditions. Without an urgent resolution, many more will be forced to flee in search of safety and basic assistance.
"More than a month into this crisis, countless people remain terrified inside Sudan, and those who have fled across the country’s many borders are in need of help, often finding themselves in places where access is extremely hard and resources strained," said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“Humanitarians are working hard to respond, but we need – once again - to call on countries and individuals with the means, to step up and provide the resources, so we can help people who have lost everything.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the revised Humanitarian Response Plan will focus on swiftly ramping up food and water and sanitation and other lifesaving assistance. It will also increase its focus on protection, including the protection of children and the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).
The Plan, bringing together 92 aid agencies, envisions the expansion of operations in areas where fighting is fierce, such as the capital, Khartoum, as well as locations to which many people have fled to escape violence, including West, South and North Darfur. Implementing the scale-up will require humanitarian agencies to have safe access to reach those in need.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said the Refugee Response Plan will help host countries to coordinate the response with a “whole-of-society” approach in support of host governments and communities. It outlines the multisector strategy and financial requirements of 140 aid agencies to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to those who have been forced to flee across borders.
According to UNHCR, the most urgent immediate needs include water and sanitation, food, shelter, health, cash assistance and core relief items. Particularly in South Sudan and the Central African Republic, movement away from the border areas is a major logistical and financial challenge. In many of the hosting countries the rainy season is approaching.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated, with some 15.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population.
Before the fighting started, Sudan hosted about 1.2 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa, some 3.7 million Sudanese were internally displaced, mostly in the Darfur region that has experienced a volatile security situation since 2003. As of May 2023, there are some 4.5 million women, men, and children internally displaced.
More than 800,000 Sudanese had fled to neighboring countries before the clashes escalated. The number of Sudanese refugees is now estimated at about 1 million people.
Further information
Full text: UN calls for US$3 billion to rush life-saving aid and protection to people impacted by the Sudan crisis, joint OCHA and UNHCR press release, published May 17, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/un-calls-us-3-billion-rush-life-saving-aid-and-protection-people-impacted-sudan