Sudan emergency
Sudan emergency
As the violence continues to escalate, people are desperately seeking safety and protection, both inside Sudan and in bordering countries such as Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda.
people have fled Sudan seeking safety in neighbouring countries
refugees who were living in Sudan have been forced to return to their home countries prematurely
people internally displaced by the fighting in Sudan
Sudan is the definition of a perfect storm: shocking human rights atrocities, with millions uprooted by this insane war … We are losing a generation to this war, yet peace efforts are not working.
Deadly armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan and the resumption of inter-communal violence in the Darfur region has forced millions of people from their homes. Since the violence broke out on 15 April 2023, civilians have faced bombings, attacks, sexual violence, hunger and disease outbreaks, while millions of families have had to flee, many of them multiple times, in search of protection and assistance.
Many are arriving at remote border areas, where services to support them are under severe strain. Most of those displaced are women and children and other vulnerable people such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and people with medical conditions.
A reduction in hostilities in the capital, Khartoum, and several other major urban areas, has made it possible to reach refugees and displaced people largely cut off from aid for two years. However, heavy fighting in Sudan’s North Darfur State has caused a new wave of mass displacement, including from the Zamzam and Abu Souk camps for internally displaced people.
Vital infrastructure in parts of the country has collapsed and access to basic services such as safe water, health care and shelter is severely limited. Millions of children are facing acute levels of food insecurity and more than a dozen regions are teetering on the brink of famine. In some areas where aid agencies have struggled to secure access, famine conditions have already been confirmed.
What is UNHCR doing to help?
UNHCR emergency teams have been working around the clock with authorities and partners to support new arrivals in countries neighbouring Sudan, including Chad, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. UNHCR is providing life-saving assistance and relocating newly arrived refugees to existing and new camps away from overcrowded makeshift sites at borders, but global cuts in humanitarian funding are putting these efforts at risk.
More than 750,000 South Sudanese refugees who had been living in Sudan before the conflict have returned to their country. UNHCR is working closely with local authorities to run transit centres near the border and to help returnees who wish to travel onwards to their home areas or relocate to new and existing refugee settlements.
Meanwhile, inside Sudan, UNHCR is assisting both refugees and internally displaced people with shelter, health care, psychosocial support, protection, cash assistance and non-food items, as the security situation allows.
With the growing impact of the conflict on the region, UNHCR is working with host governments to coordinate a regional response plan with 111 partners, including UN agencies, national and international NGOs, and civil society groups, to assist refugees, returnees, and third-country nationals in seven countries.
Are you a refugee or asylum-seeker in Sudan? Find information about your rights and available services on our HELP site.
Are you looking for data on displacement in Sudan? Visit the UNHCR data portal for the latest data and statistics on refugees and other displaced persons.
For information on UNHCR's operational response, budgets and funding, please visit the Sudan page on Global Focus.
