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Sudan Humanitarian Crisis

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“This is the largest humanitarian crisis on the face of the planet. And yet, somehow, it threatens to get worse.” ~ Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the UN

April 2025 marked the start of the third year since the civil war began between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The conflict is characterized by extreme violence and grave human rights abuses against civilians, including torture, sexual violence, arbitrary killings and extortion. Both sides of the conflict are carrying out ethnic cleansing campaigns. Consequently, Sudan faces the world’s worst displacement crisis, protection crisis and hunger crisis.

As the war spirals and atrocities mount, the U.S. has determined that the two warring parties are carrying out crimes against humanity, and declared that the RSF and allied Arab forces are committing genocide.

Key facts 

  • Over 15 million people in Sudan have been forced to leave their homes since the war began.
  • Roughly 53% of internally displaced people (IDPs) are under the age of 18, with more than 25% under the age of 5.
  • At least ten areas in Sudan have declared famine, with 17 more at imminent risk of famine. Civilians have been surviving on animal feed known as ambaz. This is the only sustenance left to treat malnutrition.
  • According to UN Women, “…the number of people at risk of gender-based violence has tripled to 12.1 million. Cases of conflict-related sexual violence remain hugely under-reported, but evidence points to its systematic use as a weapon of war.”
  • Because Sudan is unable to collect data on the number of fatalities, the mortality rate since the start of the war is difficult to assess. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab estimates the number of fatalities to be somewhere between 20,000 and 150,000, with most people dying of hunger and disease.
  • As of September 2025, the RSF is close to capturing El Fasher, the last city in western Sudan run by the government. Humanitarian aid has been blocked from reaching civilians there for over 500 days.
  • The RSF is constructing an earthen berm to surround the city, trapping some 260,000 civilians inside. Those who attempt to escape are often abducted, tortured and/or killed.
  • People who manage to escape must travel on foot to Tawila, 45 miles east and the closest city in Darfur hosting IDPs. Many people die of thirst or hunger along the way if they are not ambushed by RSF.
  • According to the Geneva Council, “The siege (of El Fasher) has displaced 780,000 people, including 500,000 forced from the city’s massive Zamzam refugee camp, where the RSF employed famine as a weapon—targeting humanitarian aid, using indiscriminate drones and artillery against civilian areas, and destroying food storage facilities.”

(Photo: People fleeing violence in Sudan. Credit: USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Lead via Twitter)

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Famine, hunger and malnutrition

As of September 2025, half the population, or 24.6 million people, face acute food insecurity, and 19 million do not have access to potable water. Approximately 638,000 people are suffering from the most severe levels of hunger, the highest number in the world. Many people are also dying of thirst.

Where established humanitarian organizations can operate inside Sudan, they face disruptions from parties to the conflict. Where they can’t, local community kitchens and emergency response rooms (ERRs) have helped to feed people in need, though as of September 2025, many can only serve animal feed. The war has destroyed the economy, causing severe inflation, so even where food is available in markets, civilians cannot afford to purchase it.

The U.S. has cut 83% of its foreign aid, and what will happen to the $126 million already committed to Sudan for 2025 is unclear. Regardless, aid cuts have come at the height of Sudan’s humanitarian needs, worsening a dire situation.

Disease

Emergency Response Rooms in El Fasher say that 98% of clean water sources have been destroyed. A lack of clean water across Sudan has led to the worst outbreak of cholera in years, with an estimated 100,000 cases and at least 2,500 deaths since July 2024. Malaria, dengue and measles are also spreading rapidly.

As of September 2025, over 20.3 million people (40% of the population) need urgent medical care. However, 80% of hospitals in the most conflict-affected areas of Sudan are out of service, and only 45% are functional in other regions.

Extreme weather

Sudan is one of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate changeThese vulnerabilities include seasonal rains becoming more unpredictable and increasingly frequent droughts. Land degradation, desertification and deforestation compound the consequences of climate hazards. 

On Sept. 1, a massive landslide buried the village of Tarasin in Sudan’s Marrah Mountain after several days of heavy rainfall.

Tarasin is not reachable by car or other means of transportation. Many of the victims sought refuge there after fleeing their homes elsewhere in Darfur to escape the conflict. This landslide is one of the deadliest disasters in Sudan’s history. As of Sept. 6, 373 bodies have been recovered, but the final death toll is expected to exceed 1,000.

Women and girls

At least 12 million women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence (GBV), a number that has tripled since the beginning of the war, according to UN Women.

There are many reports of women and girls committing suicide to avoid systematic rape and other types of violence. Should women and girls migrate either within or outside of Sudan, they face an extreme risk of sexual violence. Over 90% of women and girls who migrate towards the Mediterranean will be sexually assaulted or forced into sexual slavery

Additionally, the RSF systematically murders men and boys, often based on ethnicity. Most civilians who escape El Fasher and make it to Tawila are women and girls. Men and boys are prevented from leaving the city, and if they escape, they are often killed on the journey to Tawila.

Children

As humanitarian access and aid shrink, more children than ever need support in Sudan. Over 16 million boys and girls need protection against violence, hunger, disease and displacement.

According to UN News, “The situation is being compounded by a deadly combination of interlinked factors, such as a ten-fold surge in the number of grave violations against children, namely killing and maiming; abduction; recruitment into armed forces and groups and use in hostilities; rape and other forms of sexual violence; attacks on schools and hospitals; and the denial of humanitarian access.” The crisis has also exacerbated existing harmful coping mechanisms, such as child marriage.

Of the 17 million children who remain in Sudan, about 75% are out of school. However, as of September 2025, 45% of schools in Sudan (9,000 facilities) have reopened, with four million children returning. This development will help support children’s protection, psychosocial wellbeing, health and learning.

Ethnic cleansing

The Geneva Council of Rights and Liberties has declared that the RSF and allied Arab militias are undertaking an ethnic cleansing campaign against the ethnic Masalit and other non-Arab populations, predominantly in Darfur. They are systematically expelling, killing and terrorizing these communities to erase their presence in the region. Thousands of civilians have been killed on the basis of ethnicity, and satellite imagery confirms the “systematic dismantling” of Masalit neighborhoods.

On the other side of the conflict, “…the (Sudanese) army treats civilians from western Sudan as collaborators with the RSF, leading to ethnic cleansing campaigns,” stated Human Rights Watch. Several reports describe SAF and allied militias executing civilians from Darfur and South Kordofan, driven by the perception of their tribal loyalties.

Additional resources

For more information on the background, history and issues that have brought Sudan to the current crisis, please see:

The Sudan humanitarian crisis needs a multi-faceted response. Funders can 

  • Support locally-led action, such as national NGOs and mutual aid groups.
  • Meet immediate humanitarian needs, an important initial step to allow improved recovery.
  • Support vulnerable populations such as women, children, IDPs and refugees through protection and provision of essential services. 
  • Address the needs of host communities in neighboring countries.

Urgent needs

During any complex humanitarian emergency (CHE), urgent needs always include shelter, food, WASH, emergency health care, education, protection of at-risk populations and case management. These needs will continue throughout CHE. As the crisis becomes more protracted, issues include restoration of livelihoods, mental health, cash assistance, and preventative and chronic disease management.  

Mutual aid and Emergency Response Rooms

Grassroots mutual aid organizations have created Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) to provide health services, food and safe spaces for women and children in communities where humanitarian organizations no longer have access. In September 2025, ERRs in Sudan won the Norwegian Rafto Foundation prize for human rights, and were nominated in 2025 for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Local groups are currently the only aid providers able to reach those struggling to survive in much of Sudan. However, with recent cuts to foreign aid, about 80% of ERRs have had to close, with dire consequences for the two million civilians they supported.

A Localization Coordination Council (LCC) has been established as a coordinating body. The LCC plays a critical role in managing intake requests from across the country, prioritizing funds, resolving conflicts and facilitating collaboration. 

Donors can support ERRs to help provide direct aid to communities living in war and build ERR capacity. Funders unable to direct grants to non-501c3 organizations can work through an intermediary, such as CDP’s pooled Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund.

The Coalition for Mutual Aid in Sudan surpassed its original Commitment to Action announced at the 2024 Annual Meeting to channel at least $2 million in emergency grants by the end of 2024 and generate a minimum of $4.5 million more from peer philanthropies by the end of 2026. At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting in New York, the Coalition expanded its commitment and announced at least $16 million in direct and flexible emergency grants to vetted mutual aid groups in Sudan by the end of 2026. 

Cash assistance

As with most disasters and emergencies, disaster experts recommend monetary donations as they allow for on-the-ground agencies to direct funds to the most significant area of need, support economic recovery, and ensure donation management does not detract from disaster recovery needs and quickly re-establishing access to basic necessities. 

In Sudan, where the conflict has severely curtailed physical movement and banking operations, digital banking applications and wallets have become a lifeline for many. Since the conflict, lack of cash has led many to utilize digital wallets to cover necessities, pay for travel and receive money from abroad. Financial applications, however, suffer from frequent telecommunication and power breakdowns.  

CDP always recommends cash as an intervention and a recovery strategy. Direct cash assistance gives each family flexibility and choice, ensuring that support is relevant and timely. Cash-based approaches to disaster recovery also give people the freedom to choose how they rebuild their lives and provide a pathway to economic empowerment

Through CDP’s Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund, donors can support broad efforts that help address the critical needs of vulnerable, marginalized and at-risk groups, prevent and address famine, and build longer-term solutions that enable communities to recover.    Donors may also support the life-saving efforts of local mutual aid groups, such as emergency response rooms, addressing the needs of at-risk communities amid limited resources. They can designate contributions to the Coalition for Mutual Aid in Sudan.

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Philanthropic contributions

If you have questions about donating to the CDP Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund, need help with your disaster-giving strategy or want to share how you’re responding to this crisis, please contact development.

(Photo: Homes destroyed by the violence between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, April 2023. Photo courtesy of Patty McIlreavy.)

Recovery updates

If you are a responding NGO, please send updates on how you are working in this crisis to Tanya Gulliver-Garcia.

We welcome the republication of our content. Please credit the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Resources

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Famine

Famine

According to the United Nations’ definition, a “famine” has taken hold when: at least 20 percent of households in an area face extreme food shortages; more than two people in 10,000 are dying each day (from both lack of food and reduced immunity to disease); and more than 30 percent of the population is experiencing acute malnutrition. 

Internally Displaced People

Internally Displaced People

Internally displaced persons are those who have been forced to flee their homes, in particular as a result of armed conflict, generalized violence, violations of human rights or disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized border.

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

CHEs involve an acute emergency layered over ongoing instability. Multiple scenarios can cause CHEs, like the civil wars in Syria and Yemen, the man-made political crisis in Venezuela, or the conflict in Ukraine.