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Country analysis

Sudan


Over 30 million people in Sudan – almost two third of the population – are in need of humanitarian and protection assistance. The main driver of the crisis has been the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which escalated in April 2023 and has since resulted in thousands of fatalities and injuries. By December 2024, more than 11.8 million people were forcibly displaced since the beginning of the conflict, including around 9.3 million IDPs and returnees and around 2.5 million refugees and asylum seekers outside Sudan, mainly in Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. By November, Sudan was hosting more than 250,000 refugees, mainly from South Sudan and Ethiopia. The conflict has aggravated existing issues of poverty, hunger, and economic instability. Severe weather events, including floods and droughts, have further deteriorated the humanitarian situation. As a result, Sudan faces high levels of acute food security, with some pockets of Famine (IPC Phase 5) emerging since August 2024. Bureaucratic constraints, as well as violence against humanitarian personnel, assets, and facilities, continue to severely restrict humanitarian access, hindering humanitarian operations and aid delivery. (UNHCR 14/11/2024, OCHA 31/12/2024, UNHCR accessed 16/12/2024, IRC 17/04/2023, AWSD accessed 11/12/2024)

Over 30 million people in Sudan – almost two third of the population – are in need of humanitarian and protection assistance. The main driver of the crisis has been the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which escalated in April 2023 and has since resulted in thousands of fatalities and injuries. By December 2024, more than 11.8 million people were forcibly displaced since the beginning of the conflict, including around 9.3 million IDPs and returnees and around 2.5 million refugees and asylum seekers outside Sudan, mainly in Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan. By November, Sudan was hosting more than 250,000 refugees, mainly from South Sudan and Ethiopia. The conflict has aggravated existing issues of poverty, hunger, and economic instability. Severe weather events, including floods and droughts, have further deteriorated the humanitarian situation. As a result, Sudan faces high levels of acute food security, with some pockets of Famine (IPC Phase 5) emerging since August 2024. Bureaucratic constraints, as well as violence against humanitarian personnel, assets, and facilities, continue to severely restrict humanitarian access, hindering humanitarian operations and aid delivery. (UNHCR 14/11/2024, OCHA 31/12/2024, UNHCR accessed 16/12/2024, IRC 17/04/2023, AWSD accessed 11/12/2024)

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05 August 2025

One year after famine (IPC phase 5) was confirmed in Zamzam camp in August 2024, an estimated 740,000 people trapped in El Fasher face starvation. By 5 August, roads remained blocked, cutting off food aid. Food prices have surged by over 400%, with some families resorting to fodder and waste. Markets and health services are largely non-functional. (WFP 05/08/2025, AJ 06/08/2025, ACJPS 31/07/2025)

29 July 2025

By July 2025, around 380,000 people had been displaced in Tawila (North Darfur), with outbreaks of cholera, measles, malaria, and trauma cases increasing. Most households are only able to have one meal a day, and only 10% have access to safe drinking water. Aid operations are overstretched and unable to meet growing health and nutrition needs. (ECHO 25/07/2025, OCHA 22/07/2025)

29 July 2025

Until 25 July 2025, the city of Kadugli in South Kordofan was still inaccessible to humanitarian aid as the last supply route was blocked. 96% of displaced families were struggling to meet their basic needs, and 75% had at least one malnourished child. Authorities have suspended 30 national and three international NGOs, further restricting humanitarian access. (ECHO 25/07/2025)

22 July 2025

Over 1,300 cholera cases were confirmed in Tawila town, North Darfur, in the week from 14–20 July 2025. The area hosts hundreds of thousands of people displaced from April’s Zamzam camp attack. Overcrowded conditions, limited access to clean water, and overstretched health services are driving the rapid spread of the disease as the rainy season begins. (UN 21/07/2025, Radio Tamazuj 22/07/2025)

15 July 2025

Between 10–13 July, at least 300 civilians across multiple villages in North Kordofan state have been killed in armed attacks. Coordinated attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted communities surrounding the city of Bara, where arson and looting have been reported. In Shag Alnom, over 200 people were reportedly shot or burned to death, while at least 84 more were killed in Hilat Hamid and neighbouring villages, including women and children.
The scale and brutality of the attacks mark one of the deadliest incidents in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which has displaced more than 13 million people and significantly constrained humanitarian access. Many of the affected villages were hosting displaced families who lacked adequate shelter, with limited protection or basic services. North Kordofan has increasingly become a frontline zone between Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The violence raises concerns about further displacement, rising civilian casualties, and worsening access for humanitarian responders. (UNICEF 15/07/2015, UN News 15/07/2025, Africa news 15/07/2025)

01 July 2025

On 21 June 2025, an air strike on Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan killed more than 40 people, including six children, five healthcare workers, and a volunteer female doctor affiliated with the Emergency Response Rooms. The hospital, the only functioning health facility in the area, hosted a crucial dialysis unit recently equipped with new machines, making it a vital resource in the region. The strike occurred near frontline combat zones, underscoring the high risk to civilian infrastructure amid sustained conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The loss of this facility deprives tens of thousands, including children and patients with chronic illnesses of critical care. This attack follows a broader pattern that has left Sudan’s health system in collapse, with over 70% of hospitals nonfunctional in key conflict zones. Millions increasingly face diseases, injuries, and maternal health risks without reliable access to care. (The Guardian 24/06/2025, IRC accessed 01/07/2025, ERR | Facebook 21/06/2025)

24 June 2025

Between 18–21 June 2025, renewed violence and worsening economic conditions displaced around 1,300 people from Abu Shouk IDP camp and Al Fasher town, North Darfur. Most were displaced within Al Fasher, while others moved to Al Serief and Tawila localities. The displaced families currently face urgent needs, including shelter, food, WASH, and protection assistance. (IOM 22/06/2025)

current crises
in Sudan


These crises have been identified through the INFORM Severity Index, a tool for measuring and comparing the severity of humanitarian crises globally.

Read more about the Index

SDN001 - Complex crisis

Last updated 23/07/2025


Drivers

International Displacement
Conflict/ Violence
Political/economic crisis

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

4.7 Very High

Access constraints

5.0

Analysis products
on Sudan

Sudan: Protection Risk Analysis 2025

31 July 2025

Sudan: Protection Risk Analysis 2025

DOCUMENT / PDF / 441 KB

This report highlights eight key protection risks identified as the most severe in 2025 by responders, with special focus on at-risk population groups, high-risk areas, and information gaps. It also aims to delve into the dynamics of each protection risk in 2025. 

Protection
Sudan: key needs and risks for idp returnees in Aj Jazirah

17 July 2025

Sudan: key needs and risks for idp returnees in Aj Jazirah

DOCUMENT / PDF / 2 MB

This report gives an overview of the humanitarian needs of IDP returnees in Aj Jazirah state and the factors driving and compounding continuing IDP returns.

Displacement
Sudan: Anticipated effects of the 2025 rainy season on malnutrition drivers in Darfur

24 June 2025

Sudan: Anticipated effects of the 2025 rainy season on malnutrition drivers in Darfur

DOCUMENT / PDF / 473 KB

This report aims to examine how the 2025 rainy season is expected to affect malnutrition drivers in Darfur, a region already facing critical levels of malnutrition, food insecurity, displacement, and health system collapse. 

Nutrition
Sudan: risk of continued drone strikes on Port Sudan

23 May 2025

Sudan: risk of continued drone strikes on Port Sudan

DOCUMENT / PDF / 2 MB

On 4 May 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a series of drone strikes on Port Sudan, the administrative and humanitarian hub of the country since the beginning of the armed conflict in April 2023. The aerial attacks with loitering munitions lasted six consecutive days until 9 May.

Conflict and violence
Sudan: Displacement from Zamzam Camp

29 April 2025

Sudan: Displacement from Zamzam Camp

DOCUMENT / PDF / 729 KB

On 11 April, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) conducted a three-day assault on Zamzam camp, the largest camp for displaced people in Sudan, located in North Darfur, around 15km south of El Fasher City, resulting in the displacement of at least 406,265 (81%) of the camp’s inhabitants. 

AudioDisplacement

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