Sudanese Refugees, IDPs Suffer Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

Children are screened for malnutrition and provided with treatment at Elhmedia health centre, Rokoro, Central Darfur.

Since the outbreak of the Sudanese Civil War in 2023, Sudan has faced a dire humanitarian crisis marked by extreme violence, widespread civilian displacement, and a severe lack of basic services in relation to the massive scale of needs. The latest reports from several United Nations (UN) organizations shed light on the rapid deterioration of living conditions for Sudanese internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.

In March, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) issued its Global Displacement Forecast Report, detailing projected trends in civilian movement for the rest of the year. Sudan, described as the world’s most dire displacement crisis, accounts for nearly one-third of new global displacements this year. It is estimated that by the end of 2026, an additional 2.1 million Sudanese civilians will be internally displaced.

According to the latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of May 28, over 10 million civilians are currently internally displaced across all 18 states in Sudan. Roughly 7.7 million have been displaced since hostilities began in April 2023 and have never returned home.

Additionally, IOM estimates that from June 26–29, approximately 3,260 households were displaced across several counties in the Bara locality of North Kordofan due to heightened violence. Over half of the displaced civilians were children under the age of 18.

On June 29, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a situation report detailing the escalation of hostilities in May. Renewed clashes between warring parties were reported in West Kordofan, South Kordofan, Khartoum, and North Darfur, spurring nearly 100,000 new cases of internal displacement. West Kordofan was hit the hardest, as brutal clashes near An Nuhud and Al Khiwai towns drove roughly 60,415 people from their homes.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since April 2023, over 4 million Sudanese civilians have been forcibly displaced to neighbouring countries, with Egypt and Chad hosting the largest numbers of refugees. In early April this year, UNHCR recorded multiple armed attacks on displacement camps in North Darfur, including the Zamzam and Abu Shouk shelters, prompting further mass movement to Chad.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that since April, over 80,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad, with approximately 68,556 concentrated in the Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces. As of June, an average of 1,400 Sudanese civilians cross into Chad daily.

Despite new waves of insecurity, UNICEF reports that May saw a slight reduction in displacement, with around 1.1 million civilians returning to their places of origin, mostly in Al Jazira. However, most continue to face violence and lack essential resources such as food, shelter, healthcare, and water and sanitation (WASH) services.

UNHCR interviewed roughly 6,810 refugees in Chad and found that nearly 60 percent had been separated from their families. Around 72 percent reported experiencing severe human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment.

Sudanese refugees and IDPs also face growing food insecurity. According to UNICEF, over 17,766 children in Sudan have been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. In Uganda, the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that Sudanese refugees survive on just 500 calories per day—only a quarter of the daily requirement. In Chad, nutritional support is at its limits, and food rations will be significantly reduced unless more funding is secured.

“This is a full-blown regional crisis that’s playing out in countries that already have extreme levels of food insecurity and high levels of conflict,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding, we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance. This will leave vulnerable families—and particularly children—at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.”

Due to limited access to WASH services and healthcare for most Sudanese IDPs, there have been 23,000 new cholera cases reported this year. With cumulative cases exceeding 73,000, UNICEF warns that the health situation is expected to deteriorate further as the rainy season approaches.

According to UNHCR, children bear the brunt of the crisis. An estimated 66 percent of Sudanese refugee children lack access to education, and roughly 30 percent have sustained serious injuries.

“My son’s hand was ripped off by a shrapnel bomb; some got lodged in his right eye. He arrived at the MSF clinic in [Chad’s] Tine camp several weeks ago. Each time, doctors and nurses struggled even to access the wound, as the child was traumatised and in immense pain,” said the mother of Mahanat, an eleven-year-old Sudanese refugee who fled to Chad after the April attack on the Zamzam camp.

UNHCR states that only 14 percent of humanitarian needs for Sudanese refugees have been met, leaving thousands vulnerable to extreme weather, poor health conditions, and violence. It is estimated that the average Sudanese refugee receives just 5 litres of water per day—four times less than the global per-person average.

“Again, we ask donors, the UN, and humanitarian organisations to start providing or scaling up support in terms of food, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, including mental health services,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF’s Emergency Coordinator for Sudan. “The current response is grossly insufficient.”