The United Nations and its allies have launched Sudan’s 2025 humanitarian and refugee response plans requesting a total of $6 billion to aid almost 26 million people in the country and beyond the region.
In a joint statement, the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) emphasised that nearly two years of fighting have created a “catastrophic protection crisis” and displaced 12 million people in Sudan and across borders.
They emphasised that roughly two-thirds of the population requires emergency relief, and the country is experiencing famine conditions, claiming that refugees in “dire need” arrive in neighbouring countries where local resources are already stretched thin.
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, stated that “the consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders.”
“Neighbouring countries have shown enormous solidarity by welcoming refugees, even if more arrive every day.
However, their resources are limited, with essentials like water, housing, and health services in short supply, and Sudan requires immediate assistance, according to Grandi.
“The international community must step up and help, not just to ensure that emergency aid and life-saving protection can continue without disruption, but also to end the violence and restore peace to Sudan,” according to him.
According to the UN, famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan including displacement camps in Darfur and in the western Nuba Mountains, and “catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May” when the lean season begins.
The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Sudan aims to reach nearly 21 million vulnerable people with life-saving aid and protection, marking the highest number of people in any UN-coordinated plan this year, and requires $4.2 billion in support, the statement said.
To date, nearly 3.5 million people have sought safety in neighbouring countries, further stretching already scarce services and resources, it added.
The Regional Refugee Response Plan will prioritize the delivery of life-saving assistance and protection, including emergency shelters, relocation from border areas to safer locations, psychosocial support, clean water, healthcare and education, the release said.
It said humanitarian partners will need $1.8 billion to not only support 4.8 million people in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda but also to help host countries strengthen national services and implement programs that will help bring stability.
“Without immediate funding, two-thirds of refugee children will be denied access to primary education, threatening an entire generation. Up to 4.8 million refugees and host community members will continue to face severe food insecurity, with at least 1.8 million going without food assistance,” both agencies warned in the release. “Already strained health systems may collapse,” according to the statement.
In 2024, humanitarian organizations reached more than 15.6 million people across Sudan with $1.8 billion in support, it said, adding that assistance included food and livelihood support for more than 13 million people as well as water, sanitation and hygiene support, health and nutrition, and shelter assistance.
