Care.org – January 22, 2023
Sudan: A forgotten crisis the world must pay attention to now
The war in Sudan which entered its ninth month last week continues to cause extreme suffering for millions across the country and in neighboring states, with women and children experiencing the conflict’s impacts most acutely.
Recent fighting in eastern and southern Sudan – including in areas that had been spared the worst of the conflict up until mid-December – has added to the trauma and displacement experienced by so many, and compounded fears for what’s next.
Speaking of the continuing impact of the war since last April, Marie David, CARE Sudan Acting Country Director said: “Loss of life, mass displacement, gender-based violence, hunger, cholera are all on the rise and occurring at an alarming rate. Between 70 and 80 percent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functional. This crisis demands more attention, and funding.”
More than 7.4 million Sudanese are currently displaced, both inside and outside the country. This includes at least 1.4 million people who have fled Sudan since mid-April to seek safety and protection in neighboring countries like Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt – though many still face the threat of violence and limited access to essential services. Internally, approximately six million are displaced, making Sudan the country with the largest number of IDPs in the world.
Sudan also has the largest child displacement in the world, with three million children having fled the widespread violence. Moreover, with 10,400 schools closed in conflict zones, the conflict has left 19 million children without access to education, according to a 2023 report.
Yet Sudan has become a forgotten crisis with limited media coverage, in relation to its devastating scope, and lack of funding. 24.8 million – nearly one in two people in Sudan – will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, according to the UN. Yet global funding for the crisis remains grossly inadequate, at barely 40% of what the Humanitarian Response Plan called for (at the end of 2023).
“We call on all parties to ensure that civilians, especially women and girls, are spared from all forms of violence and allowed to move freely to safety without restrictions, have free access to their basic needs, and safeguard their dignity.” said Marie David, CARE Sudan Acting Country Director.
An Expanding Conflict and Fears of More Displacement
While violence persists across large parts of Sudan (including in Darfur and Kordofan), last month fighting reached Gezira State, a region south of Khartoum. This new development in a region referred to as the breadbasket of Sudan forced an estimated 600,000 people to flee, approximately 220,000 of whom had already been displaced earlier in the year.
Late last summer, Shakir Elhassan, who works for CARE in Sudan, fled to Gezira State from his native Khartoum. Four months later, after fighting approached his temporary home, Elhassan embarked on a 20-hour journey east by bus “on dusty roads” across several states to find refuge, once again.
Speaking about what so many Sudanese are enduring and feeling, he reflected: “I used to tell myself that soon I will be back to our home, to my house, to my small farm, to my friends, to my relatives. That my kids will go back to school. This dream is running away from me. Now I find myself displaced twice. And I’m afraid of a third wave of displacement. This conflict is not reducing. It is expanding, moving from state to state.”
Now residing in the state of Kassala, Elhassan follows the news of the conflict he and so many others have found themselves caught in the middle of. Each day, hour by hour, he keeps himself informed by reading the latest reports with deep trepidation as the conflict continues to follow him.
“Sudanese people are missing their voice,” he said. “The people are suffering silently because they don’t have a voice,”
Humanitarian Relief in a Challenging Context
While CARE was forced to suspend its operations in Gezira State in December, its teams continue to provide support alongside local and global partners in South and East Darfur, South Kordofan, Gadarif, and Kassala. Their services cover health, water and sanitation, nutrition, cash assistance, agriculture, and livelihood activities.
Sudan Humanitarian Update (21 January 2024)
HIGHLIGHTS
About 7.6 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023.
The number of people displaced in Sudan has increased by about 19,600 over the past week.
More than 13,000 people have been killed and another 26,000 injured since April 2023, according to ACLED and FMoH respectively.
More than 9,700 suspected cholera cases, including 269 associated deaths, were reported as of 16 January 2024.
Health partners provided 2.6 million patients with medicines and 1.8 million out-patient consultations across Sudan between 15 April and 31 December 2023.
The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan appeal is 3.1 per cent funded as of 21 January 2024.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Nine months after the war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023 in the capital Khartoum, about 7.6 million people have fled their homes, taking refuge inside and outside Sudan, with children representing about half of the people displaced. Sudan is now the country with the largest number of displaced people and the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
According to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Sudan Weekly Displacement Snapshot (17), about 6.1 million people have been displaced within Sudan, increasing by an estimated 19,600 people over the past week. The 6.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering in 6,355 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states, an increase of 73 locations in one week. The majority of IDPs – 67 per cent – are residing in host communities, compared to 7 per cent living camps. The highest number of IDPs were observed in South Darfur (12 per cent), followed by River Nile (11 per cent), East Darfur (11 per cent), White Nile (8 per cent), Aj Jazirah (8 per cent), and North Darfur (8 per cent). IOM DTM field teams report that the IDPs were originally displaced from 12 states, the majority of people displaced, about 3.6 million (59 per cent of all people displaced internally) are from Khartoum State, followed by South Darfur (15 per cent), North Darfur (8 per cent), Aj Jazirah (8 per cent), Central Darfur (4 per cent), West Darfur (3 per cent), and the rest in other six states. In addition, about 1.5 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries since 15 April 2023, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-21-january-2024
Nine months of conflict - Key Facts and Figures (15 January 2024)
Nine months after war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023, Sudan is facing one of the fastest unfolding crises globally, with unprecedented needs emerging in such a short period.
About 25 million people – of whom over 14 million are children – need humanitarian assistance and support. More than 7.4 million people – about 15 per cent of the total population of the country – have fled their homes since the conflict started.
They have sought refuge within Sudan or in neighbouring countries, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.
With every second person in Sudan in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN and partners are aiming to reach 14.7 million people with assistance through 2024.
More than 6 million people displaced within Sudan and 1.4 million crossed the borders
More than 7.4 million people have been displaced by fighting within Sudan and neighbouring countries. More than 6 million of them have been displaced and are sheltering mainly with host communities in 6,282 locations across Sudan’s 18 states, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM). About 1.4 million people have sought refuge in the neighbouring countries of Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan as of 15 January, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). With close to 4 million children displaced, Sudan is facing the largest child displacement crisis in the world. The internally displaced people (IDPs) are originally from 12 states, with the majority - about 3.7 million people (61 per cent of all IDPs post-April) - from Khartoum. Most sought refuge in South Darfur followed by River Nile, East Darfur, Aj Jazirah, White Nile, North Darfur, Sennar, Northern, Gedaref, Central Darfur – most of which saw high levels of violence recently – and other states. As the conflict spread into Aj Jazirah in December, more than half a million people had to flee in a month, many for a second time having previously displaced from Khartoum.
Close to 9,600 suspected cholera cases, other disease outbreaks
Disease outbreaks are increasing in the face of disruptions of basic public health services, including disease surveillance, functioning public health laboratories and rapid response teams. In addition, insecurity, displacement, limited access to medicines, medical supplies, electricity, and water continue to pose enormous challenges to delivering health care across the country. About 65 per cent of the population lack access to healthcare and between 70 - 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functional. About 9,600 suspected cases of cholera, including 264 deaths, have been reported from nine states as of 13 January, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Other disease outbreaks are ongoing in several states, including measles, malaria and dengue fever
https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/sudan/sudan-nine-months-conflict-key-facts-and-figures-15-january-2024
After years of protracted crisis, Sudan plunged into a conflict of alarming scale in mid-April 2023 when fierce fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out initially in the capital Khartoum, but quickly expanded to other areas across the country.
The current bout of violence and insecurity has resulted in high numbers of civilian casualties, extensive damage to critical infrastructure and facilities as well as large-scale displacement, with over 7.4 million people forced to leave their homes in search of safety within and outside Sudan. Together with the 3.8 million internally displaced persons, from past internal conflict, Sudan currently faces the largest internal displacement crisis in the world and the most significant child displacement crisis, with more than 3 million children displaced inside and outside the country.
Nearly one in three people in Sudan is acutely food insecure, while the already-fragile health system is in tatters, with looming disease outbreaks, including an alarming cholera outbreak, as well as dengue fever, measles and malaria.
While the level of received funding in 2023 was modest compared to the unprecedented scale of needs, the humanitarian community did its utmost to address urgent priorities, reaching five million people with some form of humanitarian assistance.
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
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Prof. Arthur Scott
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