UN Secretary-General António Guterres has commended the decision by the Sudanese authorities to reopen a crucial corridor for aid to enter the war-ravaged country, his spokesperson said on Saturday.

The Adre border crossing with Chad has been closed for most of the year. It is the most direct and efficient route for humanitarian aid to reach millions in Sudan's Darfur region who are facing record levels of acute hunger.

Food security experts recently declared that the war between rival Sudanese militaries, which erupted in April 2023, has pushed parts of North Darfur state into famine, particularly the Zamzam camp where more than half a million displaced people are sheltering.

Unhindered humanitarian access

“The Secretary-General underscores the importance of concrete and sustained measures to facilitate humanitarian access and protect civilians, in accordance with the obligations of Sudanese parties under international humanitarian law and previously agreed modalities,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.

"Humanitarian organizations must have full, safe and unhindered access to reach all civilians in need across Darfur, and across the country as a whole," he added.

The statement concluded by underlining the UN’s full committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to help end the conflict in Sudan and alleviate the suffering of the population.

Scaling up assistance

The Sudanese authorities revoked permission to use the Adre crossing back in February, making the Tine crossing the sole route for cross-border humanitarian aid delivery from Chad.

On Friday, UN agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed the news of its reopening.

The development will allow WFP to scale up assistance to 14 areas facing famine in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah.

The aim is to support up to 8.4 million people by the end of the year.

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(Port Sudan, 16 August 2024) – As the humanitarian community races against time to fight famine in parts of Darfur and other conflict-affected areas, the top United Nations official in Sudan today welcomed the decision by the Sudanese authorities to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Adre border crossing point from Chad to Darfur.

“The Adre crossing is a critical lifeline for the people of Sudan,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. “This humanitarian route will help us deliver emergency food and nutrition supplies, medicine, shelter, and other life-saving assistance to millions of people in desperate need.”

Following the closure of the Adre crossing point by the Sudanese authorities in February, the UN and its humanitarian partners have been using the Tine border crossing into North Darfur. Heavy rains and flooding in recent weeks have significantly impeded aid being transported through Tine. Humanitarian organizations have relief supplies in eastern Chad that are ready to move via Adre crossing.

“We have been relentlessly advocating for the reopening of the Adre crossing, as it is the most effective and shortest route to deliver humanitarian assistance to Sudan at the scale and speed required, especially to Darfur,” Ms. Nkweta-Salami said. “Every minute and every mile counts – and can mean the difference between life and death for the millions of people affected by this conflict.”

Food insecurity in Sudan has reached record levels, with nearly 26 million people in acute hunger. On 1 August, famine conditions were confirmed in Zamzam displacement camp near Al Fasher in North Darfur. Food security experts warn that civilians in a further 13 localities in other parts of Sudan are at risk of famine.

“Given what is at stake, it is essential to expedite humanitarian access by keeping the Adre border crossing open permanently to avoid delays. Additionally, all parties must remove all unnecessary bureaucratic impediments into Darfur and other areas facing acute needs, guarantee the safety and security of aid workers and assets in Al Fasher and facilitate unimpeded aid delivery through all possible routes into and within the country, including across conflict lines as agreed in the Jeddah Declaration,” said Ms. Nkweta-Salami.

Ms. Nkweta-Salami also underscored the need for urgent funds to scale up efforts to reach all people in need. More than seven months into the year, the $2.7 billion Sudan humanitarian appeal for 2024 is just 33 per cent funded, constraining and limiting the response by the UN, international and national NGOs in Sudan, including in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum. More than 125 humanitarian organizations are on the ground and have reached nearly 8 million people with some form of humanitarian aid since January.

For more information, please contact: Tapiwa Gomo, gomo@un.org; +249 91 217 0418***

(Port Sudan, 2 August 2024) – The humanitarian community in Sudan is appealing for urgent resources and unimpeded humanitarian access following a new report confirming localized famine conditions in North Darfur. On 1 August, the IPC Famine Review Committee, a team of leading independent international food security, nutrition and mortality experts confirmed with reasonable evidence that the ongoing conflict in Sudan has pushed communities in North Darfur State, notably in the Zamzam camp near the state capital Al Fasher, into famine (IPC Phase 5).

“The United Nations and its partners in Sudan take note of these findings, which reflect the gravity of the humanitarian situation on the ground,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. “The people of Sudan have suffered relentlessly since conflict broke out more than 15 months ago. This is a man-made crisis, one which can be resolved if all parties and stakeholders uphold their responsibilities and commitments to the populations in desperate need. The humanitarian community in Sudan has been ringing the alarm about the unfolding hunger catastrophe and the risk of famine while conflict has raged on, causing displacement, disrupting basic services, destroying livelihoods and severely restricting humanitarian access.”

In its report, the FRC analysis concluded that famine conditions are ongoing in Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp in North Darfur as of June and July 2024 and are likely to persist into August through October 2024. The FRC added that it is also plausible that similar conditions are likely affecting other IDP sites in the Al Fasher area in North Darfur, particularly the Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps, saying there is an urgent need to assess these locations.

People are likely experiencing similar conditions in the other 13 areas at risk of famine that were listed in the IPC analysis released in June 2024. The analysis highlighted that Sudan faced the worst levels of acute food insecurity in its history, with more than half of its population – 25.6 million people – in acute hunger. That includes more than 8.5 million people facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4), as well as more than 755,000 people who are in catastrophic conditions (IPC 5) in Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.

“We have been scaling up our response over recent months, but the needs are immense – and there isn’t a moment to waste,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said. “The humanitarian community is pushing ahead on multiple fronts, including urgently moving food, nutrition and health supplies and agricultural inputs to the highest risk areas; ramping up cash assistance to communities in need; and scaling up presence where hunger is most acute,” she added. “But to do this, we need the guns to be silenced to enable humanitarians to reach the people in need. We need an urgent injection of funding for the aid operation as well as safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, including across borders and battle lines.” More than 125 humanitarian organizations are on the ground, having supported nearly 8 million people with some form of humanitarian aid between January and June 2024.

Despite the tremendous need, aid workers continue to face major humanitarian access challenges, including active conflict, insecurity and systematic obstructions such as deliberate denials of access. The ongoing rainy season is further constraining access; Tine crossing – the only cross-border route available for humanitarian movements from Chad into Darfur since the Adre crossing was closed in February 2024 – is largely impassable due to flooding. Movement across conflict lines, to parts of Khartoum, Darfur, Aj Jazirah and Kordofan, has been also severely restricted and in some cases cut off for many months.

As of 1 August, the Sudan humanitarian appeal, seeking $2.7 billion, is just 32 per cent funded. This is leaving major funding gaps, including for local organizations who are on the forefront of response efforts. “To stop a large-scale famine from taking hold, donors must urgently scale up their financial support while using diplomatic means to push for opening up of humanitarian access,” said the Humanitarian Coordinator. “If not, we will see an even more catastrophic situation unfold.”

For more information, please contact: Tapiwa Gomo, gomo@un.org; +249 91 217 0418

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SITUATION OVERVIEW

Half the population of Sudan faces acute hunger as 755,000 face famine-like conditions.

About 25.6 million people – over half of the population of Sudan – face Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between June and September 2024, coinciding with the lean season, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity Snapshot. This is an increase of 45 per cent – up from 17.7 million – since the last IPC update in December 2023. Of these, 8.5 million are experiencing emergency levels of hunger and about 755,000 people on the brink of famine – during the same period in ten states, including Greater Darfur (all five states), South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.

Latest analysis shows that the risk of famine is high in 14 areas in Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan, Al Jazirah states and some hotspots in Khartoum, if the conflict escalates, humanitarian access is restricted, and families are unable to engage in farming and other economic activities. The situation is worsened by the highly dysfunctional healthcare services, water contamination, and poor sanitation and hygiene conditions driving a deadly combination of hunger, malnutrition, and disease.

To address these urgent needs and to stave off famine more funding is required now. To scale up in time, humanitarians need urgent additional resources for the response. Despite the urgency of the situation, the 2024 Sudan Response Plan is just a third-funded by the end of July.

Sudan reaches another grim milestone as 10.6 million people are now internally displaced

An estimated 10.7 million people (2.1 million families) are now internally displaced in Sudan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Mechanism (DTM) reported in its Sudan Mobility Update No 4 on 23 July. The majority of those internally displaced – 55 per cent – are children under the age of 18 years and they have endured more than a year of separation, human rights violations, trauma, violence, and lack of access to basic services. The overall number of internally displaced people includes an estimated 7.9 million people who fled their homes since the start of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023. About 2.1 million people crossed borders into neighbouring countries since 15 April 2023, including to Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR), Ethiopia, Libya, and Uganda. Moreover, 27 per cent of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were initially displaced prior to the onset of conflict were displaced again after 15 April 2023.

The humanitarian situation in Sudan makes the country one of the world’s largest displacement, food security and children’s crisis. Overall, more than 20 per cent of the population in Sudan has fled their home due to the ongoing war, either internally or across borders. The country now hosts approximately 14 per cent of the global IDP caseload, that is approximately 1 in 7 IDPs worldwide are Sudanese, according to IOM DTM. Food is the highest priority among IDP families as over 97 per cent of IDPs across Sudan were hosted in localities with high levels of acute food insecurity or worse (IPC Level 3+). An estimated 89 per cent of displaced families are unable to afford their daily food requirements.

Recent clashes displace 151,000 people in Sennar State

Escalation of conflict in Sennar State displaced about 151,750 people (about 30,350 families) since 24 June, according to the IOM DTM reported on 11 July. The affected people were displaced to other locations in Sennar and to other states in Sudan (Gedaref, Kassala, Blue Nile, White Nile, River Nile and Red Sea), and across the border to South Sudan. Humanitarian partners in Blue Nile, Gedaref and Kassala states report that IDPs from Sennar continue to arrive seeking safety, shelter, and humanitarian assistance. Sennar, Sinja, and Ad Dinder localities were already hosting about 286,000 displaced people before the recent escalation in clashes, the majority of whom had already been displaced from Khartoum or Aj Jazirah. Therefore, people displaced from Sennar may be experiencing secondary or tertiary displacement. The displacement from Sennar is taking place at a time when the state governments in Kassala, Gedaref, and Red Sea are reopening schools and relocating IDPs from classrooms/learning rooms to other school buildings and gathering sites. It is also the start of the rainy season, and poor living and sanitation conditions at IDP sites could lead to disease outbreaks.

MSF withdraws team from hospital in Khartoum

On 10 July, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced it had evacuated its team from the Turkish Hospital, a medical facility in an RSF-controlled area in Khartoum, following a series of violent incidents endangering staff. The situation at the hospital has become untenable, MSF said in a statement, adding that multiple violent incidents had taken place inside and outside the premises over the past 12 months, and the lives of MSF staff had been repeatedly threatened. Most recently, on the nights of 17 and 18 June, dozens of wounded combatants were brought to the Turkish Hospital, and MSF team was aggressively woken up as Kalashnikovs were fired into their bedrooms. MSF condemned the attacks calling this type of violence is unacceptable. They also reiterated that hospitals and health facilities should be protected and respected by the warring parties as sanctuaries for the sick and wounded where health workers can safely deliver medical care. Since the start of the conflict, 73 attacks on health care facilities were recorded by the World Health Organization (WHO) Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA). These attacks resulted in 53 deaths and about 100 injuries.

Worrying spike in gender-based violence

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) raised concerns about the escalation of cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and the decrease in access to healthcare services, especially sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in Sudan. UNFPA reports that 6.7 million people are at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and 3.5 million women and girls of reproductive age need reproductive health care services. Kidnapping, forced marriage, intimate partner violence, conflict-related sexual violence, and harmful practices such as child marriage, continue to be reported, especially in Aj Jazirah State and the Darfur region. Meanwhile, humanitarian access is compromised in conflict zones, impacting medical care, maternal health, and the supply of menstrual hygiene products. With persistent food insecurity among displaced families, particularly female-headed households, widows, adolescent girls, and people with disabilities, the adoption of negative coping mechanisms for survival is on the rise. In a food-insecure environment, the risk of GBV increases, with women and girls often lacking the financial resources to access sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and GBV services, prioritizing food over their health.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that numerous incidents of conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by parties to the conflict, but also resulting from the escalation of inter-communal violence coupled with the collapse of law and order, continue to be reported by women and girls in Sudan and neighbouring countries. Reports of sexual exploitation and abuse and trafficking in person have also increased. However, due to limited access to services as well as fear of retaliation and stigma, under-reporting of GBV incidents remains high. The trend emerging from analysis shows that 56 per cent of GBV incidents reported (by Sudanese refugees or refugee returnees) in Ethiopia and South Sudan occurred prior to displacement or during their flight.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS & RESPONSE

Despite access challenges and funding gaps, 128 humanitarian partners reached more than 7.1 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance between January 2024 and the end of May, according to the latest Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard. Humanitarians are pushing ahead with a full-scale plan to stave off famine – but the window for action is closing. It is critical that donors provide the funds needed to enable humanitarians to urgently get cash to families to buy food during the lean season; scale up their operational presence in areas where hunger is most acute, unhindered by insecurity; move supplies to areas with higher needs. In areas where aid has reached people, the latest IPC analysis has shown that food security for some families will slightly improve during the harvest season (October 2024 – February 2025) due to food availability from local production.

Response to displacement from Sennar State

Humanitarians have scaled up response to address the needs of people displaced from Sennar in Gedaref, Kassala and Blue Nile states. About 43,000 IDPs from Sennar in Blue Nile and Kassala states have received emergency food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP has also pre-positioned more than 2,200 metric tons of supplies to provide immediate food assistance to newly displaced families. In Gedaref, humanitarians report that the most pressing needs include food, emergency shelter, NFIs, emergency latrines and a protection desk. At Al Sug Al Shaabi gathering site, the local charity organizations Hiyad and the Zakat charity are distributing hot meals to the new IDPs arriving from Sennar State. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and a local NGO are providing water assistance, but more aid is required to meet increasing needs. Meanwhile, at the new reception centre at Minah Al Berih, UNICEF has distributed tarpaulins, installed water bladders, and is in the process of setting up latrines and starting child protection activities. Local charity organizations and residents have been distributing hot meals to the displaced people. The State Ministry of Health (SMoH) has been registering the new arrivals and Save the Children (SC) has identified a location for a mobile health clinic.

In Kassala, humanitarians are providing life-saving assistance at the temporary gathering site in Alsinaiya School. IOM is also providing health and referral services through a mobile clinic at the temporary reception centre. UNHCR has established four semi-permanent shelters at the reception centre; distributed clothes and non-food items (NFI) kits to the new arrivals; and supported the communal kitchen with utensils. Six communal shelters have been allocated and WFP has provided two rub halls. WFP is also supporting the kitchen with food items, enough for 15,000 people. UNICEF and the charity organization, Sadagaat, are trucking in water and have rehabilitated the water supply connection, nine latrines, five showers, and are desludging septic tanks. About 90 additional latrines are needed to cope with the influx of displaced people. UNICEF has also established a temporary primary healthcare clinic (PHC) at the reception centre that provides medical consultations, laboratory services, psychosocial support and ambulance services in case of referrals. In addition, youth initiatives set up temporary mobile clinics to deal with the chronic disease. Nutrition services are being provided at an outpatient therapeutic feeding program (OTP) in the reception centre and UNHCR—in collaboration with the national NGO JASMAR—has established a protection help desk at the reception centre.

In Blue Nile, WFP food distributions to newly arrived IDPs from Sinja in Ed Damazine are ongoing. Between 1 and 7 July, WFP and its partners distributed food assistance to about 18,600 displaced people (3,746 households) from Sennar in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris. UNICEF is providing WASH and nutrition services and is distributing dignity kits. WHO is providing health and nutrition services, while ADRA is providing multi-purpose cash assistance and WASH services. UNHCR distributed NFI and dignity kits to about 6,000 IDPs (1,200 families) from Sinja in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris and with the support of its national partner continued providing protection services.

HUMANITARIAN ACCESS

A cross-border mission from Chad to Central Darfur finds thousands stranded

A UN cross-border inter-agency mission to Central Darfur State that started on 10 July returned from the Jebel Marra area to Zalingei and arrived in El Geneina, West Darfur on 21 July. On 22 July, the mission team crossed back into Chad via Tina border in North Darfur, Sudan. The preliminary findings of the mission reveal that there are tens of thousands of IDPs in Nertiti, Golo, Debra Neira, Sabanga and Rokero areas in Central Darfur. The team reports that the displaced families are crowded in sites and camps, sometimes between 70 and 80 people sleeping in one classroom, while others are staying in makeshift shelters or in the open. The IDPs arrived from different areas across the country, including Sennar, Khartoum and all Darfur state capitals. Humanitarian partners are providing assistance, but limited resources are constraining their ability to meet the urgent needs.

Deaths due to malnutrition-related medical complications occur increasingly regularly, according to Toby Harward, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Darfur, who is leading the mission. In recent weeks, UN agencies in Sudan have significantly increased humanitarian assistance crossing from Chad to Sudan. However, aid organisations are now facing new logistical challenges as heavy rains threaten to render the Tine border crossing impassable, with an urgent need for alternative access routes.

Rains cut-off key access routes; displace thousands of people

The onset of the rainy season in various parts of the country started to affect logistics, with many areas cut off due to heavy rains and flooding. In parts of Darfur, humanitarian agencies have had to postpone the distribution of humanitarian assistance until late August due to wadis (dried water streams that turn into rivers) cutting off physical access to affected areas. In Kassala, more than 10,000 people, including thousands of newly arrived IDPs from Sennar, have been directly affected by heavy rains and floods.

HUMANITARIAN FUNDING OVERVIEW

The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requires US$2.7 billion to provide life-saving multi-cluster and protection assistance to 14.7 million people across Sudan. As of 29 July 2024, the appeal is 31.9 per cent funded, with $859.3 million received, according to the Financial Tracking Service.

For the PDF version: Sudan Humanitarian Update, 29 July 2024

(Port Sudan, 29 July 2024) – At least 97 civilians have been reportedly killed or injured in an attack at a hospital, residential areas and a livestock market in Al Fasher City in North Darfur State on 27 July, according to local authorities.

“I am deeply saddened by these horrific attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, apartments and markets. Civilian infrastructures should never be a target and are protected under the international humanitarian law,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan. “The United Nations in Sudan strongly condemns these indiscriminate attacks and extends our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.”

The incident in Al Fasher caught many civilians by surprise as the town had experienced relative calm for about two weeks, enabling markets to reopen and many families to resume their livelihoods. Resumption of livelihoods and other economic activities, unimpeded humanitarian access, and upscaling of humanitarian funding are critical for Sudan to avert the looming threat of famine.

The country faces the worst levels of acute food insecurity in its history, with more than half of its population - 25.6 million people - in acute hunger. More than 8.5 million people face emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4), while more than 755,000 people are in catastrophic conditions (IPC 5) in Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.

More than 18,800 people have been killed and over 33,000 injured since the conflict broke out in April 2023, according to humanitarian partners. Over 10 million people have fled their homes, and this includes more than 5 million children - and over 2 million people who have crossed into neighbouring countries.

“At this moment when partners are racing against time and are doing everything they can to stave off a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe, I call on parties to stop the fight and to do everything possible to protect civilians, allow them free movement and to go about their daily lives,” said Nkweta-Salami.

Despite limited funding and a challenging operating environment, humanitarian partners are on the ground and have reached over 7.1 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance between January and May. But this is not enough, “I am urging donors to urgently step up to disburse their commitments and identify new funding if humanitarians are to stand a chance at preventing a large-scale famine from taking hold,” added Nkweta-Salami More than halfway through the year, the Sudan humanitarian appeal, which is seeking $2.7 billion, is just 32 percent funded.

For more information, please contact: Tapiwa Gomo, gomo@un.org; +249 91 217 0418

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New data reveals that over 750,000 people are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity with 25.6 million people in crisis levels of hunger

ROME/NEW YORK – Alarming new food security projections for Sudan published today show that Sudan is facing a devastating hunger catastrophe on a scale not seen since the Darfur crisis in the early 2000s, warn the heads of three United Nations agencies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have been warning of rapid deterioration in conditions for the people of Sudan, particularly children, as food security is torn apart by war that has ravaged the country for more than a year. Collectively the agencies have mobilised a large-scale humanitarian response inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries where more than 2 million refugees have sought safety.

An immediate ceasefire and renewed international efforts – both diplomatic and financial – as well as unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, are urgently needed to enable the humanitarian response to be further expanded and to allow the agencies to deliver at the speed needed.

The rapid deterioration in food security in Sudan has left 755,000 people in catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5) with a risk of famine in 14 areas, according to the latest Snapshot data released by the Integrated Phase Classification. The worst conditions are in the areas hardest hit by fighting and where people displaced by the conflict have gathered. A total of 25.6 million people are in the high levels of acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+). This means that for half of Sudan’s war-battered population, every single day is a struggle to feed themselves and their families.

This is the first time that catastrophic (IPC Phase 5) conditions have ever been confirmed in Sudan since the IPC’s inception in 2004. Unlike the Darfur crisis of twenty years ago, the present crisis spans the whole country, with catastrophic levels of hunger even reaching the capital Khartoum and Gezira State, once Sudan’s breadbasket.

This new data shows also a stark deterioration for Sudan’s population from the last projection, released in December 2023, that showed 17.7 million people facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+). This included nearly 5 million people in emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4). Today, 8.5 million people are projected to be in emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4).

“The new IPC analysis revealed a deepening and rapid deterioration of the food security situation in Sudan with millions of people’s lives at risk,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “We are now delivering life-saving seeds for the main planting season. The clock is ticking for Sudan’s farmers. FAO urgently requires USD 60 million to meet unfunded parts of its Famine Prevention Plan to ensure that people – especially those in inaccessible areas – are able to produce food locally and avert food shortages in the next six months. We must act collectively, at scale, with unimpeded access, for the sake of millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance”.

“WFP’s team in Sudan is working day and night in perilous conditions to deliver lifesaving assistance, yet these numbers confirm that time is fast running out to prevent famine. For each person we have reached this year, another eight desperately need help,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “We urgently need a massive expansion of humanitarian access and funding so we can scale-up our relief operations, and halt Sudan’s slide into a humanitarian catastrophe that is threatening to destabilize the wider region.”

“The latest snapshot illustrates the devastating impact the conflict in Sudan is having on the country's children," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Hunger and malnutrition are spreading at alarming rates, and without concerted international action and funding, there is a very real danger the situation will spiral out of all control. There is no time to lose. Any delay in unfettered access to vulnerable populations will be measured in the loss of children's lives."

FAO, UNICEF and WFP are leading multi-sectoral famine prevention efforts reaching people across Sudan

WFP has reached over 3 million displaced and vulnerable people in Sudan so far this year and is ramping up assistance to reach an additional 5 million people by year end. WFP is urgently working to expand access and open new humanitarian corridors – from neighbouring countries and across frontlines. WFP has this year delivered food and nutrition supplies for around half a million people in the Darfur region via convoys crossing from Chad – and more convoys carrying food and nutrition supplies for around 250,000 people are planned in the coming weeks. WFP is also pre-positioning assistance at key crossings and supply routes as the rainy season starts when many roads in Darfur and other regions across the Sudan become impassable.

After reaching 3.8 million people in the first half of the year through winter seed distributions and vaccination, FAO is now preparing to support more than 1.8 million farming and pastoral households in Sudan, equivalent to 9 million people, to resume livelihood activities and produce food locally. FAO has purchased almost 8,000 tons of cereal seeds (sorghum and millet) and will reach over 870,000 farming households across Sudan, including in Darfur and Kordofan, where food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels. FAO's experience shows that even in conflict settings, when farmers can access land and inputs, they will produce food.

Since the conflict started in April 2023, UNICEF has reached close to 5.5 million children with nutritional screening and more than 322,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with lifesaving treatment. UNICEF is scaling up multi-sectoral response alongside humanitarian partners to prevent more child deaths, reaching over 5 million people with access to safe water, and vaccinating over half a million children against measles in the first five months of this year. UNICEF is also getting children back into learning, providing cash to over 350,000 pregnant and lactating women and their families, and making all efforts to protect children from violence, separation, and trauma.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 136,000 people flee Sennar as conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces spreads across the state.

• Conflict in Sinja has significantly exacerbated civilian suffering and increased violations of international humanitarian law.

• Civilians are now facing multiple protection risks and have reported widespread looting of their homes and personal possessions.

• People fleeing Sinja Town have arrived in Gedaref, Blue Nile, and Kassala states.

• Humanitarian partners in states receiving displaced people from Sennar State are scaling up response to meet their needs.

• OCHA and cluster leads in Blue Nile plan to conduct an inter-agency assessment of IDPs from Sinja in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris localities.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue in Sinja Town, Sinja locality and have spread to Sennar Town, Sennar locality.

Since 24 June 2024, an estimated 136,000 people have been displaced from various locations across Sennar State following armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reports the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM). Sennar, Sinja, and Ad Dinder localities were already hosting about 286,000 displaced people before the recent escalation in clashes, the majority of whom had already been displaced from Khartoum or Aj Jazirah. Therefore, people displaced from Sennar may be experiencing secondary or tertiary displacement.

On 2 July 2024, clashes were reported in Sinja Town, Sinja locality; in Ad Dinder Town, Ad Dinder locality; and in Sennar Town, Sennar locality. IOM field teams report increased displacement from these towns, as well as from the neighbouring localities of Abu Hujar and As Suki due to security concerns. People from Sennar, Sinja, Ad Dinder, and As Suki localities have taken refuge in Ar Rahad and Madeinat Al Gedaref localities in Gedaref State; as well as to Kassala, Red Sea, and River Nile states. Some people from Sinja and Abu Hujar localities fled to Ed Damazine locality in Blue Nile State, while others took refuge in Aj Jabalain locality in White Nile State.

Additionally, IOM DTM received preliminary information that on 2 July, an unconfirmed number of families were displaced from locations across Al Mafaza, Ar Rahad, and Galabat Ash-Shargiah localities in Gedaref State, reportedly due to increased security concerns about the situation in Sennar State. The affected families were reportedly displaced to locations within Madeinat Al Gedaref locality.

The displacement from Sennar is taking place at a time when the state governments in Kassala, Gedaref, and Red Sea are reopening schools and relocating internally displaced persons (IDPs) from schools to other school buildings and gathering sites. It is also the start of the rainy season, and poor living and sanitation conditions at IDP sites could lead to disease outbreaks.

OCHA is coordinating the response with state authorities, state HAC, and humanitarian partners through daily meetings, mapping of stocks, documenting the response and identifying gaps.

Protection concerns: The conflict in Sinja has significantly exacerbated civilian suffering and increased violations of international humanitarian law. Civilians are now facing multiple protection risks and have reported widespread looting of their homes, cars, and personal belongings, reportedly by RSF, amidst the escalating conflict. In addition, shops and local markets have also been looted, leaving civilians without access to essential resources and heightened insecurity.

According to local reports, the Sinja Teaching Hospital has been occupied by RSF and patients and staff are allegedly being used as human shields. Loss of access to the hospital has critically hampered medical services and has put civilians—particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly—at increased risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse. Humanitarian partners have received reports of dozens of unaccompanied children in the streets and missing children.

Situation in Gedaref State

About 26,000 people (5,000 families), including 6,800 children, have reportedly arrived in Gedaref from Sennar, according to Hiyad—a national local charity organization working in Gedaref. The OCHA team in Gedaref reports thousands of people are arriving in the state and are gathering at Al Sug Al Shaabi (market). The displaced people are arriving with few possessions and are in urgent need of food, water, and shelter. There are no sanitation facilities in the area. Rains on 3 July forced the IDP women and children to huddle under trucks to get out of the rain. This is the first wave of displacement of people who were able to pay for transportation or have private vehicles. The second wave of displacement is expected to include people initially displaced from Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, Darfur and Kordofan to Sennar who have few resources and need time to arrange transportation costs.

On the night of 3 July, the relocation process of displaced people from Al Suq Al Shabi to a new reception centre at Minah Al Berih, at the entrance of Gedaref State, has started. Displaced people arriving in Gedaref are now being directed straight to the Minah Al Berih reception centre. The state government in Gedaref has identified other reception centres across the state including Qariat Hanaan village—a village close to Tunaydba refugee camp—in Al Mafaza locality and Al Huri in Al Galabat Al Gharbyah locality. The location of a third site has yet to be determined. Overall, the priority needs of IDPs in Gedaref are shelter, food, NFIs, WASH and health services.

Response: At the gathering site (Al Sug Al Shaabi), Hiyad and the Zakat charity have distributed 6,000 ready meals to 2,600 families over the past couple of days. The UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) and a local NGO are providing water assistance, but more assistance is required to meet increasing needs.

At the new reception centre at Minah Al Berih, UNICEF has distributed tarpaulins, installed water bladders, and is in the process of setting up latrines and starting child protection activities. Local charity organizations and residents have been distributing hot meals to the displaced people. The State Ministry of Health (SMoH) has been registering the new arrivals and Save the Children (SC) has identified a location for a mobile health clinic.

Planned response in Gedaref State: Humanitarian organizations in Gedaref will provide shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food and nutrition assistance and have enough supplies to assist about 100,000 people. The government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in Gedaref will activate volunteer and youth groups trained by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to register IDPs in four localities in the state. The international NGO Solidarités International (SI) will provide tarpaulins, plastic mats, emergency shelter toolkits, and kitchen sets. In addition, SI will provide sanitation and water supplies. IOM will provide non-food item (NFI) kits for 18,000 people. WFP currently possesses food stock and nutrition supplies (plumpy doz) to meet the needs of 50,000 IDPs and will bring in more stocks as needed. The SMoH has put together medical personnel, doctors, and nurses on standby to provide medical consultations and treatment. UNICEF is working with the SMoH to conduct amid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening and will provide nutritional supplies. UNICEF will also provide WASH supplies including water storage bladders; jerry cans for 400 families; chlorine for the chlorination of water; latrine slabs; and latrine tarpaulin sheets. Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) will provide WASH supplies including tents; soap; hygiene kits latrine cleaning kits; and multi-purpose cash for 3,600 people. CARE will also provide WASH supplies including plastic slabs; plastic sheets; and WASH kits. NRC, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Save the Children Fund (SCF) plan to conduct a one-day assessment before providing multi-purpose cash assistance. UNHCR and its partners will ensure that IDPs have access to available protection services, including the emergency referral pathway with Child Protection (CP) and Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR); identify persons with specific needs; map protection desks; provide displaced people access to Psychological First Aid (PFA); coordinate raising-awareness sessions on protection issues; support protection monitoring; and strengthen community structures.

Situation in Kassala State

Humanitarian partners in Kassala will support IDPs living in the reception centre as well as new IDPs arriving in the state. The state government has identified a new temporary reception centre (Alsinaiya School) for hosting new IDPs from Sennar State. After few days in the temporary centre, the displaced people will be taken to the new Alkarama gathering site, where partners will provide assistance. IDPs taking refuge in school buildings will also be moved to Alkarama gathering site.

On 3 July, humanitarian partners visited the reception centre where about 1,000 displaced people (200 families) had arrived from Sennar state. It is estimated that between 300 to 500 people (60 to 100 families) are arriving daily. An unknown number of displaced people have arrived in Kassala and are being hosted by friends or relatives.

Response at the temporary gathering site (Alsinaiya School): IOM is providing health and referral services through a mobile clinic at the temporary reception centre in Alsinaiya School. A local youth initiative is managing a common kitchen that is providing hot meals to the new arrivals. The World Food Programme (WFP) is supporting the kitchen with food items, enough for 15,000 people. UNICEF and the charity organization Sadagaat, are trucking in water and have rehabilitated the water supply connection, nine latrines, five showers, and are desludging septic tanks at the reception centre. About 90 additional latrines are needed to cope with the influx of displaced people. UNICEF has also established a temporary primary healthcare clinic at the reception centre that provides medical consultations, laboratory services, psychosocial support and ambulance services in case of referrals.

Planned response in Kassala State: Clusters will provide a coordinated life-saving response (ready meals, water, protection, psychosocial support and referrals as required etc.) for displaced people arriving at the temporary reception centre at Alsinaiya School and will also support assistance at Alkrama gathering site.

At the temporary reception centre (Alsinaiya School) classrooms are already occupied by previously displaced people and the newly displaced people from Sennar are sitting under trees out in the open. WFP will provide two rub-halls—equipped with lights, mattresses, fans and a generator—one for women and children and one for men. WFP has also dispatched nutrition supplies to Alsinaiya and Al Haj Musa School reception sites. The supplies are enough to cover the needs of 2,000 children and pregnant and nursing women. The Protection Cluster recommended setting up a protection desk to work with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) registration team and provide protection services as needed. The Nutrition Cluster will carry out a MUAC screening targeting new IDP arrivals.

At Alkarama gathering site, the international NGO Welthungerhilfe (WHH)—in coordination with UNICEF—will address water needs and has committed to providing a minimum of 100 latrines. UNHCR will support two schools near the gathering site to provide access to education services for the IDP children. UNHCR, IOM and WHH will provide emergency shelter and NFI support. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has allocated funds to the SMoH for a mobile clinic that would also provide psychosocial support and support for pregnant women.

Situation in Blue Nile State

Since 29 June 2024, Blue Nile State has been experiencing an influx of IDPs from Sinja and surrounding villages, with more IDPs reportedly on their way to the state, according to reports from protection partners. While Blue Nile remains safe, the primary risk for the new IDPs is the lack of humanitarian assistance.

HAC in Blue Nile State estimated that over 30,000 displaced people have arrived in the state; however, this is yet to be verified. Most of the IDPs are being hosted in school buildings that already host IDPs, and new school buildings have been opened to accommodate the new arrivals. IOM DTM estimates that 5,000 people from Sinja have arrived in Ed Damazine, many on trucks and tractors. The influx of displaced people to Ed Damazine continues.

Response: WFP food distributions to newly arrived IDPs from Sinja in Ed Damazine are ongoing. UNICEF is providing WASH and nutrition services and is distributing dignity kits. WHO is providing health and nutrition services, while ADRA is providing Multi-Purpose Cash assistance and WASH services.

Planned response: Humanitarian partners in Blue Nile are focused on scaling up emergency response to support the new IDPs arriving in the state. According to Protection partners, the conflict has negatively impacted the supply chain, as key roads are no longer accessible due to the insecurity. A rapid inter-agency assessment is planned to identify the needs of the new arrivals who have taken refuge in school buildings in Ed Damazine and Ar Rusayris towns. HAC has also identified a location for a new site to host the IDPs.

***

For previous versions and PDF:

• Sudan: Conflict in Sinja, Sennar State - Flash Update No. 02 (as of 4 July 2024)

• Sudan: Conflict in Sinja, Sennar State - Flash Update No. 01 (As of 1 July 2024)

Situation Overview

Sudan continues to spiral into chaos, with the humanitarian crisis worsening and the horrific toll of the conflict having on civilians in Al Fasher and other conflict hotspots across the country, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on 18 June in her briefing to the UN Security Council on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths. Fourteen months of conflict have created a nightmare for civilians in Sudan – with the people of Al Fasher at the epicentre today, as just mentioned by ASG [Martha] Pobee. The lives of 800,000 people – of women, children, men, the elderly and people with disabilities – are hanging in the balance as bombing and shelling continue in densely populated areas, causing widespread and long-term harm to civilians and severely disrupting the essential services they very much depend on.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in various locations in Al Fasher locality, North Darfur State has escalated since 1 April 2024 and by 31 May 2024, close to 130,000 people (about 26,000 households) were displaced due to the clashes, the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Sudan has reported. In addition, between 1 and 23 June 2024, at least an additional 12,900 people were displaced from Al Fasher locality due to the ongoing clashes between the SAF and RSF, according to the IOM DTM updates. This brings the estimated total number of people displaced from Al Fasher locality over the past almost three months to close to 143,000 people, however, it is yet to be confirmed and verified.

During May 2024, DTM reported nine incidents of clashes across northern, eastern, and south-eastern neighbourhoods of Al Fasher town, which reportedly displaced 89,210 persons (17,842 households). There were also several reports of deaths and injuries among civilians. In addition, field teams indicated that an estimated 400 individuals (80 households) fled from Bruboja and Shata villages of Al Fasher locality on 16 May 2024, reportedly due to increased security concerns related to the clashes in Al Fasher Town. Affected households were displaced to other locations within Al Fasher locality. During April 2024, DTM field teams reported four incidents of conflict across Al Fasher locality that displaced an estimated 40,600 people (8,123 families). Of these displaced people, an estimated 38,200 people (7,633 families) were displaced due to intercommunal conflicts that took place across eight villages between 2 and 13 April 2024.

The clashes in Al Fasher town primarily triggered displacement from northern, eastern, and south-eastern neighbourhoods to other areas of Al Fasher locality. About 13,900 people (2,778 families) were reportedly displaced to a number of locations in Dar As Salam locality, North Darfur between 17 and 31 May 2024. Other affected households were reportedly displaced to Kelemando, Tawila, Kebkabiya, Al Lait, Saraf Omra, Um Kadadah, and Melit localities (North Darfur); Wasat Jabal Marrah and Shamal Jabal Marrah localities (Central Darfur); and Shia'ria and Ad Du'ayn localities (East Darfur).

On 13 June, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the RSF to halt their siege on Al Fasher and expressing deep concern over the outbreak of fighting in the city, and the risk of further escalation. The resolution further demanded that the rival militaries ensure the protection of civilians, which includes allowing people to move within and out of Al Fasher if they want to. The warring sides were also requested to “allow and facilitate the rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, including by removing bureaucratic and other impediments”. The resolution also requested that the UN Secretary-General make further recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan, and encouraged coordinated engagement by his Personal Envoy for the country, Ramtane Lamamra; the African Union, the League of Arab States and other regional actors, aimed at advancing peace.

On 22 June, nine days after the UN Security Council resolution, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – one of the few international NGOs in Al Fasher – warned that hospitals continue to be attacked, and that no outside help can reach the city due to the intensity of the violence. On the night of Friday 21 June, RSF shelling hit the pharmacy of the MSF-supported Saudi hospital in Al Fasher. A pharmacist was killed while on her shift, and the pharmacy building was damaged. Although the hospital remains open and is still treating patients today, it has been damaged and is only partially functional. More supplies are urgently needed to continue to treat the wounded, and a further attack is feared due to the continued fighting close by. Over the past six weeks, more than 260 people have been killed and over 1,630 wounded in Al Fasher (including women and children), according to Michel-Olivier Lacharité, head of MSF’s emergency operations. The protection of civilians is an imperative that must be respected, they are trapped and cannot leave, their lives must be protected and they must be able to receive treatment if they need it, Lacharite said.

Highest number of IDPs in the world - IOM

The conflict that started in April 2023 and previous conflicts in parts of Sudan since 2003 have contributed to Sudan now having the largest internally displaced population in the world – almost 11.1 million people – or one in every five people in the country, according to the IOM DTM Sudan Mobility Update (02) released on11 June 2024. ACLED has recorded 16,650 reported fatalities in Sudan between 15 April 2023 and 10 May 2024. Compared to the previous four weeks, there has been a 30 per cent increase in violence against civilians, with 160 cases recorded. Most of these incidents are being perpetrated by the RSF in Aj Jazirah and North Darfur states, reports ACLED.

An estimated 7.3 million people have been displaced since mid-April 2023 (including those who experienced secondary displacement or were displaced again). This figure of 7.3 million includes about 988,000 IDPs who were initially displaced before 15 April 2023 and experienced secondary or tertiary displacement since 15 April 2023. The figure reported for IDPs displaced prior to 15 April 2023 (2.8 million) does not include those who were displaced again since 15 April 2023 to avoid double counting.

While civilian displacement before 15 April 2023 was primarily concentrated within Darfur and Kordofan states, afterwards it was more widespread. More than 13 months after the start of the conflict, IDPs were reportedly displaced from 12 different states and were living in displacement across all of Sudan’s 18 states. Khartoum remained the top state of origin for IDPs: as of 11 June 2024, an estimated 36 per cent of all IDPs in Sudan (3.7 million people) reportedly originated from Khartoum. This is a stark difference compared to the 2003-2023 period when the majority of IDPs originated from rural areas and were mainly sheltering in IDP camps or camp-like situations.

When looking at the geographic distribution of all IDPs – both pre and post-April 2023 – about half of them (5 million) are located in Darfur, 1.6 million are in Aj Jazirah, Khartoum, Sennar and White Nile states, about 0.9 million are in the Greater Kordofan region, another 1 million are in the eastern states of Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea, and 1.1 million are in Northern and River Nile states.

The top states of origin are Khartoum (36 per cent), South Darfur (21 per cent), and North Darfur (12 per cent). IDPs were reportedly displaced to 8,238 different locations in 183 localities across all 18 states. The states hosting the most IDPs were South Darfur (18 per cent), North Darfur (13 per cent) and Central Darfur (9 per cent).

Over a third (36 per cent) of all IDPs originated from Khartoum. Displaced people from Khartoum were displaced across all 18 states, including River Nile (19 per cent), White Nile (14 per cent), and Northern (10 per cent). Notably, 97 per cent of IDPs in River Nile were reportedly displaced from Khartoum. In contrast, IDPs from Darfur and Kordofan states were primarily displaced within these same states, across the western regions of Sudan.

In addition, about 2.1 million people reportedly fled Sudan and crossed borders since 15 April 2023, according to IOM DTM. UNHCR reports that almost 1.9 million of them crossed into Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Humanitarian Needs & Response

Despite access challenges and funding gaps, between 1 January and 30 April 2024, 125 humanitarian partners operating across Sudan under the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) provided more than 5.2 million people with multi-cluster humanitarian assistance, according to the April 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Response Dashboard. This includes 3.9 million people who were reached with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services; 2.6 million people who received emergency food assistance; 1.1 million people who received medicines and access to healthcare services; and close to 0.5 million refugees who were provided with different types of assistance and services. About 280,000 people received emergency shelter and non-food relief supplies and another 277,000 children were reached child protection services. Moreover, about 101,000 children and mothers received nutrition supplies and treatment.

The 5.2 million people reached is equivalent to 35 per cent of the 14.7 million people that HNRP partners are aiming to reach with assistance throughout 2024. This figure highlights a significant achievement given that the HNRP 2024 for Sudan has been only 15 per cent funded. Despite a serious lack of funding, the refugee multi-cluster partners – 1 per cent funded – reached almost 0.5 million people or about half of the target number for the year (mainly thanks to the carry-over from 2023). Similarly, WASH partners reached the highest number of people with assistance per any given cluster – 3.9 million people – despite extremely low funding (5 per cent of the required amount), according to the Dashboard.

Of the 5.2 million people assisted, 2.1 million are IDPs, 2.9 million are host communities, and 100,000 people are others. This indicates that of the estimated 7.3 million people displaced since 15 April 2023, humanitarian partners have managed to access and assist only about 30 per cent of them mainly due to access constraints as a result of lack of security guarantees by the parties to the conflict, bureaucratic impediments and other challenges.

Humanitarian Access

Entry Visa approvals

In May 2024, an improvement was observed in the approval of entry visas for humanitarian personnel. Of the 120 entry visa applications submitted for approval, 100 visas, including 79 for international NGOs and 21 for the UN were approved. In addition, two visa applications submitted before May 2024 had been approved. During the reporting period, 22 visas from INGOs (7) and UN (15) are pending approval. Compared to April 2024, the rate of visa approvals increased from 45 per cent to 83 per cent in May 2024. In April 2024, 17 per cent of international NGO entry visa applications were approved, compared to 92 per cent in May. Meanwhile, the rate of approvals for UN personnel entry visas decreased from 75 per cent in April to 62 per cent in May 2024. Since April 2023, 279 entry visas have been approved and one was rejected out of 330 entry visa applications made by humanitarian organizations reporting through the access tracking system.

The ability of humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to most vulnerable communities in Kordofan, Darfur and Khartoum is severely constrained by bureaucratic and administrative impediments, active armed conflict and lack of commitment from parties to the conflict to ensure security and safety for humanitarian operations. In May 2024, close to 1.2 million people did not receive humanitarian assistance in Kordofan (301,835), Darfur (608,516), Khartoum (100,004), and Aj Jazirah (98,000) states, mainly due to the denial of travel permits, denial of border crossing movements through Tina (North Darfur), insecurity, and/or impediments by parties to the conflict. Since the beginning of April 2024, close to 1.7 million people across the country, including in Darfur (1 million), Khartoum (160,000), Kordofan (492,000), and Aj Jazirah (98,000) states, did not receive humanitarian assistance, according to the relief items movement plan submitted in the Humanitarian Information Sharing (HISM) mechanism.

Travel permit approvals

Since the beginning of March, multiple travel permit requests for the planned movement of over 125 trucks to hard-to-reach areas have been pending approval for over 90 days. This includes travel permit requests to South, Central, North and East Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum states. The humanitarian community is engaging with the Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) to avoid more delays in approvals. The Government of Sudan expressed commitment to approve all travel permits, including to areas controlled by other armed forces. OCHA and humanitarian organizations are monitoring the rate of travel permit approval in collaboration with the humanitarian community in Sudan.

Emerging bureaucratic and administrative impediments

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Abdul Wahid announced bureaucratic and administrative procedures, including the registration of humanitarian organizations to operate in Sudan (presumably in Port Sudan) and in Jebel Marah; travel permit approvals; registration fees; mandatory participation of SLA in the recruitment of personnel; and technical agreement requirements. In addition to SLA, the Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations (SARHO)—established by the RSF on 13 August 2023 to facilitate humanitarian assistance in areas under their control—started to implement bureaucratic and administrative impediments (BAI), such as registration of humanitarian organizations and mandatory travel permit approval for the movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies in the West, South, Central and East Darfur states. The increasing trend of BAI by armed forces is impacting planned humanitarian operations and could trigger similar bureaucratic procedures from other armed forces in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Humanitarian FUNDING overview

The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requires $2.7 billion to provide life-saving multi-cluster and protection assistance to 14.7 million people across Sudan. As of 24 June 2024, the appeal is 16.6 per cent funded, with $447.4 million received, according to the Financial Tracking Service.

***

For the PDF version: Sudan Humanitarian Overview, 24 June 2024

(Port Sudan, 23 June 2024) – Another day of violence in Sudan brings another human tragedy in Darfur’s Al Fasher.

This time, the person who won’t be going home to their family was a pharmacist.

Died when an explosive artillery hit the corner of the hospital where she worked.

Killed on the job, prescribing and administering medicine to women, men, and children in a place that should have been safe.

The silencing of the guns is long overdue.

From bullets or bombs, starvation or disease, each soul lost to this senseless war takes Sudan another inexorable step away from what we all want. Peace.

****

Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Remarks on behalf of Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths

--

New York, 18 June 2024

As delivered

Mr. President [Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, Mr. HWANG Joon-Kook],

In less than four months, this is the sixth time we have briefed this Council on the humanitarian emergency in Sudan. The 12th time since the conflict broke out in April 2023.

Each time, we have warned about the relentless deterioration of conditions for people in most parts of the country.

Today, I regret to inform you that Sudan continues to spiral into chaos.

I will touch on four points: (1) the horrific toll of the conflict on civilians in El Fasher and other conflict hotspots across the country; (2) the worsening humanitarian crisis; (3) the current status of humanitarian access and funding for the aid operation; and lastly the desperate need to stop the fighting.

Mr. President, Distinguished members of the Council,

Fourteen months of conflict have created a nightmare for civilians in Sudan – with the people of El Fasher at the epicentre today, as just mentioned by ASG [Martha] Pobee.

Amid unrelenting violence and suffering, the lives of 800,000 people – of women, children, men, the elderly and people with disabilities – these lives hang in the balance.

Bombing and shelling continue in densely populated areas, causing widespread and long-term harm to civilians and severely disrupting the essential services they very much depend on. Many Member States noted the devastating effects of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas during this Council’s annual debate on the protection of civilians just four weeks ago.

According to Médecins Sans Frontières, more than 1,300 people have been injured between 25 May and 6 June in El Fasher.

Those who can flee the city have done so. At least 130,000 people have been displaced since 1st April, mainly south to other parts of Darfur and west into Chad – where resources and basic services are already extremely stretched and, in some contexts, non-existent.

ASG Pobee also noted the deplorable assault on the Southern Hospital on 8th June, which forced patients and staff to flee for their lives. The hospital was looted and no longer functioning. Its closure will profoundly impact people’s access to life- saving medical care. Our colleagues from the World Health Organization note that the Southern Hospital was the only facility with surgical capacity in El Fasher. The other health facilities in the city that are still functional are now stretched beyond capacity.

This is a recent example of the destruction of health care in Sudan, where over 80 per cent of hospitals and clinics are now not functioning in some of the worst affected areas.

Mr. President, Distinguished members of the Council,

What we are witnessing in El Fasher is the result of unrestrained and indiscriminate violence with little regard for the tremendous misery and suffering caused.

Without decisive action now, we risk seeing a repeat of the well-documented atrocities perpetrated in Ag Geneina between late April and early November last year.

Over the past six weeks, we have repeatedly called for civilians to be protected and for this ferocious violence to stop. This Council did the same last week Thursday in Security Council Resolution 2736.

These calls must not be ignored.

We urge this Council to do everything possible – and to use all means at its disposal – to push for the implementation of the resolution and to stop this lethal tragedy from unfolding further.

Mr. President,

Sadly, the violence in El Fasher is just the tip of the iceberg.

Four hundred and thirty days [430] days into this conflict, the level of human suffering in Sudan is intolerable.

You have seen the statements by the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the attack by the Rapid Support Forces in Wad Al-Noura village, in Aj Jazirah State, on 5th June. This horrific attack killed more than 100 people – among them dozens of children – as highlighted by ASG Pobee.

Indiscriminate bombing continues to blight the daily lives of millions of people in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Aj Jazirah states, killing, injuring, maiming civilians, and damaging much of the remaining infrastructure.

Conflict-related sexual violence remains rampant. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has received reports of women and girls being raped and subjected to other forms of gender-based violence as they leave their homes in search of a basic commodity: food. According to reports from local women-led organizations, suicide rates among survivors are rising and access to gender-based violence services is shrinking.

According to the Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict, grave violations against children in Sudan have increased by a staggering 480 per cent – from around 300 violations in 2022 to over 1,700 in 2023.

Humanitarian workers are not being spared from the violence. Six aid workers, all Sudanese nationals, have been killed over the last six weeks. This brings the total number of aid workers killed to 24 since the war started.

These horrific trends of violence must stop.

International humanitarian law demands that parties take all feasible precautions to protect civilians during hostilities. It also strictly prohibits sexual violence and any inhuman treatment.

This is not optional.

And ultimately, those who violate the rules of war must be held to account. Mr. President,

In addition to the direct toll on civilians, the conflict is also deepening humanitarian needs across the country.

Famine is imminent.

Almost 5 million people face emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC level 4 in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification). Nine in ten of these people are in conflict-affected areas in Darfur, Kordofan, Aj Jazirah and Khartoum states.

Over 2 million people in 41 hunger hotspots are at high risk of slipping into catastrophic hunger in the coming weeks.

Women report having to watch their children starve because they cannot feed them.

Basic services are collapsing in conflict-affected areas – including healthcare, and water and sanitation systems.

Pregnant women are at heightened risk of acute malnutrition. According to UN Women, 7,000 new mothers could die in the next few months if they don’t get access to food and healthcare.

Across Sudan, women are dying because of complications during pregnancy or childbirth.

If farmers do not immediately receive the certified seeds they need for the planting season, the food security situation will worsen further.

As we have warned this Council before, the countdown is real. We have just a few weeks to deliver lifesaving supplies before the rainy season starts and [road] conditions significantly worsen. Those of us who have lived in Darfur understand that the wadis become rivers and access is simply impossible.

Mr. President,

Despite some recent improvements, humanitarian operations in Sudan continue to face serious challenges.

In conflict hotspots, insecurity, lootings, and sustained access obstructions paralyzed aid operations during the first four months of the year.

We do acknowledge and appreciate measures by the Sudanese authorities over the past six weeks to facilitate humanitarian operations.

Allow me to share some statistics.

In May, 78 per cent – 120 out of 153 – visa applications were approved for short- term stays.

Since 1st of April, 98 per cent – 472 out of 481 – travel permits submitted by UN agencies have been approved.

And since May 1, the humanitarian community has moved 147 trucks cross-border and crossline, carrying 4,900 metric tons of assistance for almost 670,000 people.

We welcome these movements.

If we are to avert massive loss of life, the facilitation we have seen over the past month and a half needs to be sustained and expanded.

We need to significantly scale up movements in the weeks ahead. In the second half of June and July, we plan to move more than 600 trucks cross-border or crossline, carrying 18,800 metric tons of supplies to support more than 1 million people.

The humanitarian community is also expanding its operational footprint across the country.

We need continued rapid clearances through Tine crossing and the continued permission to move supplies directly to their final destinations.

Further progress is also needed on the issuance of long-term visas and in opening Aweil and Panakuach border crossings for humanitarian movements from South Sudan.

Given the severity of the humanitarian situation and the urgency of humanitarian needs, we must be able to use the safest, most direct routes. This is especially important as we approach the rainy season, as I highlighted earlier, when some routes – including through Tine – will become far less accessible or even impassable.

In this vein, we welcome the call for the reopening of the Adre border crossing in Security Council Resolution 2736.

Distinguished Council members, Mr. President,

Six months into the year, the humanitarian appeal is woefully underfunded.

We have received $441 million in contributions – unfortunately only 16 per cent of our total $2.7 billion requirement.

In this context, I must recognize the announcement by the United States last week to provide an additional $315 million for the humanitarian response in Sudan and neighbouring countries. Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates announced the allocation of $70 million of its $100 million pledge in Paris to [UN] humanitarian agencies.

We are in a race against time to avert massive loss of life in this unprecedented protection and food security crisis in Sudan.

Every day that we wait for funding to come, more lives are at risk. Mr. President,

As you have heard in my statement today – and in our 11 other statements over the past 14 months – we have three asks.

To protect civilians and the infrastructure they need for survival; to ensure unimpeded, sustained and expanded humanitarian access to people in need; and increased funding for the aid operation.

But let me be clear. The ultimate ask is for this horrific conflict to stop.

This was the main demand from the women, the men and the children I met in Port Sudan six weeks ago. They want their lives back.

I once again urge the Security Council, and all Member States, to do everything in their power to bring this war, and its untold suffering, to an end.

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) results for Sudan delivered in late 2023 depicted a dire picture of increasing food insecurity and malnutrition across Sudan, particularly in areas hit by conflict and access constraints. Those concerns have been confirmed in various reports since the release of the December 2023 IPC, including the FAO Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM), which reported significant decreases in cereal production compared to 2022, the WFP Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (CFSVA) and the release by FEWSNet of its Food Security Outlook from March - September 2024 that includes a famine warning for some areas of the country hardest hit by conflict. Given the current conflict dynamics, the situation is expected to worsen in the coming months, which would potentially lead to a more formal “famine likely” warning based on expedited IPC results.

On 29 March 2024, an IPC alert for Sudan was released outlining the dramatic situation of food insecurity in country: “This [alert] has been developed based on the review of the latest evidence available and issued to express major concern regarding the deteriorating situation; and advocate for stakeholders to act immediately to prevent famine.” (IPC). IPC outlined that since the IPC results released in December 2023, “there has been a significant escalation of the conflict among armed factions and a rise in organized violence beyond the initial IPC assumptions made in previous analyses” (IPC March 2024). As the IPC alert published in March 2024 states: “Catastrophe (IPC 5) is expected among households in parts of West Darfur, Khartoum, and among the displaced population more broadly, particularly in hard-to-reach areas of Greater Darfur.” Immediate actions are key to “prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods and avert a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan”. (IPC Alert, March 2024).

As a mitigation measure, this famine prevention operational plan responds to the strategic direction outlined by the HCT. It is a prioritization of the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and seeks to build on existing and previous physical presence and recent efforts to align the coordination with realities on the ground. The approach is based on experience in other successful famine prevention operations adapted to the Sudan context. This plan is predicated on integrated responses led by Food Security, Nutrition, Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) clusters with important contributions by other clusters, all of which is underpinned by an emphasis on the Centrality of Protection guided by the Protection Cluster and emphasizes the importance of mainstreaming crosscutting themes such as accountability to affected populations (AAP), protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) and gender-based violence (GBV) into the strategy.

For the full document click here: Sudan: Famine Prevention Plan 2024