Over 30 mln people in Sudan in need of humanitarian assistance: UN agencies

UNITED NATIONS - Sudan is facing one of the world's most severe emergencies, with more than 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 9.6 million internally displaced people and nearly 15 million children, four UN agencies said Thursday.

In a joint press release, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Programme called for urgent international attention to the crisis in Sudan.

"Over 900 days of brutal fighting, widespread violations of human rights, famine, and the breakdown of life-sustaining services have pushed millions to the brink of survival, particularly women and children," said the release.

During recent visits to Sudan, senior leaders from the four UN agencies witnessed the devastating impact of the crisis across the country, including in Darfur, Khartoum and other conflict-affected areas, it said.

Now in its third year, the conflict in Sudan has destroyed essential services like healthcare and education. Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan last year and the hunger situation remains catastrophic, with children among the hardest hit, and malnutrition rates soaring, according to the release.

The release said that families returning to Sudan, many driven by the determination to rebuild their lives after years of relentless conflict, reflect a fragile but hopeful shift. "Yet Sudan remains a country in deep crisis."

"This scale of return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning," said Ugochi Daniels, IOM's deputy director general for operations, who has just returned from a visit to Sudan.

Access to most affected populations remains severely constrained. Humanitarian actors face insecurity, bureaucratic impediments, and logistical challenges that make the delivery of life-saving aid extremely difficult, the release said.

"This is one of the worst protection crises we've seen in decades," said Deputy High Commissioner at UNHCR Kelly T. Clements, following a visit to displacement sites in Port Sudan and outside of Khartoum. "Millions are displaced inside and outside of the country and returning families have little support with the absence of other options."

Funding shortfalls are further compounding the crisis, the release said. The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan, totaling 4.2 billion US dollars, remains critically underfunded at only 25 percent.

In the release, the four agencies jointly called for immediate cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians, unhindered humanitarian access to all affected populations, simplified procedures for aid delivery and staff movement, urgent and flexible funding to scale up lifesaving interventions, support for durable solutions for displaced populations, and continued support for internally displaced populations and the nearly 900,000 refugees inside Sudan in need of international protection and services.