UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan as displacement, hunger and disease escalate

The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries.

Those remaining in El Fasher are facing “extreme shortages” of food and clean water, with markets repeatedly disrupted, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.

Across the city, nearly 40 per cent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 11 per cent with severe acute malnutrition.

Most of the surrounding water infrastructure has also been destroyed or rendered non-functional due to minimal maintenance and fuel shortages, Mr. Dujarric added.

El Fasher displacement

Since April 2023, an estimated 780,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher town and the nearby Zamzam displacement camps, including nearly 500,000 in April and May of this year.

Famine conditions have been confirmed in the area since last August.

About three-quarters of Zamzam camp’s residents fled to various locations across Tawila, where the UN and its partners have scaled up critical humanitarian assistance.

Cholera outbreak continues

Mr. Dujarric further warned that the breakdown of water and sanitation services, combined with low vaccination coverage, has sharply increased the risk of disease outbreaks, including cholera.

So far this year, Sudan has reported more than 32,000 suspected cholera cases.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cholera cases continue to rise across Darfur, with over 300 suspected cases and more than two dozen deaths reported in South Darfur state last week alone.

“Conflict and collapsing infrastructure continue to drive the spread of the disease and impede response efforts,” Mr. Dujarric stressed.

Unprecedented and complex crisis

Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than 12 million forced to flee their homes – including approximately four million as refugees in neighbouring countries.

The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of extreme vulnerability, as the country remains highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and disasters.

From severe droughts to deadly floods, the compounded effects of conflict and environmental instability are pushing communities to the brink, leaving them struggling to survive. Famine has already been declared in some parts of the country, putting millions of lives at risk.

Lack of resources hamstring response

Despite growing needs, the $4.2 billion humanitarian response plan for 2025, which aims to assist around 21 million of the most vulnerable people, remains only 21 per cent funded, having received $896 million received so far.

Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, underscored the gravity of the situation in El Fasher.

Civilians in the area remain cut off from aid and face the risk of starvation, he said in a post on social media.

Appealing for an urgent humanitarian pause, he warned that that “every day without access costs lives.”