Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan: Statement by the Humanitarian Coordination Forum (HCF)

(Addis Ababa, 4 March 2025) — The ongoing conflict in Sudan, now approaching its second year, has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with more than 30 million people in need of assistance—the highest number ever recorded. The conflict has also been marked by widespread attacks on civilians many of whom were women and children, and critical infrastructure, particularly in Khartoum, Omdurman, and El Fasher.

In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, intensified fighting has trapped hundreds of thousands of civilians in crossfire, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation. The conflict has led to mass displacement, with close to 12 million people – well over half of whom are children – forced from their homes, and a collapse of healthcare infrastructure, leaving millions without access to essential services.

Women and children are disproportionately affected, facing increased risks of gender-based violence, exploitation, and abuse. Reports indicate a two-fold increase in gender-based violence since the onset of the conflict, with many incidents going unreported due to fear and stigma.

A humanitarian catastrophe:

Sudan is the world’s largest internal displacement crisis: Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, more than 8 million people have been displaced internally. Over 3 million have fled to neighbouring countries. With escalating clashes in many parts of Sudan, including North Darfur and Khartoum, thousands of civilians are on the run yet again.

Sudan is facing the most severe hunger crisis in the world: nearly 25 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, with close to nine million in emergency and catastrophic levels of hunger. One in every two Sudanese is struggling to put food on the table, and people are already succumbing to hunger. In December 2024, the Famine Review Committee confirmed famine in the Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, North Darfur State, Al Salam camp, Abu Shouk camp and Western Nuba mountains.

Sudanese children are bearing the brunt of the humanitarian impact: today, Education cluster indicates that almost 17 million children in Sudan are out of school with 90 per cent of schools still closed. More than 10 million children – or one in two– have been within five kilometres of the frontline of the conflict, exposing them to gunfire, shelling and other deadly violence with more than five million having been uprooted from their homes. More than 14 million children in Sudan need support to overcome the horrifying impact of the conflict.

The conflict in Sudan has been marked by grave violations against civilians, especially children, women and girls. Gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence are widespread, and have risen at alarming rates, leaving at least 12 million women, girls, men and boys at risk.

Sudanese women and girls face risks of sexual violence and exploitation while in transit, in temporary shelters, or at border crossings. In addition, they are forced into marriage and have limited access to sexual and reproductive health services in the neighbouring countries they have fled to. Civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers have also suffered from indiscriminate attacks. In live conflict areas, women and girls are reportedly abducted and held in inhumane and degrading slave-like conditions, where they are reported to be forcibly married or held for ransom.

The conflict has been characterised by significant access challenges: Restricted humanitarian access continues to hamper efforts to scale up response. Yet the scale of the needs is monumental. Restrictions on the movement of essential humanitarian supplies, primarily food, cash, medicine, water and fuel, and on humanitarian personnel continue to prevent aid from reaching those who need it the most.

Urgent action is needed:

The international community must prioritise Sudan's crisis and take immediate action to alleviate the suffering of its people. Despite diplomatic efforts, violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws persist. To address this crisis, the following actions are essential:

• Intensify diplomatic efforts for ceasefire. Influential actors should elevate their diplomatic engagement with parties to the conflict and their external backers to de-escalate violence and secure a ceasefire.
• Ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access. All parties must guarantee safe passage for humanitarian workers and supplies across conflict lines and borders to reach vulnerable populations, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum. Bureaucratic obstacles hindering aid delivery must be removed.
• Protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Attacks on civilians and infrastructure, including health facilities, must cease immediately. Parties to the conflict and international actors should redouble efforts to put in place a robust mechanism to prevent and protect civilians from atrocity and grave violations including gender-based violence. Safe passage must be ensured for those fleeing violence.
• End the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war: The use of sexual violence in this conflict is abhorrent. Perpetrators must be held accountable, and the rights of women and girls upheld unconditionally, in accordance with international laws.

Mobilise resources for humanitarian assistance. With the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan currently funded at six per cent, resources should be urgently mobilized and frontloaded to alleviate the suffering of millions affected by the conflict. A record US$4.2 billion is needed to support close to 21 million people. A further $1.8 billion is needed to support five million people in seven neighbouring countries.

Immediate action is crucial to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan and to protect the lives and rights of its civilians.

Note:
The Humanitarian Coordination Forum (HCF) comprises UN Agencies, the African Union,
International NGOs, as well as the ICRC, and IFRC with observer status. The HCF was established in October 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to facilitate coordinated, principled humanitarian action and contribute to strengthening the African Union’s leadership on humanitarian action in Africa.

For more information, please contact HCF Secretariat at: ocha-aulo-communication@un.org