Sudan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (January 2025)

HIGHLIGHTS

In January 2025, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) made significant advances against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Aj Jazirah, North Kordofan and Khartoum States. SAF took control of Wad Madani (Aj Jazirah), Um Rawaba (North Kordofan) and parts of the capital Khartoum.

Fighting also intensified around Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, where clashes, artillery shelling and airstrikes have killed, wounded and displaced large numbers of civilians.

Humanitarian access challenges in Sudan continue to exacerbate the worsening humanitarian crisis. Bureaucratic impediments, operational interference, active hostilities and violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities are the main obstacles to delivering humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

Attacks on health workers and facilities in Sudan are having a devastating impact. At least four major attacks against health care facilities were reported for January 2025, resulting in 70 killed, 21 wounded and significant damage to and/or suspension of health operations. Under international humanitarian law, medical facilities and health workers are granted special protection in times of conflict, to ensure the delivery of life-saving care to civilians and to safeguard the health infrastructure vital to community survival.

The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has detected Famine in at least five areas and projects that five additional areas will face Famine between December 2024 and May 2025. Furthermore, there is a risk of Famine in seventeen additional areas. Against this backdrop, humanitarian actors continue to deliver essential assistance through crossline, cross-border and regular convoy movements, while exploring alternative options such as air routes. Yet, more critical assistance is needed to address the complex humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Humanitarian actors urge all parties to facilitate and guarantee their operational independence.

Following the interference of an inter-agency convoy in Darfur, the World Food Programme (WFP) issued a press release on 30 January calling on all parties in Sudan to respect the neutrality and independence of humanitarian work and to remove all unnecessary barriers and obstacles that are preventing humanitarian responses. UNHCR followed suit.

Two inter-agency humanitarian aid convoys were planned from Port Sudan to Khartoum and Um Durman. On 31 January, three WFP trucks and one WHO truck were offloaded in Um Durman, while the convoy for Khartoum has been delayed at Shendi since 30 January due to the prevailing security situation.