Sudan Humanitarian Needs Overview 2022 (December 2021) [EN/AR]

Context, shocks/events, and impact of the crisis

Two years after Sudan embarked on the path of political transition and one year into the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), humanitarian needs continue to grow across the country, despite progress and gains on the road to a new Sudan.

These needs are driven by an economic crisis, exacerbated by COVID-19, protracted internal displacement that is yet to find durable solutions, increased insecurity and localised violence in parts of the country, coupled with floods, disease outbreaks, and more than 1.16 million refugees and asylum seekers hosted by Sudan.

Humanitarian partners estimate that about 14.3 million people – 30 per cent of the population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2022. This is a 0.8 million person increase compared to 2021. Overall, the number of people in need in Sudan in 2022 is the highest in the past decade.

Of the 14.3 million people in need, about 9.1 million need emergency assistance for life-threatening needs related to critical physical and mental well-being. This is a quarter increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, all the people require life-sustaining support to meet minimum living standards.

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector has the highest number of people in need – 12.1 million, followed by Food Security and Livelihoods – 10.9 million, and the Health sector –10.4 million people in need.

There are over three million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sudan. They are in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile, which were the epicentres of localised conflict over the past 17 years.

Of the people in need, 59 per cent are concentrated in areas affected by conflict. The remaining 41 per cent are in areas that are not affected by conflict, in northern, central and eastern parts of the country. In 2018, 74 per cent of people in need were in conflict areas - Darfur,
Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Of the 1.16 million refugees in Sudan, the majority (68 per cent) are from South Sudan. Khartoum and White Nile states host about 60 per cent of all South Sudanese refugees in the country, with Khartoum having the highest number amongst all states