Attachments
Sudan Operations Coordination Centre
I. Context Setting
In mid-April 2023, Sudan descended into a major conflict as clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum and spread across the country. The conflict has led to over 12,000 deaths, extensive damage to infrastructure, and widespread displacement, with more than 6.1 million people forced to flee their homes. Sudan now faces the world’s largest internal and child displacement crisis.
This includes 2.3 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries and 10.5 million internally displaced, over half of whom are children and 54% are women. Moreover, as per the 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 15% of Sudan's population in need (24.8 million people) and targeted (14.7 million people) are persons with disabilities (PWDs) and 5% of the two above mentioned groups are older people.4 They are also at heightened risk of exclusion, sexual and economic exploitation, violence, and abuse. The conflict has severely impacted access to basic services, leading to interruptions in water, healthcare, banking, electricity, and telecommunications, compounded by frequent looting.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in late 2023 showed escalating food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly in conflict zones.6 An IPC alert in March 2024 emphasized the worsening situation and the looming threat of famine in highly vulnerable regions with worsening projections of looming famine demonstrated in the new IPC report. 7 With ongoing conflict, heightened food insecurity and water scarcity, the protection needs of communities will increase, including GBV and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). Women, girls, men, and boys, in all their diversity, will have distinct needs in assistance and face different barriers to assistance that must be accounted for in emergency programming. In response, the Sudan Famine Prevention Operational Plan was launched, coordinating efforts across Food Security and Livelihoods, Nutrition, Health, WASH, Education, Shelter and NFI clusters, with a focus on protection, gender equality, disability inclusion, and cross-cutting themes such as accountability to affected communities and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).