Sudan Humanitarian Update (1 October 2024)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sudan is now among the top four countries in the world with the highest prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM).

• Sudan is currently grappling with multiple disease outbreaks including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles, and rubella. An estimated 3.4 million children under five years are at high risk of epidemic diseases.

• An estimated 10.9 million people are now internally displaced within Sudan, of whom 8.1 million were displaced after 15 April 2023. About 2.2 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

• The floods have affected an estimated 124,000 people in areas where about 230,700 people are at risk of famine between June and September 2024.

• CERF allocates $25 million as partners pledge additional funding for humanitarian response in Sudan at the UNGA high-level side event.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Sudan now among top four countries with highest prevalence of global acute malnutrition

More than 17 months after the brutal eruption of the conflict in Sudan, a series of recent nutrition surveys carried out by the Nutrition Cluster across all 18 states indicate an alarming deterioration of the nutrition situation. Sudan is now among the top four countries in the world with the highest prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM), at an estimated 13.6 per cent. About 82 per cent of the validated Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) surveys reported GAM prevalence of 15 per cent and above – higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency threshold. Surveys recorded GAM rates of 30 per cent and above – the famine threshold - in North Darfur’s Al Lait, At Tawisha and Um Kadadah localities. In addition, 64 per cent of the surveys indicated a high morbidity prevalence of above 20 per cent, with the highest morbidity prevalence recorded at 74.2 per cent. The nutrition situation is expected to deteriorate further in 2025 due to ongoing conflict, food insecurity, compromised health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, displacement, access constraints and disease outbreaks.

Multiple disease outbreaks reported across the country

Sudan is currently grappling with multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles, and rubella, with an estimated 3.4 million children under the age of five years at high risk of epidemic diseases, according to the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF). The crises stem from significant declines in vaccination rates and the destruction of health, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure as a result of the ongoing conflict. The deteriorating nutritional status in Sudan puts children at even greater risk. Between 22 July and 29 September, over 17,600 cholera cases and 546 associated deaths—case fatality rate of 3.1 per cent—were reported across 60 localities in 10 states, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the WHO. Lack of operational health facilities, treatment and medicines compounds the concerns of humanitarian organizations. WHO estimates that 70-80 per cent of health facilities in areas worst affected by conflict, such as Al Jazirah, Kordofan, Darfur and Khartoum, and about 45 per cent of health facilities in other parts of the country are now barely operational or closed.

Over 10.9 million IDPs in Sudan, of whom 8.1 million were displaced since mid-April 2023

Conflict continues to escalate in some parts of Sudan forcing more people to flee their homes and exacerbating the already humanitarian situation. During his meeting with the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council on 25 September, the UN Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the escalation of the conflict in Sudan, which continues to have a devastating impact on the Sudanese civilians and risks a regional spillover. In addition, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan expressed in a statement on 25 September her profound sadness and frustration over intensifying armed violence in Al Fasher in North Darfur.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that there are now 10.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) as of 17 September 2024, including those displaced before and after the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023. About 8.1 million people have been internally displaced within the country since the conflict erupted and have taken refuge in 9,058 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states, according to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Sudan Mobility Update 07. Prior to the conflict, Sudan hosted an estimated 3.8 million IDPs who were primarily concentrated within Darfur and Kordofan regions. Meanwhile, civilian displacement after 15 April 2023 has been more widespread. Most of the displaced people are from Khartoum State (34 per cent), followed by South Darfur (19 per cent) and North Darfur (14 per cent), reports IOM DTM.

The highest number of displaced people is in South Darfur (17 per cent) followed by North Darfur (14 per cent), and Gedaref (9 per cent). Additionally, about 2.2 million people crossed the border into the neighbouring countries of Egypt, Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Libya, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) data portal.