Sudan Humanitarian Update (13 October 2023) [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• After nearly six months of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, an estimated 5.6 million people have been displaced within and outside Sudan.

• Two people were killed and five injured when Al Nao hospital in Omdurman was hit by shelling.

• About 19 million children are out of school due to the conflict, exposing them to dangers including displacement, recruitment into armed groups and sexual violence.

• Since July, heavy rains and flooding have affected about 88,000 people in 20 localities across eight states.

• Between April and 31 August, 125 humanitarian partners have reached about 3.6 million people with life-saving assistance.

• The revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is only 33.5 per cent funded as of 13 October.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Nearly six months since fighting erupted in Sudan, civilian displacement continues across the country. An estimated 5.6 million people have fled their homes since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started in mid-April. They have sought refuge within Sudan or in neighbouring countries.

According to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Snapshot 6, about 4.5 people have been displaced within Sudan since the fighting began and have sought refuge in 4,403 locations—an increase of 244 new locations since 30 September—across all of Sudan’s 18 states. IOM reports that those displaced are from eight states, with the majority - about 3.1 million people (69 per cent of all internally displaced) - originally from Khartoum. Most have sought refuge in River Nile followed by South Darfur, East Darfur, Aj Jazirah, Northern, and North Darfur states. About 1.1 million people have crossed into neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan as of 8 October, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Clashes and fighting

On 9 October, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported Al Nao hospital in Omdurman was hit during shelling, MSF reported. A shell hit the emergency department, killing two patient caretakers and injuring five people referred to other facilities for treatment. Al Nao hospital is one of the last functioning hospitals in Omdurman. Another four shells exploded just outside the hospital, killing two more people and injuring several others injured. MSF reiterated that attacks on healthcare workers and facilities, patients, caretakers and civilians must cease immediately, to prevent further loss of innocent lives. Through the Surveillance System on Attacks on Health Care, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 58 attacks on health care, including 31 deaths and 38 injuries, between 15 April and 10 October.

Education

In a recent press release, Save the Children (SC) and the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) reported that an estimated 19 million children in Sudan are out of school due to the conflict between the SAF and the RSF. Of this total, 6.5 million children—or 1 in every 3 children in the country—have lost access to school due to increased violence and insecurity in their region, with at least 10,400 schools now closed in conflict-affected areas. Meanwhile, over 5.5 million children who reside in areas less affected by war are waiting for local authorities to confirm whether classrooms can be re-opened.

Even before April, nearly 7 million children were already out of school. If the war continues, no child in Sudan will be able to return to school in the coming months, exposing them to immediate and long-term dangers, including displacement, recruitment into armed groups and sexual violence. “Sudan is on the brink of becoming home to the worst education crisis in the world,” said Mandeep O'Brien, UNICEF Country Representative in Sudan.

Health situation and disease outbreaks

At least 817 suspected cases of cholera, including 35 deaths, have been reported from Gedaref, South Kordofan and Khartoum states as of 29 September, WHO reported. There were 307 suspected cases and 19 deaths reported from Gedaref (case fatality rate 6.18 per cent), 400 cases and 8 deaths from South Kordofan (CFR 2 per cent), and 110 cases and 8 deaths from Khartoum (CFR 7.27 per cent). WHO supports the response to the outbreak through coordination, expert advice, training and capacity building, transporting samples for confirmation, and provision of equipment and supplies. WHO has also initiated plans to request oral cholera vaccines (OCV) from the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision.

The disruption of health services is devastatingly impacting the survival of more than 9,000 patients – including 240 children – who need dialysis due to kidney failure. Before the conflict broke out, these patients were getting services in 107 government-run dialysis centres, reports WHO. Only 77 centres are functional and overwhelmed due to patient load and lack of dialysis supplies. Ensuring the availability of these supplies is an urgent priority to save the lives of the thousands of patients whose survival depends on regular dialysis. More than 70 per cent of health facilities in states affected by conflict are not working, resulting in extremely limited – and sometimes no – access to health care for millions across the country.

Food security

WFP has carried out emergency food security assessments in Port Sudan, River Nile and Northern states amongst newly displaced IDPs and the households hosting them. Results indicate a high level of economic vulnerability, with 36 per cent of the newly displaced and hosting households unable to afford one local food basket—which has increased by 7 per cent since last month—and two-thirds relying on informal transfers, according to the latest WFP situation report. In River Nile, 35 per cent of the newly displaced people are food insecure, with the prevalence particularly high in Ad Damar at about 41 per cent.