Sudan: Rapid Needs Assessment of Gathering Sites in Port Sudan, January 2024

Introduction

On April 15, fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in several places throughout the country caused widespread displacement of civilians. According to the International Organization of Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report, as of January 24, 2024, more than 6 million individuals had been internally displaced since the start of armed conflicts on April 15, 2023. Of these, 782,898 (13 percent) of the 6 million IDPs in Sudan are being hosted in Gedaref (377,643), followed by Red Sea (239,027), and Kassala (166,228), as per the IOM’s DTM data, valid as of January 24, 2024. In addition, following December 23, 2024, in Al Gezira State, 764,768 people were displaced, 98,701 of whom were estimated to have moved to the Red Sea State as per DTM data from January 18.

As a result, the Red Sea state is now sheltering 239,027, or 47,884 IDP households. IDP households are sheltering with host communities (25,383 households), rented accommodation (15,841 households), improvised or critical shelters (1,175 households), schools or other public buildings (3,073 households), and open-area informal settlements (2,412 households).

With the rise in the number of IDPs moving to Port Sudan and living in school, information gaps on the humanitarian needs of the affected population necessitated the need for a rapid assessment to be conducted to assess the situation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to underpin the humanitarian response of humanitarian organizations and agencies. The assessment allowed clusters and agencies to employ their own methodology, incorporating key informant interviews for face-to-face meetings and observation of the living conditions of IDPs to understand their needs.

The assessment team visited 34 schools serving as gathering sites, met and spoke to them, and saw how people lived and used services (water, health, and nutrition). Red Sea State government representatives, department heads, and service providers were also present. Data collection for the assessment took place on January 16 and 17, 2024, and a session was held on January 18, 2024, to analyze and discuss key findings and recommendations. On the other hand, there were limitations to the assessment. It was not possible to organise a training of the inter-sectoral rapid needs assessment (questionnaire; as a result, clusters and organizations utilized their own tools, affecting the quality of information and answers.

The assessment team included representatives from 21 state government ministries, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as cluster coordinators for Kassala, focal points, and programme personnel thus; HAC Red Sea, SCEFA, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, WHH, LM/IAS, FHO, Alishraag, WAV (Kolana Gyam), IOM, SMOH, FAO, UNESCO, UNHCR, DRC, Samaritan Purse, PHF, Sahary, UNOCHA and WES. Teams were divided into three teams that were led by a team leader, nominated from national NGOs.

Consequently, UNOCHA would like to thank participating organizations, Red Sea state departments, and ministries for not only participating in the assessment but also contributing staff and vehicles. A special thanks goes to the Deputy Commissioner of HAC Red Sea and Kolana Gyam for allocating a conference room for the planning and execution of the assessment.

UNOCHA hopes that the findings from this assessment will complement a rapid assessment carried out by UNICEF, the Sudanese Coalition for Education for All (SCEFA), the State Ministry of Education, and the State Council for Child Welfare (SCCW).