Attachments
Highlights
- Conflict escalation in Al Fasher and North Kordofan triggered mass displacement, with over 97,800 people fleeing violence. Public health emergencies worsened, as cholera spread to 82 localities with 2,396 new cases and a 3.7 per cent fatality rate, while dengue cases surged past 16,500.
- Humanitarian needs remain acute: 21.2 million people face food insecurity, including famine conditions in Darfur and Kordofan.
- UNICEF scaled up life-saving services: 811,000 people gained access to safe water; 491,700 vaccine doses were distributed; 5.5 million children screened for malnutrition and 500,000 treated for SAM; and 2,268 schools reopened in Darfur, restoring learning for thousands. Cash assistance reached over 50,000 women, with expansion to Northern and Gedaref States.
- Despite these gains, UNICEF’s US$950M appeal remains 52 per cent underfunded, threatening continuity of critical services for millions of children.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
15,256,000 Children in need of humanitarian assistance
30,400,000 People in need of humanitarian assistance
9,819,680 Internally Displaced People
FUNDING OVERVIEW AND PARTNERSHIPS
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children5 (HAC) 2025 urgently appeals for US$ 950 million to meet the critical, life-saving needs of children, adolescents, and their families across Sudan. In 2025, 30.4 million people require urgent assistance in the Sudan, up from 24.8 million in 2024, a 23 per cent increase. Despite the extreme situation and millions of people requiring assistance, the response in the Sudan remains critically underfunded, jeopardizing the well-being of vulnerable children and families. More than 15.6 million children are affected by the crisis. They face violence, including abuse and exploitation, along with forced displacement, malnutrition and disease outbreaks.
Now in its third year, the war continues to devastate communities and dismantle essential systems, leaving children increasingly exposed to malnutrition, disease, exploitation, and disrupted learning. The 2025 HAC prioritises life-saving, high-impact interventions that ensure access to nutrition, health, child protection, education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and humanitarian cash assistance—targeting 14 million people, including 8.7 million children, with immediate relief and longer-term resilience support.
As of 30 October 2025, UNICEF has mobilised over US$458 million, including US$203 million carried forward from 2024 and US$181 million in new contributions this year, alongside US$74 million leveraged through other resources to sustain service delivery and community systems. Despite these vital contributions, the appeal remains 52 per cent underfunded, threatening the continuity of life-saving services and the survival and dignity of millions of children.
UNICEF calls on the international community to amplify support through flexible and timely funding, enabling a sustained and scalable response to Sudan’s rapidly worsening crisis. Predictable investments are crucial not only to save lives today but also to safeguard the country’s future generation.
UNICEF expresses its deep gratitude to its donors and partners for their unwavering support, which enables the delivery life-saving assistance and preserve hope amidst Sudan’s devastating crisis. Key supporters include the European Union, the governments of Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as well as multilateral and global partners such as the World Bank, UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, The Global Fund, The Child Nutrition Fund, The Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Education Above All, and UNICEF National Committees, alongside generous private sector partners.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached catastrophic levels, with intensified conflict across North Darfur and the three Kordofan States driving unprecedented suffering for children and families. In October, Al Fasher in North Darfur witnessed one of the deadliest escalations since the start of the conflict6 . Following more than 18 months under siege, civilians, including children, have endured relentless attacks, displacement, severe food shortages, and near-total collapse of health services. The latest wave of violence has trapped thousands in lifethreatening conditions, with grave violations of children’s rights reported, including killing, abduction, maiming, and sexual violence.
By the end of October, over 62,200 people7 were newly displaced from Al Fasher town and its surrounding villages. Among internally displaced populations access to food, water, healthcare, and protection remains the most urgent need. Health facilities have been targeted. The Saudi Maternity Hospital in Al Fasher was struck, destroying infrastructure and resulting in the killing or injuring of several health workers8 . Civilians, including approximately 130,000 children9 , remain cut off from humanitarian assistance and face heightened risks of grave violations. Reports of targeted attacks on aid workers have further constrained access, preventing the delivery of life-saving support.
In parallel, the situation across the three Kordofan States has sharply deteriorated. In North Kordofan, renewed violence intensified in October, particularly in Bara and Um Dam Haj Ahmed localities, triggering large-scale displacement and widespread human rights violations. In the last week of October, the violence triggered multiple displacement incidents across the Bara, Sheikan, Ar Rahad, Um Rawaba, and Um Dam Haj Ahmed localities. An estimated 35,600 people were forced to flee their homes, many seeking safety in neighbouring villages or spontaneous displacement sites. Attacks on health infrastructure continue. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirmed the killing of five Sudanese Red Crescent Society volunteers in Bara on 27 October 202511 . Ongoing hostilities continue to endanger health personnel and impede access to affected communities.
The protection situation in Sudan has reached a catastrophic threshold, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan. Attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques, and IDP sites have eroded safe spaces, depriving children of healthcare, psychosocial support, and access to learning. Ongoing hostilities have resulted in mass civilian casualties, forced displacement, and the destruction of critical infrastructure. Thousands of children remain trapped in active conflict zones, facing heightened risks of abduction, recruitment, family separation, killing, maiming, and gender-based violence.
Sudan faces overlapping public health emergencies compounding the crisis. Since July 2024, over 123,000 cholera cases12 and 3,500 deaths have been reported across 18 States with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.8 per cent. The outbreak remains active in this year with over 72,000 cases of cholera reported from January to end of October 2025. New case surges have been reported in Darfur and Kordofan, particularly in Tawila, Nyala Janoub, Sharg Aj Jabal, Kadugli, Ar Reif Ash Shargi and Talawdi. Displacement, overcrowding, and ongoing clashes are driving rapid transmission. Similarly, Dengue fever has surged to over 40,000 cases and 108 deaths (with CFR of 0.3 per cent), with Khartoum, Aj Jazira, and White Nile among the hardest hit, indicating widespread community transmission. Measles outbreaks continue, with over 3,300 cases reported nationwide13 . So far, North Darfur and Khartoum have recorded the highest caseloads of measles. Malaria remains a persistent threat with over 1.7 million cases across 15 States.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, 21.2 million people—nearly half of Sudan’s population— are 2 facing high food insecurity, including 6.3 million in Emergency (IPC 4) and 375,000 in Catastrophe (IPC 5). This reflects an improvement of 3.4 million people since the previous analysis, mainly due to stabilization and better humanitarian access in Khartoum, Aj Jazirah, and Sennar. The number of people facing high food insecurity is projected to decrease further to 19.2 million in the first projection period (October 2025–January 2026).
However, food security has sharply worsened in Darfur and Kordofan States due to active conflict and restricted access, where famine was confirmed in Al Fasher and Kadugli, with 20 additional areas at risk between October 2025 and May 2026. The situation is projected to worsen further in 2026, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, underscoring the urgent need to update response priorities and intensify response efforts.
Recent Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) surveys confirm the severity of the malnutrition crisis. Between January and October 2025, 54 surveys were conducted, revealing that 28 localities (54 per cent) recorded Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates at or above 15 per cent, exceeding the World Health Organization’s “very high” threshold. The situation is particularly alarming in the Darfur States, where nearly 80 per cent of surveyed localities surpassed this level. Critically high GAM rates— approaching or exceeding the famine threshold of 30 per cent—were reported in Melit (34 per cent) and At Tawisha (29 per cent) in North Darfur, Yassin (28 per cent) in East Darfur, and Tulus (28 per cent) in South Darfur. Encouragingly, a few areas show improvement compared to 2024: in Al Lait, North Darfur, GAM rates dropped from 31 to 19.6 per cent, and in Tawila, rates among the host community fell from 29.4 to 15.7 per cent, though GAM among IDPs remains high (22 per cent).
Across Sudan, children continue to bear the brunt of this multi-layered crisis—caught between violence, hunger, and disease. UNICEF and partners continue to advocate for unimpeded humanitarian access, the protection of civilians, and sustained international support to deliver life-saving assistance and safeguard the rights and well-being of every child.