The Humanitarian Catastrophe in Sudan and its neighbouring countries

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 25.6 million people (54% of the population) living in acute levels of food insecurity, 9 million of which are in need of immediate food assistance. Given the current context and the continuation of fighting, these figures are expected to rise dramatically in the coming months. Beyond the unprecedented levels of food insecurity, humanitarian needs remain high throughout the country.  

• Basic services have collapsed in large parts of the country due to ongoing fighting. The hospitals, water facilities, and other public services that remain operational have become strained due to the large numbers of IDPs fleeing to safe areas.  

• Many of Sudan’s 8.1 million new IDPs have been displaced multiple times due to the spread of the conflict. While 51% of IDPs are living with host families, trends are showing increasingly that IDPs are shifting to camps and informal settlements, with 24% of IDPs living informally either in public building, like schools, or in open areas.  

• Conditions in IDP sites remain poor. Overcrowding in sites has led to deterioration in the facilities in these sites, creating unhygienic and unsanitary environments. These conditions have been exacerbated by widespread flooding in the country over the past months. Since the start of the conflict, rates of cholera have continued to rise, with 2,895 cases of cholera and 112 deaths reported between July and September this year. The real numbers are likely higher.  

• Sudan’s economy has been devastated by this conflict. Supply chains have been severely disrupted, particularly due to challenges in moving goods across conflict lines. This has impacted local markets, leading to lack of supply and high levels of price inflation. Liquidity issues are widespread, with cash availability continuing to decrease. Since the start of the war, the value of the Sudanese Pound has deteriorated, with over 400% inflation in the black market rate compared to exchange rates prior to the conflict. 

• Due to continued fighting, access to frontline areas remains limited. In El Fasher’s Zamzam camp, famine conditions have been reported – the first report of famine conditions globally since 2017. Humanitarian access to El Fasher, and other frontline areas, including El Obeid and large parts of Khartoum, remains limited or non-existent. Fighting has recently limited access to two Acted bases, due to a lack of cross-border and cross-line movements to Blue Nile and White Nile States. As humanitarian actors remain unable to access areas with the largest needs, communities have had to rely on themselves to meet their needs and survive. 

Despite these challenges, Acted has managed to scale up its response and reach the most vulnerable in the country. Since the start of the war, Acted has reached over 150,000 individuals with emergency, lifesaving assistance. As member of the Cash Consortium of Sudan, Acted has reached 7,349 households (40,949 individuals) with multipurpose cash assistance since the start of 2024. Acted aims to reach 7,403 more households (44,094 individuals) before the end of 2024. Acted has scaled up it’s support to local response actors, supporting 11 community kitchens, known locally as takeya, in the Karari neighbourhood of Khartoum. Acted aims to scale up this support in the coming months.  

Acted remains a key actor in going the first mile and serving those in hard-to-reach areas. Despite Acted’s bases in White Nile and Blue Nile being cut off from the rest of the country due to the conflict, Acted remains operational in both states and has scaled up its response in each since the start of 2024. Acted was also one of the first humanitarian actors to reopen a base in Khartoum state. In these hard-to-reach areas, Acted has been providing emergency cash assistance, while rehabilitating WASH infrastructure, including latrines at IDP site and water points, to ensure improved living conditions and access to safe drinking water for Sudan’s vulnerable displaced and host communities. Acted remains committed to working on the frontline to meet the needs of the Sudanese people. With your support, we can scale up our response in Khartoum State, seeking to support more community kitchens and expand our programming to newly accessible parts of the state.  

IOM estimates that, since the start of the conflict, 910 000 individuals including 213 339 Chadian returnees have crossed the border from Sudan into Chad, seeking refuge from the crisis. Almost half of the refugees and returnees affected by the Sudanese crisis are currently located in the Ouaddaï region alone. The epicentre of this crisis is the town of Adré, located on the border with Sudan, and the main entry point for Sudanese and Chadian returnees fleeing the civil war. Adré, which had a population of between 30,000 and 40,000 people before the Sudanese crisis, counted over 211,000 refugees in September 2024, resulting in food, healthcare and shelter shortages.  

Faced with this situation, Acted has implemented shelter and WASH supply activities, as well as building and maintaining latrines and distributing essential items in the Adré informal settlement. Acted is working with the UNHCR, CNARR and other stakeholders to coordinate the humanitarian response and manage the Adre informal settlement with the setting up of governance bodies, community awareness-raising, training and information access mechanisms for more than 138,000 beneficiaries. Acted also deploys mobile humanitarian teams along the border with Chad to intervene with dispersed returnees and refugees forming temporary and unofficial settlement sites, particularly vulnerable population, as their removal complicates registration and access to humanitarian aid. In September 2024, mobile team led an assessment on five settlement sites housing some 8,000 households, all located close to the border.  

July and August 2024 were also the scene of deadly floods due to heavy rains. An estimated 1.5 million people were affected throughout Chad, further aggravating the conditions for refugees. Acted has set up an emergency response for 1,411 households in Adre’s settlement, with the funding of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Thanks to the Centre de Crise et de Soutien (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Acted was also able to redirect some distribution activities to the Sudanese refugee site of Farchana in Ouaddaï region for a total of 750 households affected by the rains who received essential items. Finally, a complementary emergency response in the sectors of health, nutrition, access to water and shelter was set up for the victims of the torrential rains, in consortium with the NGOs CONCERN, ALIMA and CARE, thanks to the StartFund.  

Acted is one of the key players in the humanitarian response in eastern Chad, coordinating, managing and sharing information and activities for Sudanese refugees. Despite these activities and the involvement of the humanitarian community in meeting the ever-increasing urgent needs of returnees and Sudanese refugees, humanitarian funding remains dangerously insufficient, preventing actors from responding adequately to the needs encountered in the Ouaddaï region. According to UNHCR data, the Regional Response Plan for Sudan crisis is only 37% funded as of September 2024, drastically limiting humanitarian response capacities at a time when the situation in Sudan is driving more and more Sudanese to Chad for their safety. 

The Sudanese refugee crisis in Libya is escalating rapidly, with over 180,000 Sudanese refugees now present in the country, fleeing conflict and instability in Sudan. The primary municipalities hosting these refugees include Alkufra, Ejdabia, Benghazi, and Tripoli. In Alkufra, a largely desertic and sparsely populated area in southeastern Libya, more than 30,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived, with over 250 individuals crossing the border daily between January and May 2024. According to the REACH Rapid Needs Assessment conducted in Alkufra in June 2024, refugees are facing severe challenges, particularly in terms of shelter, with many living in makeshift or unfinished structures. Access to healthcare is critically insufficient—28% of households reported health issues, but half of them were unable to obtain care due to long wait times, high costs, and unavailability of services. Food security is also fragile, with 75% of households experiencing hunger and 26% having poor food consumption scores. Additionally, many of the arrivals are families, including unaccompanied children, and access to education for children is hindered by the lack of civil documentation, which has often been lost during their displacement. Urgent humanitarian intervention is needed to reinforce the protective environment and provide shelter, healthcare, food, sanitation, and education to address the growing needs of this vulnerable population. 

Acted has been active in Libya since 2011, operating from its bases in Tripoli, Benghazi, Derna, and Sebha. As part of its decade-long efforts to strengthen Libyan civil society, Acted has built a network of over 100 CSOs, enabling it to intervene across all regions and municipalities of Libya. Following the 2023 floods in Eastern Libya, which displaced tens of thousands and caused widespread destruction, Acted provided multi-sectoral emergency assistance to over 40,000 affected people. This response included WASH, infrastructure rehabilitation, cash assistance, psychosocial support, non-food items, and community-led initiatives. Aligned with its mission to save lives and support those in need, Acted is prepared to scale up its assistance to Sudanese refugees, pending increased funding. 

Although Alkufra serves as the main entry point for Sudanese refugees, currently hosting over 30,000 individuals, international actors face significant access restrictions imposed by local authorities. However, Acted has developed a network of local CSOs in Alkufra, which could be mobilized to enhance assistance efforts. Acted also has extensive experience in protection monitoring and helpline services in eastern Libya and aims to extend its programming to Alkufra and Ejdabia. Social cohesion and conflict sensitivity will be central to the protection efforts, with plans to establish referral pathways and monitor evolving protection needs. While cash interventions for migrants and refugees face administrative hurdles, Acted intends to offer cash-for-health assistance through a health card mechanism. With its expertise in child protection and education, Acted is poised to expand its support to Sudanese schools in Benghazi, Libyan schools accommodating Sudanese students, and informal clubs for children unable to access formal education. Additionally, quick impact projects aimed at rehabilitating public infrastructure could help strengthen basic services in areas heavily affected by the refugee influx. Acted is also committed to training and empowering local civil society to enhance the response to the Sudanese refugee crisis. 

As of June 2024, the total financial requirement for the Libyan Sudanese refugee crisis response was estimated at $48.6 million, including $16.3 million for health and nutrition assistance, $12.5 million for protection services, and $8.8 million for basic needs. However, by September 30, 2024, only $18.7 million had been committed, leaving a shortfall of nearly $30 million, equivalent to 61.5% of the required funding. While INGOs are typically the first responders in humanitarian crises, only 11% of the funds committed to this crisis have been allocated to them, severely limiting their capacity to provide much-needed assistance. With your support, we can expand our response in eastern Libya, helping Sudanese children access education and reinforcing protection mechanisms for them and their families.