Sudan situation

2025 situation overview

Despite diplomatic efforts, the conflict that broke out in Sudan in April 2023 has continued unabated, forcing 11.3 million people from their homes and generating a dire humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.  

By October 2024, nearly 3 million people had fled to the neighbouring countries of the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda, which all shoulder an enormous burden on behalf of the international community. The highest number of estimated arrivals have been to Egypt (vast majority Sudanese), followed by South Sudan (both Sudanese refugees and large numbers of South Sudanese returnees), and Chad, which already hosted a sizable Sudanese refugee population.  

Inside Sudan, most humanitarian indicators are beyond emergency levels - with over 8 million people displaced internally since the conflict began. Around 25 million people, nearly half of Sudan’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services. With famine confirmed in parts of North Darfur in August 2024, and with the conflict showing no sign of ending, more and more people are being violently uprooted. Despite the complex and challenging context in Sudan, UNHCR is providing life-saving protection and assistance to internally displaced persons. In inaccessible areas, UNHCR collaborates with local partners and community-based protection networks to conduct protection monitoring; identify and refer people with specific needs to specialized services; communicate with communities; and raise awareness on protection issues. Multipurpose community centres have been established to support internally displaced persons living among host communities, and a significant number of people have received shelter support, core relief items, and multipurpose cash assistance in 2024 to cover their immediate needs.

Sudan and its neighbours were already hosting large refugee and IDP populations prior to the new crisis. Six of the UNHCR country operations involved were already severely underfunded and the ongoing emergency has created significant additional and critical needs. 

In 2025, if the war rages on and displacement continues, the already vast humanitarian needs will grow. The situation of those already displaced continues to be challenging and with the resources at hand, it is simply impossible to cover even the most basic needs—despite the urgency to prepare for and scale up operations to respond to new arrivals.  

UNHCR has scaled up its cholera prevention and response efforts, working with health partners at state and national levels in affected locations to strengthen surveillance, early warning systems and contact tracing.

UNHCR and partners are facing a variety of challenges in countries of asylum, including the rainy season and associated flooding, difficulties relocating new arrivals away from border areas, insecurity in some refugee-hosting areas, and shortages and delays in the provision of food assistance. Despite all efforts, very little is provided at the level required—from clean water to targeted protection and health services for the most vulnerable. In Ethiopia, refugees receive 60% of a full food ration, in Chad 57%, in South Sudan, 50% and in Uganda, depending on their level of vulnerability, 30% or 60%.  

In Chad and South Sudan, UNHCR has reported a surge in malaria cases in refugee camps, exacerbated by the rainy season. This rise in malaria comes alongside alarming rates of malnutrition and an increase in cases of measles, acute respiratory infections, and acute watery diarrhoea, all heightening the risk of cholera outbreaks.

In Sudan and refugee-hosting countries, UNHCR will provide critical and life-saving assistance, including protection interventions, delivery of shelter and household items, clean water and sanitation services, health care, education support, and site management for refugees, IDPs and host communities. In Chad, more than 200,000 refugees are living in dire conditions in spontaneous sites along the border. The situation is expected to worsen as the conflict in Sudan intensifies. With necessary funding, UNHCR could relocate refugees to safer, formal settlements away from the border. In South Sudan, funding is required to expand refugee camps and settlements to avoid severe overcrowding in existing facilities, compromising basic services such as shelter, water, sanitation, and education. In Ethiopia, there is an urgent need to address educational requirements for 10,000 refugee children in the new settlements. Interventions include building classrooms, training teachers in mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based violence prevention and response, providing educational materials, and offering language classes. In Egypt, education grants are needed to help integrate 73,000 children into the education system.

UNHCR is carrying out registration, providing emergency shelter and core relief items, supporting host countries to ensure access to territory and asylum for all individuals in need of international protection, and relocating displaced people to safer sites in consultation with concerned governments and partners. Alongside the life-saving work, there are concerted efforts to involve development partners to support host governments in their commitments to create integrated settlements with inclusive social services and economic opportunities for refugees and host communities.  

In 2025, UNHCR will continue to coordinate and lead the inter-agency regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), working with 86 partners, including UN agencies, the Red Crescent and Red Cross movement, and national and international NGOs to provide protection and assistance and build resilience. All programming continues to be done through an age, gender and diversity lens.