After years of unrest and escalating violence, war broke out in Sudan in April 2023. Since then, the humanitarian crisis has reached devastating proportions – with villages burned, infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and millions of families fleeing for their lives.
NRC in Sudan
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) works across Sudan, supporting internally displaced people, refugees, returnees and vulnerable host communities. By providing emergency response and long-term recovery support, we help people survive crises and build more secure futures.
What’s happening in Sudan?
War has now driven 13 million people from their homes – making this one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. Around nine million people have been displaced within Sudan, while up to four million have fled across its borders. Millions have also returned to their areas of origin, where many face damaged homes and limited access to essential services.
Fighting continues across Darfur and Kordofan and has spread into the Blue Nile State, driving further displacement and putting civilians and vital infrastructure at risk. Millions face life-threatening food shortages, while years of war have disrupted access to healthcare, clean water, education and other basic services. While more than two-thirds of Sudan’s population are in need of aid, the humanitarian response remains significantly underfunded.
Our response
We’re working with our partners in the following areas:
- Water, sanitation and hygiene – constructing and repairing water supply systems, improving sanitation facilities, distributing hygiene kits, promoting good hygiene practices and responding to disease outbreaks.
- Shelter and settlements – providing emergency shelter and essential household items, improving living conditions in displacement sites, repairing damaged homes and shelters, and helping communities respond to flooding.
- Education – supporting formal and non-formal education, helping displaced and out-of-school children catch up, and distributing learning materials to students and teachers.
- Protection from violence – identifying protection risks, connecting people with relevant services and working with communities to develop ways to keep themselves safer.
- Information, counselling and legal assistance – helping displaced families and individuals obtain legal and civil documentation, access essential services, exercise their rights, resolve housing, land and property disputes and protect themselves from forced eviction.
- Emergency response – responding rapidly when conflict, severe food insecurity, disease outbreaks or flooding create urgent new needs, with cash assistance, emergency shelter, essential household items, clean water and sanitation.
- Advocacy – calling for civilians to be protected, for humanitarian organisations to reach people safely and for greater international attention and funding for Sudan, as well as promoting policies and investments that support recovery.
Our operations
NRC office established: 2004–2009, re-registered 2020
Areas of operation: Gedaref, Khartoum, North Darfur, West Darfur, Central Darfur, South Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan, White Nile
Country Director: Shashwat Saraf
Contact: SD.info@nrc.no
Our impact
In 2025, we assisted 1,386,877 people through our programmes in Sudan:
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175,888Education
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269,646Livelihoods and food security
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96,949Shelter and settlements
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151,376Protection from violence
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48,631Information, counselling and legal assistance
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468,338Water, sanitation and hygiene
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272,993Multi-purpose cash assistance
Note: some people received more than one type of assistance.
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