Sudan: Two years of emergency aid in the world’s largest crisis

Over the past two years, we have assisted nearly 1.6 million people in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Read more about our work and the people behind the numbers.

On 15 April 2023, a bloody civil war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the armed group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The war has led to the deaths of more than 150,000 people, and millions have been displaced. The violence that exploded and the crisis that followed came on top of several decades of conflict and crises that have hit the population hard, especially in the peripheries, such as the Darfur region in the west, or Kordofan in the south of the country.

NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland visited Sudan in November 2024. Photo: Ahmed Elsir/NRC

“From bad to worse”

“This April, it will be two years since the war in Sudan broke out,” says Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“When I visited the conflict areas last year, this was already becoming a forgotten war, even though the suffering made it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Now the situation of the civilian population has gone from bad to worse, with catastrophic conditions in most of Sudan.”

Nearly 15 million people have been displaced, and about half of the population needs humanitarian assistance.

15 April 2023:  Said Hawa was at home and heavily pregnant in the capital Khartoum, looking forward to the birth of her child, when the unrest began. It was the end of Ramadan, and the celebration of Eid was approaching. Everyone was getting ready. But that day, her life and the lives of millions of people in Sudan were turned upside down.

“Families across Sudan, including those of our colleagues, were torn apart, forced to choose between being caught on the battlefield or risking their lives by fleeing. The situation was chaotic. Shops were looted and there were shortages of water, food, electricity, fuel and cash,” says Mathilde Vu, spokesperson for NRC in Sudan.

Mathilde Vu, spokesperson for NRC in Sudan. Photo: Karl Schembri/NRC

The world’s largest crisis
So far, the exact death toll remains unknown, but estimates indicate that 150,000 could have died. Almost 15 million have been displaced in what has been described as the world’s largest and most devastating crisis. More than 3.5 million people have fled the country, while 11.5 million are seeking protection and shelter across Sudan. In 2024, famine was declared in five areas of the country. More than 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population – are in urgent need of food aid.

Assisting in neighbouring countries

Within days of the conflict breaking out, people began crossing borders in search of safety. In the first few days, the biggest streams of people fled towards Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

CHAD. Building new homes for displaced people in the Arkoum camp. Photo: Nasson Song/PRIMOCO/NRC

NRC also helps displaced people and host communities in neighbouring South Sudan and Chad.

Chad
Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan, over 720,000 refugees and 220,000 returnees have crossed into eastern Chad. Most are women and children, exhausted from their journeys and in desperate need of food, water and protection.

The sudden influx has placed enormous strain on already vulnerable host communities, leaving many families struggling to survive. Social services are overstretched, livelihoods are under pressure and tensions are rising over limited resources such as water and agricultural land.

In 2024, famine was declared in five areas of the country. More than 25 million people – half the population – are in acute need of food, including 1.5 million on the edge of famine.

NRC and local volunteers have been offering daily meals to Sudanese civilians facing hunger. Photo: Tina Abu-Hanna/NRC

The conflict has sent food prices soaring, leaving many unable to afford even basic staples. Some people work a full week just to buy five pieces of bread. NRC has helped hundreds of bakeries halve bread prices through cash grants – easing hunger, supporting local markets, and helping families afford more diverse food.

“People are struggling, they can barely eat one meal a day,” reports Mathilde Vu. “And when they do eat, they eat leaves or porridge. I don’t think the world has understood the magnitude of the crisis. We are talking about the largest displacement and hunger crisis in the world.”

But it’s not just those displaced by the war who are suffering: host communities are also under pressure.

Omar Quni lives in Gedaref in eastern Sudan. He is currently hosting 15 family members. Photo: Ahmed Elsir/NRC

Omar Quni lives in Gedaref in eastern Sudan. He built a small house for 15 family members in his own garden.

“Those who have come here have suffered a lot,” says Omar. “We stand together with them and try to help them as best we can. I cover all the expenses of the families I host. We are struggling to provide food for all.”

We provide the necessary equipment to set up tents. We also repair damaged homes and build new, durable ones. At the same time, we train displaced people and locals in construction. We also provide emergency aid and household items.

Hawa outside what has become the family’s new temporary home: Photo: Mohammed Abdulmajid/NRC

In the Al Houri camp, the NRC has built simple, traditional huts, locally known as rakubas, for over 500 families. Although not a long-term solution, these huts provide privacy, protection and security.

Hawa and her children – 13-year-old Tasnim, Tasabeeh, 12, Mohamed, 8, and Abdulbasit, 4 – are one of these families. They had to leave their home and everything they owned behind as they fled attacks in their hometown of Sennar. Now, in their new, temporary home, they carry their memories with them, and dream of soon being able to return home.

We ensure sufficient access to clean water and good sanitary conditions, as well as ensuring good hygiene. We also work to prevent disease.

One of our teams emptying the septic tanks in the Khor Ajwal camp before the rainy season begins. Photo: Ahmed Omer/NRC

Our teams:

• Support the rehabilitation, construction and operation of water supply systems.
• Promote positive hygiene practices through initiatives such as hygiene campaigns, especially during cholera outbreaks.
• Provide good sanitation facilities and better waste management.
• Improve water and sanitation facilities in schools.
• Help prevent disease outbreaks by putting good systems in place in camps and settlements.

We are running protection access centres across Darfur and Sudan. These centres are bustling hubs of vital information and assistance and serve as lifelines for new arrivals and locals alike.

“They come here, get informed, and are guided to the services they need,” Nerissa Nicholas, NRC Protection Project Manager in Al Geneina, explains.

Nerissa Nicholas, Protection Project Manager in Al Geneina, Sudan, meets a displaced woman who made use of NRC's access centre. Photo: Karl Schembri/NRC

Staff at the centres not only provided critical referrals for shelter, food, and health services but also help people who have suffered physical assaults or targeted violence find a safe escape from danger.

The centres have been a crucial support system amid rising risks. “We analyse each case, assess the risks, and in some situations helped people to safer environments. In a single day, one centre can see up to 2,000 people coming in for assistance” she says.

We help displaced families access important documentation such as identity cards, birth and marriage certificates that they lost during the war and supported South Sudanese refugees in obtaining birth certificate after almost a decade of legal limbo.

Having civil documents – like national IDs and birth certificates – is more than just paperwork. It opens the door to essential services and protections.

In eastern Sudan, where a change in currency now requires ID to open a bank account, these documents are critical for financial inclusion. They’re also necessary to access healthcare, register children in school, sit for exams, and even move freely without fear of questioning or arrest.

Samer, who has fled Khartoum, talking to NRC advisor Dhabie Brown. Samer now lives with his mother in a settlement for internally displaced people in Madani. Photo: Ahmed Elsir/NRC

Our teams:

• Hold information meetings, both in person and online. We also provide one-on-one counselling and legal assistance, allowing individuals and families to protect their rights and gain access to legal documents and essential services.
• Provide support to local authorities and the local community to better resolve conflicts and disputes that arise.
• Provide support to families and communities to ensure that displaced families can live in temporary housing and avoid being evicted from their existing homes.
• Help secure the rights of displaced people relating to land and property.

In a more turbulent and uncertain world, we see donor countries reducing their humanitarian assistance. In Sudan, this largely affects the most vulnerable, namely families fleeing war and conflict.

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan and neighbouring countries receives little attention in the media, and aid organisations lack the money needed to cover the enormous demand for aid.

In 2025, the UN and other aid organisations need $4.16 billion to reach 20.9 million people in Sudan. As of 8 April, only 9.9 per cent of the emergency appeal had been funded.

SUDAN. In Darfur province, NRC has supported over 500 bakeries, which have provided cheap bread to thousands of hunger-stricken families. Photo: Tina Abu-Hanna/NRC

“The world’s failure to fund humanitarian action in Sudan has now become the biggest obstacle to saving lives. Only ten percent of this year’s appeal to assist more than 20 million people in Sudan have been secured. Efforts to support refugees and returnees in neighbouring countries also remain critically underfunded. This catastrophic gap is forcing Sudanese local responders to shut down life-saving communal kitchens and mobile clinics. Yet they are the backbone of the humanitarian response, saving lives daily by reaching those in the greatest need with food, water, and medical care,” says Jan Egeland in a joint statement.