The latest UN data highlights that 9.3 million individuals have been displaced due to conflict across the country, with over 4.3 million fleeing across borders, heavily impacting neighboring nations. More than 21 million people are reportedly suffering from acute food insecurity within the country.
Many displaced people have returned to Khartoum, yet significant challenges and dangers remain, such as unexploded weapons. Fighting continues on several fronts in Kordofan to the west, according to OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.
Speaking in Geneva, Laerke mentioned that sieges have cut off access to the towns of Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan state, and Dilling, a town north of Kadugli, limiting food, healthcare, and access to farms and markets.
In Darfur, ground battles and drone attacks persist, and long-range strikes on civilian infrastructure have been reported beyond the front lines, Laerke added. Children are being killed and injured in ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with eight children killed in an attack in Al Obeid, North Kordofan, this week.
According to UNICEF, about 5,000 children have been displaced each day since the conflict began in April 2023. Many have been displaced multiple times, with violence following them. Ricardo Pires of UNICEF warned that millions of children face the risk of rape, including infants. “Behind every number is a child, frightened, hungry, sick, and wondering why the world hasn’t helped,” Pires added.
Women face rampant sexual violence and abuse, with 12 million people, mostly women and girls, at risk of gender-based violence, according to OCHA. Female-headed households are three times more likely to be food insecure, with three-quarters reporting not having enough to eat, Laerke said.
A global humanitarian funding crisis has affected the UN’s efforts in Sudan, with only 36 percent of the $4.2 billion requested last year funded by donors. For 2026, OCHA plans to assist 20 million people out of nearly 34 million in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan, with a plan costing $2.9 billion.
“Our call is urgent: first, an immediate halt to hostilities and steps toward lasting peace,” Laerke said. “Second, adherence to international humanitarian law, facilitating access across conflict lines, and protecting civilians, including aid workers and infrastructure.”
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