Australian humanitarian agencies call for urgent action as Sudan catastrophe continues to devastate civilians
The Australian Council for International Development and 21 humanitarian agencies are raising alarm at the ongoing catastrophe in Sudan.
Sudan is on the verge of collapse and mass famine. Millions are displaced within and outside the nation’s borders. Young children especially are starving to death in its cities, villages, and displacement camps.
Image: Islamic Relief coordinating aid distributions in a displacement camp. More than 8.8 million people are displaced within and outside Sudan.
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seizing control of El Fasher in North Darfur and violent conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have devastated thousands of civilians.
Left without access to basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare, families in El Fasher flee their homes, seeking safety in nearby areas like Tawila. There, they live in overcrowded camps or remote areas.
Malnutrition rates are also rising, particularly among children, and the lack of medical supplies has worsened public health conditions. The siege has left markets empty and families going whole days without eating.
Cholera cases continue to spread across Sudan. Currently, there have been recorded 101,450 cholera cases and 2,515 deaths across 133 localities since the nationwide outbreak.
Approximately 80% of hospitals are non-operational, lacking basic utilities and supplies, worsening the health crisis.
IR Sudan are responding to the outbreak in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
Sudan is facing a hunger crisis of historic
proportions. 24.6 million people—half the population—face food shortages.
Famine conditions have been confirmed in five locations in the western region of Darfur and the Nuba Mountains in the country’s south, with similar conditions observed in dozens of other places across the country.
Previous natural disasters have deepened Sudan’s humanitarian emergency, straining aid efforts and endangering vulnerable communities.
In August, a landslide in Sudan’s western Darfur flattened the mountain village of Tarasin, leaving 370 people dead.
In 2024, severe flooding across Sudan affected over 491,000 people in 15 states, displacing more than 143,000 and causing at least 69 deaths and 112 injuries.
Previous floods destroyed over 35,500 homes and damaged nearly 45,000 more, while also triggering a cholera outbreak with 2,900 reported cases and 112 deaths.
In these disasters, North and South Darfur, Northern State, Kassala, and River Nile are the hardest-hit areas, where infrastructure damage, crop loss, and the isolation of villages have compounded humanitarian needs.
After nearly three years of conflict, Sudan faces the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
70-80% of hospitals and health facilities in conflict-affected areas are non-functional.
Nearly half the population faces acute food insecurity. 6.3 million people face emergency levels of hunger, including than 325,000 people in famine conditions.
Children are dying of hunger. More than 3.4 million children are now reported to be acutely malnourished. Many families are eating just a few mouthfuls of sorghum a day.
Sudan also represents the largest displacement crisis in the world, with over 14 million people displaced, inside and outside of Sudan. More than 9.5 million displaced internally, and another 4.3 million crossing borders into neighbouring countries.
Severe weather conditions and natural disasters are worsening the difficulty of thousands of other vulnerable and acutely food-insecure people. It is compounding their suffering, lack of safety and access to lifesaving assistance and services.
Humanitarian needs remain dire throughout Sudan. Especially as armed fighting continues to escalate and households are displaced multiple times.
Images: Displaced families and individuals in Sudan. Today, many live in IDP camps such as Salman Al-Farisi in Sinnar state
Our staff in Sudan are providing ongoing relief for the crisis in 3 areas: Khartoum State, North Kordofan and Al Jazirah State.
In addition, the number of deaths caused by hunger, disease, and lack of basic services, could raise the number far higher. Your donation will be life-saving and provides crucial access to:
We’ve been in Sudan since 1984 but we still need your ongoing help to continue making a difference. Give now to support families in need.
The Australian Council for International Development and 21 humanitarian agencies are raising alarm at the ongoing catastrophe in Sudan.
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