What's happening in Sudan?
It’s been over 500 days since violent conflict broke out in the capital of Sudan that has since triggered widespread violence and instability across the country and the broader region, tearing apart millions of children’s lives.
The numbers, facts and figures are overwhelming. Through the eyes of our colleagues in Sudan, we look at 5 things you need to know and explore what needs to happen to restore hope.
1: Children are Paying the Highest Price
The conflict in Sudan has seen a major increase in intensity in recent weeks, with violence hitting a seven-month high in the country in September, with children on the frontline.
Children are facing unimaginable physical and mental harm. Armed groups forcibly recruit boys and use them in various roles in the hostilities, tearing them from their families. Girls disproportionately endure acts of sexual violence and exploitation. Schools, meant to be safe havens, are destroyed or occupied by armed actors, leaving children without education. Many are killed or maimed by indiscriminate attacks, and those who survive face malnutrition, preventable disease, and displacement.
Our colleagues in Sudan have seen first-hand the impact this is having on children. In recent weeks, nearly 500 unaccompanied and separated children arrived in Blue Nile and Gedaref states following heavy fighting, marking the highest number of arrivals Save the Children teams have recorded in such a short period of time. Mary Lupul, Humanitarian Director of Save the Children in Sudan, told us:
“During my visit to a camp in Gedaref last month I saw children who had endured terrifying journeys arrive at our reception centres, completely exhausted and many showing signs of malnutrition. These children have seen their homes, hospitals, playgrounds and schools bombed, looted and occupied, and have been separated from their parents or guardians. They’ve lost loved ones and been subject to unspeakable violence.”
According to the UN, grave violations against children have increased by 480% from 2022 to 2023.[i] This staggering figure is the highest rate of child exposure to some of the most severe harms to their safety and wellbeing in the world. The numbers, while staggering, likely only represent a fraction of the true number of grave violations against children that have taken place in Sudan in the past year.
This month, the UN Human Rights Council voted to renew the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. It is vital that the work of this mechanism, along with other accountability mechanisms and experts, are supported to ensure that violations of children’s rights are documented and reported, and perpetrators are held to account.
2: Sudan is Experiencing the Worst Ever Hunger Levels
Sudan is facing the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded in the country. More than 50% of the population, or 25 million people, face “Crisis levels” of hunger and the number of children in Sudan seeking treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has skyrocketed. Sudan is now among the top four countries in the world with the highest prevalence of global acute malnutrition, with one medical humanitarian organisation estimating that at least one child is dying every two hours in Zamzam camp in Northern Darfur.
Munir*, health and nutrition manager for Save the Children in South Kordofan, said:
“IDPs (internally displaced people) have lost all basic needs due to conflict, they can only eat inadequate food, and most children show signs of exhaustion, fatigue, severe wasting and illness. Most acute respiratory infections (ARI) cases are linked with poor diet and malnutrition.
Describing the conditions in Kordofan, Munir* said:
“I saw schools, mosques, public institutions, villages, and some roads in cities full of displaced people sleeping in plastic sheets without mattresses or beds. Many of them complain of chronic diseases and high costs of medicine and food, and some of them depend for food on subsidies from charitable people or organizations, but the aid is not enough. The profession of begging has spread in the Kordofan areas.”
Affordability of food is an increasing challenge for families. In some cases, food prices have gone up by 250% over the last year.[ii] With widespread access challenges, cash assistance has been one of the best ways to reach communities. Even in areas of active conflict, markets are functioning, usually at a reduced level and with higher prices. Partnering with local banks and money transfer services, we can provide families with regular payments based on the minimum requirements a household to meet basic needs over a month which is currently around £370.[iii]
3: Sudan is the World’s Worst Displacement Crisis
Sudan is now the largest child displacement crisis in the world, with 4.6 million children uprooted from their homes because of the ongoing conflict. Yousif, who works for Save the Children in South Kordofan, has witnessed how the mass displacement of people has left people in devastating conditions. Describing the conditions that displaced people face, Yousif said:
“I’ll never forget a woman I met on the northern outskirts of AbuJibeha. She had ten children and a face etched with the exhaustion of survival. Her husband had been missing for six months, likely lost to the conflict. Left alone, she cared for her children in a shelter that could hardly be called a home. A fragile structure covered in plastic was all that separated them from the harsh world outside. Despite having nothing, they persisted. Her story is tragically common, as countless families like hers struggle to survive, isolated and vulnerable.”
This is just one harrowing example of the millions who have been forced to leave behind everything and take on terrifying and perilous journeys to try and find safety. Many will have nothing to go back to as their homes and towns have been reduced to rubble. Reflecting on the levels of need, Yousif said:
“Our resources are stretched thin. Despite our best efforts, we haven’t been able to reach everyone in need. One of our biggest challenges in AbuJibeha is that those in need are scattered across remote areas outside the city limits. It’s nearly impossible to reach them unless they come to us, or someone tells us where they are.
“AbuJibeha has always been resilient, but this conflict is testing our limits. Still, we press on, doing what we can with what little we have. Every life we touch is a reminder that hope, though fragile, still exists in the darkest of times.”
Since the onset of the rainy season in June, nearly 200,000 people have been displaced by heavy rains and flooding. An estimated 43 per cent of the people displaced by the floods were already displaced due to conflict prior to the onset of the rainy season and floods, and thus have experienced secondary or tertiary displacement.
4: Local and National Actors are a Lifeline in Sudan
One of the most crucial elements of the response in Sudan are the grass roots, local and national organisations and volunteer groups that have grown across the country in response to the crisis.
Describing the vital role that local actors play in Sudan, Shama, Advocacy Manager for Save the Children Sudan, said:
“Local partners and community groups, like the youth-driven emergency response rooms, are carrying out tremendous work across Sudan and often filling the vacuum when international actors are struggling to access areas due to ongoing insecurities and bureaucratic blockages disrupting aid access. The international community must do much more to ensure local and national actors have access to direct funding and resources and are active participants in both the design and implementation of the response, including humanitarian coordination mechanisms.”
Save the Children currently works with 25 local partners across the country. We are looking to co-develop and establish new ways of funding small organisations that are locally owned and led. For example, we are supporting 10 first responder civil society groups, such as Emergency Response Rooms, with group cash to enable them to support their members in meeting their most pressing needs, such as setting up community kitchens in Khartoum.
5: The UK Government and UK Public have a Critical Role to Play
Despite the staggering levels of need, world leaders continue to struggle to find the right levers to pull to bring about meaningful progress towards peace in Sudan. As the conflict entered its second year, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres warned, “the world is forgetting about the people of Sudan.” Following a visit to Sudan, a UNICEF spokesperson dubbed the conflict “a crisis of neglect”. With multiple crises happening at once, the capacity of world leaders and the bandwidth of public attention is stretched thin. Resourcing for the response also remains low with the humanitarian appeal approximately 50% funded.
The lack of visibility on the crisis is also playing out in the UK. A recent poll showed that only 5% of British adults correctly identified Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Visibility matters and there is intrinsic value in learning more about the crisis and its links with the UK. For example, the Disasters Emergency Committee, a UK-based coalition which brings NGOs together to launch appeals for the world's worst crises, uses 'existing public sympathy’ as one of three top criteria for launching an appeal.
Since coming to power, the new Government has made some positive indications of placing Sudan as a priority. For example, the first overseas visit of the Minister for Development, Annelise Dodds, was to South Sudan and Ethiopia, where she announced a regional package of support. The UK also recently announced the appointment of a new Special Representative to Sudan who has stated his priorities around ensuring an uplift in aid to Sudan. According to the financial tracking service, the UK is currently the third largest donor to Sudan having allocated $85.5 million to the appeal.
Confident and consistent diplomacy will be key. The UK, as a major global player and the lead country for Sudan on the UN Security Council, must use its diplomatic power to pressure warring parties to come to the negotiating table. The UK also has a role to support the broadening of humanitarian access, including applying pressure to parties to the conflict to allow organisations to conduct a principled humanitarian response. We have seen efforts in recent months, most recently the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group talks in Geneva, but they have yet to deliver a concrete commitment to ending the fighting. While the participants reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Sudan's transition towards peace, significant challenges remain in securing a lasting resolution to the conflict.
The UK Government can also raise the cost for warring parties and their international backers, including through condemning violations of international law and grave violations of children’s rights. For example, this month at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, the UK led a core group of states in negotiating the renewal of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) for Sudan. It will be essential that the UK continues to ensure that the FFM has all the necessary resources and support to conduct its investigation and documentation work; in particular, sustained and long-term capacity to capture the full range of violations of children’s rights.
At this year’s UN General Assembly, there was a high-level Ministerial event, which aimed to galvanise collective efforts on the crisis. At this event, Minister Dodds, highlighted the UK’s support for ongoing diplomatic efforts and called on all governments to do more - including increasing levels of funding - for those impacted by the Sudan crisis. It will be vital to ensure the new Government’s level of ambition matches the mounting challenge and pushes the international community to keep eyes on the crisis in Sudan.
*names changed to protect identity
[i] Grave violations in conflict refer to: killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children in armed forces and armed groups; attacks on schools or hospitals; rape or other grave sexual violence; abduction of children; and denial of humanitarian access for children.
[ii] WFP Market Monitor Report highlights wheat prices have increased 252% since July 2023 and the local food basket on average has increased by 169% since July 2023.
[iii] The Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) is defined as what a household requires in order to meet basic needs – on a regular or seasonal basis – and its average cost.
