This April marked a year since fighting broke out in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, leading to all-out war.
Newly arrived Sudanese refugee family lives in makeshift shelter at the border in Adre, Chad. © UNHCR/Ying Hu
The raging conflict has caused one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world and thousands of people flee the country daily, desperately seeking refuge. To date, 2 million people have crossed into the neighboring countries of Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic. Another nearly 7.7 million people having been internally displaced in Sudan.
The fighting has had a devastating impact on innocent civilians millions of whom have fled their homes, with only the clothes on their backs, and are now finding themselves in desperate situations for survival. Shortages of food, water, medicine, fuel, and electricity are widespread. The conflict has disrupted supply chains exacerbating food insecurity and many areas are inaccessible for humanitarian assistance to be safely delivered. One of the regions hit hardest by the infighting is Darfur, and recent escalations of violence around the northern capital of El Fasher have obstructed lifesaving aid from being delivered.
In extremely difficult circumstances, UNHCR and partners are delivering a lifeline of support to internally displaced people in Sudan. For example, by providing safe and clean water, emergency latrines, and hygiene services to prevent the spread of disease in areas that are now congested, as thousands continue to flee daily in search of safety. Those newly displaced are facing a new reality and need help to adjust and survive; UNHCR is training refugee volunteers to help implement hygiene practices as a preventive measure against diarrhea and malaria.
In addition, UNHCR is responding to the needs of the refugees who have crossed in to neighboring countries. UNHCR, together with partners, are continuing to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services, shelters, relief items and emergency medical care. In addition, UNHCR has set up transit centers to provide immediate care for those crossing borders in countries neighboring Sudan. UNHCR is also continuing to relocate newly arrived refugees to existing and new camps away from borders, where services are more comprehensive. The ability to respond to the needs of internally displaced people and refugees would not be possible without the generous support of our donors.
Denmark’s contribution to UNHCR’s Supplementary Appeal for the Sudan emergency comes at a crucial time as Sudan – and neighboring countries – face various crises, all at once.
Chad – UNHCR and partners continue to ensure that forcibly displaced persons have access to health services and adequate nutrition. Since the start of the emergency nearly 593,000 medical consultations have been carried out in Chad. Medical treatments include diagnosing and treating illnesses and malnutrition, vaccinating individuals, attending to expectant mothers and assisting with a safe delivery, and providing mental health consultations.
Egypt – Around 622,000 people forced to flee Sudan to Egypt have approached UNHCR for registration between 15 April 2023 and 24 June 2024. UNHCR operates an Infoline to provide people fleeing with information and since the start of the conflict, 417,000 new arrivals from Sudan, comprising 155,000 cases, have received appointments through the Infoline.
South Sudan – South Sudan has kept its borders open to people fleeing the conflict, and had almost 719,000 arrivals, including South Sudanese people who have been forced to return prematurely, alongside Sudanese refugees. New arrivals are encouraged to take up farming to improve their food security. In Jamjang, 1,600 new arrivals each, recently, received a part of a farmland to cultivate alongside seeds and agricultural tools.
Central African Republic – Since the start of the emergency around 32,000 people have arrived from Sudan to the Central African Republic. UNHCR is working to ensure that people who are forced to flee have proper registration and documentation, as they are critical to ensure their protection and around 20,000 people have been biometrically registered in the Central African Republic.
Ethiopia – The conflict in Sudan is exacerbating the risk of gender-based violence. UNHCR, together with partners, working to prevent gender-based violence and raising awareness on the issue. At the Metema transit center – in northwestern Ethiopia – a male engagement session was held, recently, to address the prevention and response to Gender Based Violence. The focus was on behavior change and strengthening community institutions. Social workers and incentive workers conducted door-to-door visits for awareness-raising sessions among refugees about the concepts, root causes, and consequences of Gender Based Violence.
Uganda – already the largest refugee hosting country in Africa, Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese seeking refuge from the year-long conflict in Sudan, with 38 thousand Sudanese refugees already in the country. Children are 43 per cent of the registered Sudanese refugees in Uganda. To support the needs of over 12,000 school going age Sudanese children, partners are providing safe, equitable, and inclusive quality education and training services.
Denmark as a donor to UNHCR:
In 2024, Denmark contributed USD 2,151,154 to UNHCR’s response to the Sudan situation. In 2023, Denmark also provided rapid support to UNHCR’s response to the Sudan situation, with USD 4.5 million. Denmark contributed a total of USD 96 million to UNHCR in 2023, of which USD 35.6 million was unearmarked, enabling the agency to quickly scale up its response in new emergencies and protracted situations.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
