Two years into Sudan’s brutal war, the humanitarian catastrophe has spilled into neighbouring countries and threatens regional stability. The looming rainy season, combined with aid cuts by the US and other key donors, will severely hamper humanitarian efforts putting millions more lives at risk, a new report by Oxfam and other humanitarian agencies warned today.
The report –The Unravelling of the World’s Largest Humanitarian Disaster: From the Sahel to the Red Sea – published jointly by humanitarian organisations responding in Sudan and neighbouring countries, highlights the staggering human cost of what is now the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Almost nine million people are living in or on the brink of famine. More than 12.7 million people — nearly one-third of the population — have been forced to flee their homes, 3.7 million of them to neighbouring countries.These include South Sudan and Chad, where the humanitarian needs were already dire due to ongoing conflict, food insecurity and climate shocks, leaving them ill-equipped to manage the influx of refugees from Sudan.
In South Sudan, the arrival of people fleeing Sudan’s conflict has put more pressure on already scarce resources, which is deepening local tensions and threatening the fragile peace South Sudan is struggling to maintain.
Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director, said: “We are already witnessing clashes between armed groups from South Sudan and Sudan. This volatile situation is simmering like a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Unless the fighting stops and the humanitarian crisis is addressed, the situation could quickly turn into a full-blown regional catastrophe.”
Nadia, who fled Sudan after soldiers killed her husband and two children, is now sheltering in the transit camp in Renk, South Sudan, with her five-year-old son. She said: “The war took everything. We left with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Here, we are safe from bullets, but there is no food, we are dying of hunger.”
Over 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan – the highest in a single country in recent history. Yet, international support is falling severely short. Only 10 per cent of this year’s UN humanitarian appeal for Sudan has been met to date.
The recent suspension of approximately $64 million USAID funding for Chad and South Sudan has also dealt a severe blow to lifesaving efforts. In 2024, the U.S. was the largest donor to both countries.
N’Zi-Hassane said: “Turning a blind eye to this crisis would not only be a profound political and moral failure, but a failure of our core humanity.”
Oxfam and the other humanitarian agencies urge all warring parties to halt fighting and prioritize diplomacy, in order to forge an immediate and lasting ceasefire.
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