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THE FACTS: THE CRISIS IN SUDAN

People wait to be evacuated near an airport in Omdurman, Sudan, April 26, 2023.
As conflict continues in Sudan, many people have fled to neighboring countries.
Photo by Xinhua via Getty Images
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May 02, 2023


Sudan is facing renewed violence, displacement and an unprecedented need for
humanitarian aid. The fierce fighting that began on April 15, 2023 has
compounded the crisis across the country. According to the United Nations, since
the fighting began over 100,000 people have fled the country, and 300,000 people
are displaced inside Sudan.

“Although it is too early to fully assess the humanitarian implications, the
country's humanitarian needs are already at an all-time high,” said Allison
Huggins, Mercy Corps' Deputy Regional Director for Africa. “Before this latest
escalation in violence, an estimated 15.8 million people—roughly one-third of
the country's population—already required humanitarian assistance due to ongoing
conflict, the climate crisis, disease outbreaks, and economic decline. If
violence continues, we will face an even worse humanitarian disaster.”

Since 2004, Mercy Corps has worked in Sudan to support hundreds of thousands of
Sudanese, displaced households, and refugees from nearby countries.

Learn more about the current crisis and Mercy Corps’ work in Sudan.

 * When did the crisis in Sudan begin?
 * How is the conflict affecting people in Sudan?
 * What was the situation in Sudan like before the current crisis?
 * What is Mercy Corps’ experience working in Sudan?


WHEN DID THE CRISIS IN SUDAN BEGIN?

In 2021, a coup in Sudan ended a civilian transitional government that had been
established following the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. The
political transition was supposed to result in elections of civilian parties by
the end of 2023.

However, the power struggle between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group
called Rapid Support Forces reached a critical point on April 15, 2023, when
clashes broke out across Sudan. The capital city of Khartoum is experiencing
extensive violence due to the conflict, with fighting in many surrounding areas
as well. More than 100,000 people have fled Sudan so far, and 300,000 are
internally displaced due to the current crisis, according to the U.N.


HOW IS THE CONFLICT AFFECTING PEOPLE IN SUDAN?

Hundreds of people have been killed and over 4,000 injured since the fighting
began on April 15, 2023. The ongoing fighting in Khartoum and other regions has
left many of the city's 5 million residents sheltering in their homes with
limited access to electricity, food, or water, medicine, or fuel.  

According to the U.N., millions of people in Khartoum cannot access healthcare
due to the closure of a majority of the city’s health facilities, with only 16%
of the facilities operating. It is estimated that 50,000 acutely malnourished
children can no longer receive treatment due to the conflict. Transportation
costs have reportedly spiked so that many are unable to afford to leave violent
areas.

Even before the current conflict, Sudan hosts 1.1 million refugees—one of the
largest refugee populations in Africa. There are another 3 million people who
are internally displaced, the majority of them in Darfur, a region plagued by a
volatile security situation for nearly two decades. If the violence continues,
we will almost certainly confront an even larger humanitarian crisis due to mass
displacement. UNHCR reports that more than 73,000 people have already arrived
into neighboring countries, and aid organizations are preparing for the
possibility that over 800,000 people may flee the fighting in Sudan.

The growing refugee crisis will have a significant impact on Sudan’s neighbors,
many of which are already hosting refugees and facing high levels of
humanitarian need, and the broader region. “This conflict would not only have
catastrophic consequences for Sudan but also for neighboring countries,” said
Allison Huggins in The New York Times. “Any prolonged period of insecurity would
have far-reaching consequences for the region, impacting the economy and the
growing refugee population.”


WHAT WAS THE SITUATION IN SUDAN LIKE BEFORE THE CURRENT CRISIS?

Even before the ongoing conflict, an estimated 15.8 million people—about
one-third of the population—were expected to need humanitarian aid in 2023. The
number of children in Sudan who are malnourished was already rising at an
alarming rate. About 4 million children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding
women will be acutely malnourished in 2023 and need lifesaving nutrition
services.

Decades of conflict, limited investment in agricultural production, and climate
shocks have resulted in cyclical food insecurity in many communities. Sudan
depends on local agriculture for food security, but is hindered by floods and
desertification. In Khartoum, refugees and people living in poverty face the
highest rates of food insecurity in the country.

The World Bank reports that record-setting floods in 2020 and 2022 resulted in
billions of dollars in estimated damages, further compounding Sudan’s economic
crisis of rapid inflation and increasing food prices.


WHAT IS MERCY CORPS’ EXPERIENCE WORKING IN SUDAN?

Since 2004, Mercy Corps has worked in Sudan to support hundreds of thousands of
Sudanese, displaced households, and refugees from nearby countries.

Prior to this current escalation, Mercy Corps operated in South Darfur, North
Kordofan, South Kordofan, Gedaref, and Khartoum states. Our programs in Sudan
span humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding. In 2022, Mercy Corps directly
reached over 437,000 people through emergency response, water, sanitation, and
hygiene, peacebuilding, agriculture, and climate adaptation programming. Our
programs promoting food security and economic recovery support more than 30,000
smallholder farmers. Our peacebuilding work promotes an active role for women in
preventing and mitigating violence and conflict.

Currently, all humanitarian operations in Sudan are severely hampered. Mercy
Corps is closely monitoring the volatile security context in Sudan to ensure the
safety of our staff in the country and to prepare to meet urgent needs when it
is safe to do so. Mercy Corps is committed to the people of Sudan, and to
assisting communities to effectively manage conflict and disasters, bolster
recovery, and build secure, just, productive, and dignified lives. Mercy Corps
anticipates the greatest needs in the weeks and months ahead to be food,
shelter, water, and other basic necessities for people who have been displaced
by fighting.

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