The United Nations has made an urgent appeal for $4.1 billion to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan and assist refugees who have sought shelter in neighboring countries.
The conflict, spanning ten months between Sudan’s armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, raised concerns about famine, and displaced millions of individuals within and beyond Sudan’s borders.
Approximately half of Sudan’s population, totaling around 25 million people, requires humanitarian aid and protection. Over 1.5 million individuals have fled to neighboring nations such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, according to the United Nations.
In a joint appeal launched on Wednesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are seeking $2.7 billion in funding to provide humanitarian assistance to 14.7 million people.
As part of the appeal, the UN refugee agency is specifically requesting $1.4 billion to support nearly 2.7 million people in the five countries neighboring Sudan. Highlighting the dire situation, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths emphasized the severe impact of ten months of conflict on the people of Sudan, stripping them of safety, homes, and livelihoods.
Griffiths stressed the importance of surpassing last year’s funding levels, which were less than half of the initial appeal, and urged a heightened sense of urgency in addressing the crisis.
