UN Raises Alarm Over Sudan’s Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

The United Nations humanitarian agency has raised fresh concerns over the escalating crisis in Sudan, where unrelenting violence, disease outbreaks, and severe shortages of food and clean water continue to endanger millions.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the situation in El Fasher and surrounding areas of Darfur has grown increasingly dire. Since April 2023, an estimated 780,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher town and nearby Zamzam displacement camps — with nearly 500,000 people forced to flee in just April and May this year alone.

The widespread instability is not only driving mass displacement but also accelerating a public health emergency. Cholera cases are rising sharply across Darfur, particularly in South Darfur State, where over 300 suspected cases and more than two dozen deaths have already been reported.

“The violence continues, and food and water are in short supply,” the agency said, painting a bleak picture of daily survival for families cut off from critical services.

In addition to conflict, climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods have worsened already fragile living conditions, disrupting food production, access to clean water, and health infrastructure. With basic supplies becoming increasingly scarce, humanitarian agencies warn that the worst may be yet to come.

The international response has also struggled to keep pace with the growing needs. The UN’s $4.2 billion humanitarian response plan for Sudan is currently only 21% funded, leaving massive gaps in aid delivery, logistics, and medical care.

“This crisis cannot wait. Without access and support, more lives will be lost every single day,” UN officials cautioned, calling for immediate international intervention to scale up aid operations and open humanitarian corridors.