Funds Dry Up as Refugee Flight From Sudan Surges

In Summary

• The UNHCR is expanding its humanitarian appeal for Sudan due to increasing numbers of refugees.
• The revised appeal seeks $1.5 billion to help 3.3 million refugees and host communities through the end of the year.
• Over 10 million people have fled their homes since the conflict began in April 2023.
• The crisis is severely underfunded, with only 19% of needed funds received.
• International donors are urged to provide more funds to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN— The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has increased its humanitarian appeal for Sudan as the number of people fleeing the country’s conflict and hunger continues to rise. The UNHCR has revised its funding request to $1.5 billion, up from the $1.4 billion initially requested in January, to support 3.3 million refugees and the communities hosting them in neighboring countries until the end of the year.

Ewan Watson, the UNHCR's head of global communications, recently visited Sudan’s White Nile State and the Renk and JamJin refugee camps in South Sudan’s Unity State. He described the situation as "incredibly difficult, confusing, dangerous, and an appalling tragedy for civilians both still in Sudan and those who have had to leave the country due to the violence."

Briefing journalists in Geneva, Watson emphasized that the crisis is one of the most neglected globally and is currently the most pressing displacement crisis. Since the conflict began in mid-April 2023, around 10 million people have fled their homes, with nearly 8 million displaced within Sudan and almost 2 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

The funds from the January appeal have been used to assist Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The revised appeal now includes support for refugees in Libya and Uganda. Since the power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces erupted, the UNHCR has registered 20,000 new arrivals in Libya, mostly from Darfur, with thousands more unregistered.

Watson highlighted that in Libya, local services are overstretched, forcing refugee families to sleep in the open due to a lack of shelter. Medical facilities cannot keep up with the growing needs, putting children at risk of malnutrition. Uganda, already Africa's largest refugee-hosting country, is now home to a rapidly growing Sudanese refugee population, with over 39,000 Sudanese refugees arriving since the outbreak of the war, 70% of whom fled this year alone.

Most refugees in Uganda are from Khartoum and are university-educated, seeking to rebuild their lives. They receive humanitarian aid, including food, shelter, and healthcare, primarily in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement. However, these services are increasingly strained, with only 19% of the required funds for humanitarian operations received, which Watson described as "abysmally insufficient."

Heavy rains expected in some hosting countries could complicate the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly in border areas. Watson appealed to international donors for the necessary funds to strengthen government-led efforts to provide critical assistance to millions of vulnerable people. Without increased funding, more refugees may be forced to seek help in challenging locations like Libya.

The United Nations recently reported alarming new data on food security in Sudan, indicating that 755,000 people are in "catastrophic conditions with a risk of famine in 14 areas." Heads of three leading U.N. agencies warned that Sudan faces a devastating hunger catastrophe comparable to the Darfur crisis of the early 2000s.

In the latest update on fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the southern town of Sinja, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 60,000 people have fled to safety, mostly moving east toward the state of Gedaref. OCHA spokesperson Vanessa Huguenin noted that the situation is volatile, with people continuing to move. Humanitarian partners are preparing for the displaced people's arrival with food and nutrition supplies but emphasize the urgent need for more funding and access to provide timely assistance.