Sudan Appeal

The Sudan is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Nearly three years of conflict, escalating violence, mass displacement, food insecurity, disease outbreaks and the collapse of essential services have pushed millions to the brink. In 2026, 33.7 million people – half of them children – will require urgent humanitarian assistance. 

As of 30 September 2025, the Sudan was facing the world’s largest internal displacement crisis, with 9.5 million internally dispalced persons in 18 states. Three out of every five displaced Sudanese are children. This represents a 17 per cent decrease from the January 2025 peak of 11.5 million, largely due to 2.6 million spontaneous returns in eight states. However, many returnees remain in precarious conditions, and renewed fighting in Al Fasher and Kordofan has triggered new displacements, civilian casualties and severe protection concerns. Since April 2023, more than 3 million Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries. The Sudan also hosts 860,000 refugees, 67 per cent of whom live in camps – mostly in East Sudan and White Nile – with 41 per cent being children.

Conflict-driven displacement and the breakdown of essential services have left 21 million people – nearly half of the population – facing high levels of acute food insecurity. Crop failures, water stress and livestock losses are further worsening hunger. Malnutrition is at critical levels, with global acute malnutrition exceeding 15 per cent in several areas and above 30 per cent in parts of Darfur and Kordofan, surpassing Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 5 famine thresholds. A projected 825,000 children will suffer from severe wasting in 2026. 

The health system in the Sudan is at near total collapse, with 70 per cent of facilities non-functional, leaving 3.4 million children under age 5 at risk of deadly diseases. Cholera remains widespread, with more than 113,000 cases and 3,000 deaths reported since 2024. Malaria is also surging – the Sudan accounts for 41 per cent of global malaria cases and 49 per cent of malaria deaths, averaging 10,000 new infections and 21 deaths daily. One in three persons lacks safe water, a WASH crisis that is affecting 28 million people and fueling outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea.

Grave child rights violations show a worsening situation due to escalations of conflict in Darfur and Kordofan. The education crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with 10.8 million children deprived of safety and learning opportunities. Women and girls face rising gender-based violence amid the collapse of protective systems.

UNICEF’s humanitarian strategy for 2026 is grounded in the principles of the Humanitarian Reset, delivering life-saving, high-impact interventions that sustain essential services for the most vulnerable children and families (including refugee and displaced children) amid the Sudan’s protracted and intensifying crisis. With 17.3 million children in urgent need, UNICEF will ensure the continuity of basic services across conflict-affected, displaced, hard-to-reach and return areas, safeguarding children’s survival, protection and dignity. Children in the Sudan are trapped in a polycrisis of conflict, displacement, hunger and disease that demands a multisectoral, holistic response to address their interlinked needs. 

UNICEF’s approach will integrate health, nutrition, WASH, education, child protection and social protection to provide a comprehensive package of life-saving assistance. In locations classified as famine/risk-of famine, UNICEF will strengthen intersectoral actions for famine response, scaling up health and WASH as critical life-saving priorities. The response will focus on mitigating famine risk, expanding access to essential primary healthcare, vaccination and disease outbreak control; restoring safe water and sanitation systems; and scaling up nutrition screening and treatment for children with severe wasting, alongside the delivery of therapeutic foods, micronutrient supplements and community-based prevention and care practices. Sustaining the supply chain for life-saving commodities and ensuring field-level service continuity will remain critical to avert catastrophic outcomes.

UNICEF will also work to protect children’s right to learn and heal by providing safe and inclusive temporary learning spaces that serve as protective environments for recovery and psychosocial support. Support to teachers, accelerated, remote learning, and flexible education modalities will help children regain a sense of normalcy and continuity. In child protection, UNICEF will strengthen case management, family tracing and reunification and expand mental health and psychosocial support. UNICEF will also address gender-based violence and the risks posed by explosive ordnance.

Cash assistance will provide households with the flexibility to meet urgent needs, preserve dignity and sustain access to essential services. Across all sectors, UNICEF will reinforce its field presence and partnerships with women-led, community-based and private-sector organizations to strengthen localization, accountability and responsiveness. As lead or co-lead for the WASH, nutrition, education and child protection coordination platforms, UNICEF will continue to drive collective efforts that sustain humanitarian lifelines across the Sudan. In the face of escalating conflict, economic collapse and projected risk of famine in specific areas, UNICEF calls for renewed global solidarity to keep children in the Sudan alive, safe and learning.