Situation of the Sudanese Displaced Population in Egypt 2023/2024
Key Findings of the Phone-based Surveys and Focus Group Discussions
Highlights
According to the Government of Egypt figures, more than 1.2 million Sudanese arrived from Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023. Many of whom have already approached UNHCR for registration. As of 17 November 2024, UNHCR has a registered refugee population of around 829,697 refugees and asylum-seekers from 59 nationalities, around 40 per cent of whom are children.
On account of the devastating war in April 2023, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese people surged across the borders into Egypt seeking solace for themselves and their children. Not only did they forcibly part ways with their homes and valued possessions, but in many cases, they also had to leave behind family members and loved ones.
A series of assessments were held to gain an understanding of the displaced population's situation and to monitor its evolvement over time with a special focus on children. Three rounds of phone-based surveys were conducted in July and November 2023, and May 2024. In addition, eight sessions of focus group discussions (FGDs) were held in September 2023 providing further insight into the quantitative findings to inform effective responses to the situation of the displaced people. The questionnaires were designed in technical consultation with the World Bank (WB).
Aside from household characteristics, which were collected in all rounds, each round was designed around specific themes. The first round focused on assessing access to health care services, employment, and mental health, while, the second round, which was conducted after the school year had started, was more focused on access to education. It also included a module on food consumption, and coping strategies; this was carried out in technical collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP). Two indices were integrated to gain insight into the level of food security or lack thereof among the Sudanese displaced population. The third and most recent round covered access to different services along with social inclusion as well as follow-ups on previous themes.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the WB, focus group discussions were conducted to provide an in-depth understanding of the findings of round one, and to explore areas to be examined in the second and third round of the survey.
Regarding the sampling process of the phone-based surveys, for the first round, around 1000 respondents were selected randomly from the databases provided by NGOs that registered Sudanese entrants upon their arrival. In rounds two and three, respondents were sampled from the database of those registered in the joint cash assistance programme of WFP and UNICEF, which reached more than 80,000 Sudanese individuals. As for the FGDs, participants were selected according to four categories: male youth, female youth, ever-married women of reproductive age, and working-age men. A total of eight FGDs were held in community centres in the two locations with the highest concentration of the Sudanese population in Egypt at the time, namely Giza and 6 October City.
