According to returning aid workers, the Sudanese people use the word “forgotten” to express their feelings. While the Western media focuses its international coverage on Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Ukraine, the underwhelming coverage of other conflict zones belies the scope and scale of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
The Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights has determined that 110 armed conflicts occur worldwide, some of which started over 50 years ago. Yet the distinct lack of Western media coverage on issues that would not affect the ‘greater powers at be’ is appalling.
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the neighbouring regions is grim, and the sheer lack of international funding to support emergency responses has left Concern Worldwide and other humanitarian organisations struggling to help. According to Concern, the crisis in Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis globally, with 30.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Five million were displaced, and Nine million were forced to leave their homes. It has been estimated that USD 10.28 billion is needed to meet the basic requirements to help the Sudanese people. This is in comparison to the 3.3 million people and USD 4 billion who need humanitarian aid in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
At the start of 2023, one out of every three people in Sudan (approximately 15.8 million people) required humanitarian aid, a 10% increase compared to the previous year. But then came April 2023, when intense violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, ignited a countrywide conflict, which quickly led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Over a year later, half of Sudan’s population still needs help, with no signs of the situation improving anytime soon. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that Sudan will soon be the world’s worst hunger crisis.
Peter Van der Auweraert (South Sudan’s representative for the UN’s International Organisation for Migration) told the New York Times after a mass evacuation in the beginning weeks of the fighting, “The people that get out first are the people that have the means.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has estimated that Sudan “is facing the worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded by the IPC in the country.” They have estimated that by the end of 2024 (of which official figures are still to follow), 755,000 people across 10 of the country’s 18 states will face catastrophe-level hunger, which in IPC terminology means famine or famine-like conditions. While a large part of this is driven by conflict, Sudan also faces the pressure of climate change, which directly affects food security and agriculture. This means that 80% of working Sudanese, who make their livelihoods in agriculture, are losing money and their livelihoods as the crops cease to grow from droughts or massive rainfall with no let-ups. Food processing factories have come to a standstill due to the war, and the only factory in the country that was producing lifesaving therapeutic food for children (RUTF) was destroyed.
Even when food and water are available, the conflict has led to inflation of over 200%. Funding for NGOs like Concern Worldwide and Unicef is not being fulfilled. Concern’s 2023 appeal for Sudan, launched following the escalation in April 2023, secured only 48% of the USD 2.7 billion required to address the urgent needs projected for 2024. Despite this, the funding fell short of providing humanitarian aid to everyone in need, with Concern’s efforts reaching just 5.2 million people.
It is deeply concerning to anticipate that conflict will likely persist in 2025, leading to more displacement and worsening economic conditions. Sadly, humanitarian needs will likely grow, and the call for intervention will become even more urgent. However, funding will not meet escalating demands. It is heartbreaking to realise that it is the civilians of Sudan who will bear the brunt of these ongoing challenges, facing unimaginable hardships in such difficult times.
In November of 2024, UCD BDS and UCD Islamic Society coordinated a march in support of Sudan, where they marched from An Dáil Éireann to the UAE Embassy. In a joint post, UCD BDS stated, “We cannot stand idly by and wait for intervention by careless politicians complicit in the continuing suffering of Sudanese civilians. We demand for the Irish government to take action against the UAE’s gross funding of the conflict and to push for a ceasefire immediately. Let’s show that Ireland and Irish people demand civilian power and sovereignty in Sudan!”
Hannah Costello – Co-Editor
