OCHA: ‘Staggering suffering in Sudan’

Now ten months into Sudan’s war, the latest report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Port Sudan details the devastating toll on the “25 million people, including more than 14 million children”, who require urgent humanitarian assistance, according to the OCHA report published on Saturday.

OCHA’s report of February 15, Sudan: Ten months of conflict – Key Facts and Figures, states that the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has led to the country being “in the throes of one of the world’s most rapidly evolving crises”.

The report emphasises that the “scale of suffering is staggering”, adding that more than eight million people, constituting about 15 per cent of Sudan’s total population, are now displaced.

This is the largest displacement crisis globally. Within Sudan, over 6.2 million people have been displaced, primarily sheltering with host communities across the country, while approximately 1.8 million have fled to neighbouring nations such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Diseases like cholera have surged, with reports of close to 10,500 suspected cholera cases and outbreaks of other diseases. The conflict has debilitated Sudan’s medical capability, exacerbating healthcare woes due to the lack of security and limited access to essential supplies.

At least 17.7 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity, with nearly five million in emergency conditions.

The conflict’s expansion into key agricultural regions has further escalated food shortages, raising concerns of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.

Dabanga previously reported that the conflict has claimed the lives of over 12,000 people. With negotiation efforts faltering multiple times and analysts suggesting a ‘military solution’ appears unattainable, the urgent push for peace is paramount to prevent Sudan from plunging into even greater chaos.