Sudan Regional Response

Sudan’s conflict has triggered the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis. Sudan has the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with over 11 million individuals, of whom 8.6 million have been newly displaced since April 2023. 50% of the population is acutely food insecure, while over 600,000 face catastrophic levels of hunger. Sudan is also home to 838,000 refugees. In neighbouring countries, 3.9 million Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers (including 3 million displaced since April 2023) make up the third-largest refugee population globally and the largest on the African continent. In a large-scale repatriation movement, 741,000 South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have also fled back to South Sudan. Nationals of the Central African Republic, Chad and Ethiopia have also returned to their home countries under adverse circumstances. Without a resolution to the crisis, millions more people may be forced to flee in search of safety, protection, and basic assistance, jeopardizing peace and stability across the region. 

The Sudanese people have repeatedly faced internal conflicts since the country’s independence. The economic toll of this latest escalation has been particularly devastating, and the World Bank expects the conflict will set Sudan’s development back several decades. The World Bank estimates that Sudan’s real GDP contracted by 12% in 2023, and the African Development Bank projects a more severe decline up to 37%, driven by destruction of production capacity and disruptions to economic activities. Deepening state fragility, the collapse of basic services, and a contraction of the economy are expected to hinder reconstruction and recovery. 

Regional ramifications of the Sudanese emergency are extensive – particularly in neighbouring Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic, as well as in Uganda and Libya. All these countries are grappling with an influx of refugees – as well as returning citizens for some – fleeing the devastating conflict into areas that are often impoverished and have limited access to basic social services and economic opportunities. Further movements to Kenya, Eritrea and Tunisia have been recorded, as well as onward to Europe, in search of protection, assistance, and livelihood opportunities. 

The conflict is a significant economic shock for the entire region. The IMF has indicated that severe spillovers from the conflict in Sudan could exacerbate the humanitarian and macroeconomic situation in neighbouring countries. Disruptions to supply chains and local cross-border trade have also impacted economies across the region. Countries assisting those displaced via integrated settlement approaches in rural areas and urban responses in cities span from the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa to the Sahel Region. They include six low-income countries - the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda – and two middle-income countries – Egypt and Libya. Together, they account for approximately 25% of the African continent’s population. 

Internal and international conflicts, the UN Economic Commission for Africa warns, are major hurdles that directly and detrimentally affect progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. Many SDGs will remain out of reach without a comprehensive approach to address the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding needs and challenges in Sudan and neighbouring countries. The immense scale and duration of the Sudan regional refugee crisis necessitate development responses both in Sudan and in countries of asylum.

In accordance with its mandate, UNHCR coordinates the Sudan regional refugee response, working with +111 partners across the region. Humanitarian and development partners are scaling up programs in displacement-affected areas to deliver lifesaving assistance, facilitate access to basic services, build community resilience, stabilize local economies and consolidate peace gains.

To support efforts by development partners to respond to the Sudan emergency, UNHCR and UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) have established a Development Partners Group for the Sudan Regional Refugee Crisis. This nexus approach is in line with UNHCR’s commitment to pursue “solutions from the start” of an emergency.

Note: The figures do not include those Third Country Nationals who are not seeking asylum. Refugee Returnees figure may include previously registered refugees in Sudan and those that may not have been registered. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.