Sudan Humanitarian Update (23 November 2023)

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • The number of people displaced inside and outside Sudan since mid-April has reached 6.3 million.

  • About 5.1 million people have been displaced within Sudan. People have been displaced in 5,473 locations across all 18 states.

  • Since mid-April, over 3,130 allegations of severe child rights violations have been reported in the country, with the Darfur region bearing at least half of the cases.

  • If the ban blocking the movement of surgical supplies is not lifted, MSF may have to suspend surgical operations at the Turkish Hospital in Khartoum.

  • Between April and 15 October, 154 humanitarian partners reached about 4.5 million people with life-saving assistance.

  • The revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is only 34.5 per cent funded as of 23 November.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Since fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in mid-April, an estimated 6.3 million people have fled their homes, taking refuge inside and outside the country, with children representing about half of the people displaced. Sudan is now the country with the largest number of displaced people in the world as prior to the fighting there were 3.7 million people internally displaced in Sudan. It is also now the country with the largest child displacement crisis in the world. ACLED estimates that more than 10,400 people have been killed since the fighting broke out in April, of which about 1,300 killings happened between 30 September and 27 October.

According to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix (IOM DTM) Sudan Response Situation Update, #32, about 5.1 million people have been displaced within Sudan. People have been displaced in 5,473 locations across all of Sudan’s 18 states, an increase of 161 locations in one week. Most of the displaced people have taken refuge in South Darfur (12.28 per cent), River Nile (11.99 per cent), East Darfur (10.59 per cent), White Nile (8.32 per cent), North Darfur (8.31 per cent), and Northern (7.09 per cent) states. According to IOM field teams, about 66.8 per cent of the displaced people (about 3.4 million people) are originally from Khartoum State. IOM also estimates that approximately 2.39 per cent of the people displaced within Sudan are non-Sudanese nationals.
In addition, about 1.2 million people crossed into neighbouring countries since 15 April, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). People have crossed into neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

Refugee update

Prior to the outbreak of the conflict in mid-April 2023 there were just under 1,445,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Sudan. Many of these were subsequently forced to move, following the conflict outbreak, to other areas within Sudan

which were considered safer, while others crossed into neighbouring countries. UNHCR reports that between 15 April and 14 November, over 195,000 refugees have moved from conflict hotspots to safer areas in Sudan, of whom 70 per cent are children. The majority of refugees who have self-relocated have moved to White Nile (145,200), followed by Red Sea (16,000) and Gedaref (8,600), with the remainder spread across various states. South Sudanese refugees make up the majority of internal movements (161,200), followed by Ethiopian (6,700) and Eritrea refugees (5,000).
Refugee Consultation Forum (RCF) partners continue to deliver multi-sectoral assistance, prioritizing response for those living in camps. As of 31 October, about 848,100 refugees have been reached with at least one form of assistance.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services continue to be provided to ensure access to safe water in refugee camps and settlements, and protection response remains prioritized. Assistance also continues to be delivered in other sectors including education, food security and livelihoods (FSL), health, nutrition, and shelter and non-food items (S/NFIs).

Group of Sudanese and international civil groups sound alarm on atrocities in Sudan

On 15 November, 50 Sudanese and international civil society groups raised the alarm on future atrocities being committed in Sudan, based on the patterns of atrocities that have occurred in the previous seven months of war. They called on the international community to take decisive preventative action to prevent further atrocities from being perpetrated. These civic groups said they have evidence of crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) being perpetrated against civilians during the conflict. They called on stakeholders to urgently act to ensure the parties to the conflict adhere to obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other treaties which Sudan is party to, commitments reflected in the Constitutional Declaration of 2019 and the Juba Peace Agreement of 2020 and commitments both parties made under the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.

Spike in severe child rights violations in Darfur

Since the war broke out in April, over 3,130 allegations of severe child rights violations have been reported in the country, with the Darfur region bearing at least half of the cases, reports the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF). Actual numbers are likely much higher. The number of severe child rights violations in Darfur has spiked 550 per cent compared to the verified number in all of 2022. The escalation of conflict in Darfur has exposed children to increased risks of recruitment, sexual violence, killing and maiming. Of all the killing and maiming incidents reported across Sudan, 51 per cent involve children in Darfur. In addition, 48 per cent of the total reported sexual violence cases in Sudan have occurred in Darfur, reports UNICEF.

Disease outbreaks continue to be reported across the country The country is faced with several disease outbreaks including acute watery diarrhoea/cholera, measles, dengue, and malaria. An estimated 70 per cent of hospitals in states affected by conflict are not working, and the remaining ones are overwhelmed by the influx of people seeking care, many of whom are internally displaced, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

The number of suspected cases of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera continues to increase with cases now reported across eight states. Overall, 3,591 suspected cases (including 115 associated deaths and a case fatality rate (CFR) of 3.2 per cent), have been reported as of 20 November, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and WHO Outbreaks Dashboard. This includes 1,571 suspected cases of cholera and 44 associated deaths in Gedaref; 951 cases and 20 deaths in Aj Jazirah; 424 cases and 26 deaths in Khartoum; 346 cases and eight deaths in South Kordofan; 44 cases and three deaths in Kassala; 113 cases and five deaths in Red Sea; 30 cases and one death in Sennar; and 112 cases and eight deaths in White Nile.