Humanitarian collapse in Sudan
Aid groups and monitors report worsening humanitarian collapse in Sudan and neighbouring South Sudan, with NGOs saying millions are surviving on one meal a day and both sides blocking relief operations. (aljazeera.com) Separate reports put displacement at about 14 million people and over 21 million facing acute food insecurity, and Sudan's former prime minister said Berlin talks now include a civilian forum focused on humanitarian access and protection. (news.fundsforngos.org) (thenationalnews.com) (hrw.org)
Millions of people in Sudan are now surviving on one meal a day as war, hunger and blocked aid push the country deeper into collapse. (aljazeera.com) Sudan’s war began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, and the United Nations refugee agency said on April 10, 2026 that about 14 million people have been forced to flee. That includes 9 million displaced inside Sudan and 4.4 million across borders. (unhcr.org) The World Food Programme says 21.2 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity, and 6.3 million are in emergency conditions or worse. In its 2026 emergency overview, the agency said conflict and severely restricted access are driving the sharpest deterioration in Darfur and Kordofan. (wfp.org) Aid access is not just a logistics problem. The World Food Programme said famine conditions eased in nine Sudanese locations where fighting subsided and aid got through, but famine was confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli where people remained cut off. (wfp.org) The crisis has spilled across Sudan’s borders into South Sudan, where Human Rights Watch said on April 12, 2026 that government and opposition forces have both blocked aid and ordered civilians out of populated areas. The group said at least three sweeping evacuation orders were issued by each side since late 2025, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee in Jonglei state. (hrw.org) South Sudan was already under severe strain before the latest fighting. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than 10 million people in South Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2026, while arrivals from Sudan have pushed water systems, clinics and schools in places such as Renk and Maban to 300 to 400 percent of capacity. (unocha.org) Diplomats are trying again this week in Berlin. A United Nations regional information center said the International Sudan Conference on April 15, 2026 will bring together United Nations officials, humanitarian organizations and a structured civilian forum as governments seek more aid, better access and a political path forward. (unric.org) Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said the civilian presence marks a change from earlier conferences in Paris in 2024 and London in 2025, which did not produce a ceasefire or a credible political framework. Amnesty International said ahead of Berlin that donors should increase funding for frontline groups and press the warring parties to allow unhindered humanitarian access. (thenationalnews.com) (amnesty.org) The Sudanese government denies famine in army-held areas, and the Rapid Support Forces deny responsibility for conditions in territories they control. On the ground, aid agencies and United Nations monitors keep reporting the same numbers: more people displaced, more people hungry, and less access to reach them. (aljazeera.com) (news.un.org)
