UN agencies warn that nearly three years of sustained violence, limited humanitarian access and declining funding have pushed Sudan into what they describe as the biggest humanitarian emergency in the world.
An estimated 33.7 million people – about two-thirds of the population – are expected to require humanitarian assistance by 2026. More than 20 million people are now in need of health assistance, while 21 million face acute food insecurity.
Destructive effect
The conflict erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), plunging the country into a civil war that has spread from the capital Khartoum to Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.
The fighting has destroyed infrastructure, destroyed state institutions and left civilians exposed to widespread violence, displacement and deprivation.
Repeated ceasefire efforts have failed and large parts of the country remain inaccessible to humanitarian actors due to insecurity, bureaucratic constraints and ongoing hostilities.
Patients receive treatment in a tent outside a hospital in Khartoum as Sudan’s health system comes under severe strain from attacks, shortages, disease outbreaks and natural disasters.
A health system on the brink
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Sudan’s health system has been pushed close to collapse by ongoing fighting, mass displacement and repeated attacks on medical facilities. More than a third of healthcare facilities nationwide are non-functional, cutting millions off from essential and life-saving treatment.
Since the conflict began, WHO has verified 201 attacks on health services, resulting in 1,858 deaths and 490 injuries. Such attacks violate international humanitarian law and put patients, caregivers and health workers at grave risk.
“A thousand days of conflict in Sudan has driven the health system to the brink of collapse,” said Shible Sahbani, WHO representative in Sudan. “Under the burden of disease, hunger and lack of access to basic services, people are facing a devastating situation.”
Despite uncertainty and access restrictions, WHO continues to support life-saving services, having delivered more than 3,300 tons of medicines and medical supplies worth about $40 million. It also supported cholera vaccination campaigns and helped millions access care through hospitals, primary health centers and mobile clinics.
Mass displacement
Sudan is also the world’s largest displacement crisis, with an estimated 13.6 million people uprooted by the fighting – around 9.3 million internally displaced and another 4.3 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
Overcrowded living conditions, poor sanitation and disrupted services have fueled outbreaks of cholera, malaria, dengue and measles in large parts of the country.
A child is screened for malnutrition at a UNICEF-supported nutrition center in North Darfur, Sudan in December 2025. The red color means severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Children who carry the heaviest burden
Children make up about half of those expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Children continue to be killed and injured,” said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, noting that eight children were reportedly killed in a single attack in North Kordofan this week alone.
In North Darfur alone, nearly 85,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated between January and November 2025 – around one child every six minutes – underscoring the scale of the crisis.
Calling for peace and access
Both WHO and UNICEF emphasize that humanitarian action, although life-saving, cannot replace peace.
“To meet the increasing needs and prevent the crisis from spiraling out of hand, WHO and humanitarian partners demand safe and unhindered access to all areas of Sudan and increased financial resources,” said Dr. Sahbani.
For children, UNICEF warns, only an end to the fighting can stop the erosion of safety, health and hope.
“All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law: protect civiliansstop attacks on infrastructure and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access,” Mr. Beigbeder said.
