Sudan in Crisis
On April 15, violence erupted in Sudan as rival factions fought for control of the country’s capital. Civilians are bearing the brunt of the fighting as it spreads across the country. A staggering 7.4 million people have been forcibly displaced, facing high levels of food insecurity and outbreaks of disease including dengue fever, cholera, and measles. A total of 24.7 million men, women, and children are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
“The fighting is [ongoing] and we can hear bullets and bombing all around us. Buildings are on fire and smoke fills the sky. People are trapped in their homes and scared about what is going to happen in the coming days. Life is paralyzed, everything is closed and food supplies are running out.
Many of the poorest people [already] don’t have [enough] food, they buy whatever little they can afford each day – and now they can’t even do that. Already critical levels of hunger in the country are now set to get even worse. Millions of people will need aid.” – Elsadig Elnour, Islamic Relief Sudan Country Director
Humanitarian aid workers are among those killed and many aid agency offices have been looted, forcing the suspension of vital humanitarian work. While issues related to the delivery of humanitarian aid persist, Islamic Relief has successfully completed the following interventions:
- Provision of food aid to 116,975 people and essential non-food items to 1,215 people
- Provision of water storage kits to 3,880 people
- Access to healthcare and medicine for 55,261 people and the distribution of 4,235 hygiene kits
- Cash assistance for 19,292 people
- Shelter assistance for 2,395 people
- Psychosocial support for 2,202 people
Stay tuned to this page for ongoing updates.
Focus on Sudan
Political instability, socioeconomic crisis, and food insecurity affect nearly a quarter of the population in Sudan. At least 3 million children under the age of five suffer from malnutrition. Violence and inter-communal clashes have also contributed to high numbers of internal and cross-border displacements. In some areas, schools have become temporary shelters, disrupting children’s education. At least 14.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Islamic Relief’s Dedication to Sudan
Islamic Relief’s first humanitarian response in Sudan was in response to the famine in 1984, where we provided vital food aid to people in need. Since then, our focus has been on long-term development assistance to help pull vulnerable communities out of the cycle of poverty.
A few of our interventions include:
- Access to healthcare and education
- Qurbani+ (Plus), an initiative that seeks to increase the income of families by partnering with them in an Islamic microfinance livelihood program connected to Eid al-Adha
- Orphan care
- Humanitarian aid for internally displaced people and returnees, and other vulnerable populations
- Emergency aid for flood-affected families including access to clean water and sustainable livelihood support