The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are sounding the alarm: Serious funding gaps have depleted the supplies of emergency shelter and basic household goods intended for Sudan. Without urgent provision of flexible funding, even more families will have to cope without adequate protection from extreme weather conditions, insecurity, violence and exploitation in the coming months.
According to a recently published joint statement, $2.9 billion (€2.62bn) is needed for the United Nation’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. This funding is intended to provide life-saving aid to 20.4 million people in Sudan. So far, however, only 47% of the required funds have been raised.
A total of 33.7 million people in the war- and famine-stricken country are dependent on humanitarian aid. Some 15.4 million alone require emergency shelter and basic household items. However, due to a lack of funding, aid organizations have been able to assist only 10%.
More than three and a half years after the war began between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan is still the site of the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. About 8.6 million people fled within the country to escape the escalating violence and more than 4.6 million fled to neighboring countries. Another 5.2 million have returned to their regions of origin despite the ongoing war. However, their towns and infrastructure have been destroyed. Fighting, drone strikes and logistical problems further complicate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Between 40,000 and 250,000 people have been killed. Accurate or updated figures are not available as fighting continues, satellite-based internet communication is curbed, and many aid organizations and observers have left the country.
Donors cut back on funding
“It’s hard to imagine how people are supposed to survive,” Marina Peter, chairwoman of the Sudan and South Sudan Forum in Germany, told DW. In large parts of the country, people have been cut off from humanitarian aid since the war began. Some have survived by eating roots. According to the Sudan expert, the fact that people are still returning to war zones from neighboring countries is also linked to shortages: Food rations have been drastically cut in refugee camps.
Ivo Körner, Sudan specialist at Caritas International, criticizes the international community for the sharp decline in aid. “Globally, we’re seeing a dramatic drop in funding for humanitarian aid,” Körner told DW. It’s not just the United States that has slashed its contributions; Germany and the European Union are also providing significantly less funding than they did four or five years ago, he said.
In Sudan, Caritas International supports refugees and the communities hosting them with cash assistance, drinking water supplies, basic medical care and seeds. However, Sudan’s Caritas’ projects in 2026 have been financed exclusively through donations. While Körner hopes for additional funding from the German Foreign Office for Sudan projects, he predicts that funding opportunities will be significantly more limited than in previous years.
According to Sudan expert Marina Peters, the consequences of the crisis are becoming increasingly difficult to assess. “In many parts of the country, people have already been completely cut off from humanitarian aid since the start of the war,” she told DW. Peter also notes that child mortality in Sudan is above average. However, it is nearly impossible to determine the actual extent of the crisis more precisely because the warring parties continue to obstruct humanitarian access.
Who should take action?
On October 23, the United Kingdom and 31 other international partners, including Germany, issued a joint statement on the looming famine in Sudan. According to the statement, 19.5 million people — about 41% of the population — are suffering from acute food insecurity. The countries are calling on the warring parties to allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and to refrain from attacks on civilian infrastructure. At the same time, they are demanding an increase in international aid funding.
While Marina Peter welcomes the appeal in principle, she sees a contradiction. “The question is: Who is this appeal actually directed at?” Most of the signatories have themselves systematically cut funding for humanitarian aid and development cooperation. The appeal to the international donor community is thus ultimately directed at the states themselves.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese government based in the country’s capital Khartoum — led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan’s SAF — rejects all warnings of a famine.
In a statement dated October 26, it claims that the food situation in the country is reportedly reassuring and that government reserves and ongoing agricultural production are sufficient to meet demand. According to Khartoum, the warnings from Western countries amount to a politicization of the humanitarian situation.
Peter criticized this statement as “truly cynical and almost perfidious. The government’s claim that humanitarian organizations have unrestricted access also does not reflect reality, she said. In many places, aid continues to be obstructed.
Drone attacks exacerbate dangers
In addition to hunger and displacement, the threat to civilians posed by the use of drones is also growing. The Peace for Sudan Platform issued an appeal on November 5 calling for an end to attacks on civilians, markets, hospitals, and water and electricity supplies. In the first three weeks of October alone, at least 306 people were killed in attacks. According to the UN Human Rights Office, drones claimed the lives of at least 1,120 civilians in the first half of 2026.
“Drone strikes are a major problem,” Caritas’ Körner confirmed. They cause widespread anxiety among the population and often strike civilians. Added to this is the danger to humanitarian workers. This makes local partner organizations all the more important, he said. They enjoy the trust of the local population, are deeply rooted in the regions and in some cases are able to reach areas that international aid workers can hardly access.
This article was originally published in German.
