Sudan
About Sudan
The Republic of Sudan is one of the largest countries in Africa, with a population of 45 million largely concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, and neighboring Omdurman. Sudan has experienced recent cycles of conflict that have strained its health systems, including the War in Darfur from 2003-2020, which led to widespread displacement, disease, and hunger. Three years after a peace agreement was signed in Darfur, Sudan is again facing another humanitarian emergency due to civil conflict that broke out in April 2023.
>> Read Project HOPE’s latest situation report on Sudan here.
Challenges
Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been in a violent civil conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that displaced at least 3.5 million people and devastated the nation’s health system. While the true human toll of the war has been difficult to confirm, news outlets report that thousands of people have died in West Darfur alone. The violence has left Sudan’s health system on the brink of collapse. It has become extremely difficult to provide medicine and supplies to those in need, and now half of Sudan’s population — 24.7 million people —requires urgent humanitarian support.
Reports of rape, sexual violence, and abuse have increased significantly since the start of the conflict, with approximately 4.2 million women and girls at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Health workers and facilities are also being targeted: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Sudan Doctors Union have reported at least 53 attacks on facilities since April 2023, and at least 21 health workers have been killed.
Many health facilities that have not been bombed have been occupied and looted, creating widespread shortages of medicines and medical supplies. The Health Cluster team in Sudan, coordinated by WHO, has reported that 75% of Khartoum’s health facilities are non-functional.
Our History in Sudan
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Project HOPE facilitated online training for more than 1,200 health workers and 14,000 community members on mental health and COVID-19 response training.
Our Impact
In August 2023, Project HOPE delivered two Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs) to Al-Nau Hospital in Omdurman, a city near Khartoum. These IEHKs will serve the primary healthcare needs of 20,000 people for up to three months. In addition, a shipment of 36,000 bottles of antibiotics is en route and our team is readying additional supplies for future delivery.
Nada Elazhar for Disaster Prevention and Sustainable Development (NADA) is responding to Sudan’s humanitarian crisis through support from Project HOPE. NADA is able to provide support for internally displaced people (IDPs), Sudanese communities experiencing an influx of IDPs, and refugees looking to leave the country entirely.
NADA has been providing support to displaced families and refugees in North Darfur State and Northern State through comprehensive case management, counseling, provision of medications, and referral services to higher-level care.
NADA has also activated a hotline to reach sexual violence and GBV survivors and provide psychosocial support services remotely in coordination with the United Nations Population Fund. NADA personnel are currently able to provide support in Amharic, Tigre, Tigrinya, Arabic, and English.
Additionally, NADA has provided Psychological First Aid training to health workers in Kassala and West Nile States, both of which are seeing high numbers of IDPs. NADA also has continued to hold information sessions for IDPs on Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and created social media posts for North Darfur State’s Information Department.
NADA launched and completed four public information campaigns in Al-Fashir, Zalingei, and Jebel Marra, focusing on GBV, EORE, and child protection. In addition to in-person sessions, an estimated 125,000 people were reached via radio messages across Sudan in the first two weeks of July.
Even prior to this conflict, Sudan was home to a dire humanitarian situation. The country’s health system was already stretched thin due to a lack of skilled health workers and inconsistent access in rural areas, which contributed to high child and maternal mortality rates and an increased number of deaths from infectious disease outbreaks. The current crisis has only exacerbated these challenges.