UN agencies warn humanitarian system in Sudan could collapse
UN aid agencies warned Monday that the humanitarian response in Sudan — already stretched to its limits — could collapse entirely without urgent new funding, leaving millions without food, shelter, or medical care.
Sudan is currently home to the world’s largest displacement crisis and its worst hunger emergency. More than 12 million people have been forced from their homes since fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023. At least 25 million people — roughly half the country’s population — are facing acute food insecurity.
Agencies face impossible choices
The World Food Programme, UNICEF, and UNHCR are among the agencies now warning they may have to scale back or suspend operations due to catastrophic funding gaps. The 2025 Sudan humanitarian response plan requires $4.2 billion, but it’s currently less than 4% funded.
It’s a number that doesn’t leave much room for optimism.
“We are facing a moment where we will be forced to choose who gets help and who doesn’t,” one senior UN official said. “That’s not a choice any humanitarian worker should ever have to make.”
And yet, that’s exactly where things are heading. Aid convoys are already being blocked, warehouses are running low, and field staff in some areas haven’t received operational funds in weeks.
Without a significant injection of donor funding in the coming weeks, agencies say critical programs — including emergency nutrition for children and trauma care — could shut down before the end of the quarter.
