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  • 3 mins read time
  • Published: 16th April 2025
  • Blog by Melissa Cooke

Two years into the Sudan conflict, millions could be pushed into famine

 

The Situation in Sudan

As Sudan’s conflict enters its third year, massive displacement and fighting are spilling over into neighbouring countries, worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The upcoming rainy season, combined with aid cuts by the US and other key donors, will severely hamper humanitarian efforts putting millions of lives at risk. This is according to a new Oxfam report. 

Sudan’s brutal conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. For the first time in the history of modern humanitarian response, a single country – Sudan – has reached over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. 

  • More than 12.7 million people - nearly one-third of the population - have been forced to flee their homes. 
  • This includes 3.7 million to neighbouring countries. 
  • Sudan currently accounts for one in eight internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide and one in 13 refugees globally, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis. 
  • One in two Sudanese people are hungry. 
  • Five areas in the country are already experiencing famine, and nearly eight million more people are at risk of starvation. 

The upcoming rains could turn roads to mud, and trigger the collapse of vital bridges, cutting off people from essential aid and services. 

The impact in neighbouring countries

Two of the host countries, South Sudan and Chad, are already among the world’s poorest countries

  • In South Sudan, the number of people needing assistance has more than doubled over the past decade - from 4.1 million in 2015 to 9 million in 2025. 
  • In Chad, one in three people - about 7 million people - need assistance in 2025. 
Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director
“We are already witnessing clashes between armed groups from South Sudan and Sudan. This volatile situation is simmering like a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Unless the fighting stops and the humanitarian crisis is addressed, the situation could quickly turn into a full-blown regional catastrophe.”
— Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director

Nadia's story

 

Oxfam's Report