Record number of people displaced as Sudan conflict marks three years – Oxfam Ireland
As Sudan’s gruelling conflict enters its fourth year, a record number of people have now been displaced by the world’s worst humanitarian and displacement crisis - accelerating hunger and suffering.
More than 30 million people – over half the population – in Sudan urgently need humanitarian support. Nearly 14 million people have been forced from their homes since the conflict began in April 2023. Almost a third - 4.5 million - fled to neighbouring countries Chad, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan; countries already struggling with under-funded emergencies.
The crisis is compounded by the decimation of lifesaving support from the UN and humanitarian agencies, including Oxfam, who have been forced to either stop or scale back programmes across the region due to funding cuts. Some aid agencies have closed entirely, while those still operating are now only able to assist only a fraction of those in need.
More than 1.3 million people have crossed the border to South Sudan, a country already grappling with hunger and insecurity with over 300,000 displaced by renewed fighting in Jonglei state. In Renk, the main transit centre is now operating at more than four times its capacity.
Oxfam staff have reported that, families are having to sleep out in the open areas as spaces run out. Water and food rations have significantly reduced with families receiving less than half of their monthly food rations while access to clean water has dropped leaving thousands to rely on unsafe water sources. 26 deaths were also reported since January linked to severe malnutrition and shortages of medical supplies.
As Sudan’s conflict drags into a fourth year, the scale of human suffering is staggering and growing by the day. Millions of people who have already lost everything are now facing further devastation as lifesaving aid is cut. For people arriving in South Sudan, safety from war has been replaced by hunger, disease and desperation. Refugee centres are overflowing, food rations are being slashed and families are drinking unsafe water simply to survive. This is happening not because solutions don’t exist, but because funding has been withdrawn at the very moment needs are at their highest.
— Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO
In Renk, before the funding cuts, Oxfam was supporting over 40,000 people with lifesaving assistance, including water, food and cash assistance. That number has dropped to just over 7,000 people – and no longer includes food support.
The impact of the crisis on women and girls is especially alarming, while Oxfam's integrated protection model in Renk combines GBV case management, inter-agency referral pathways, and close partnership with local organisation South Sudan Women United.
I lost most of my family to the conflict in Sudan. I walked for days to get to South Sudan but until now I have not managed to get a space for my three children in the transit centre, we had to set up a makeshift home in the open area which is not safe for us all. The food we are getting is not enough but at least we are safe from the war for now.
— Hamdi, a mother of three who recently arrived in Renk, said to Oxfam staff.
Chad alone has taken in over one million refugees from Sudan - more than in the previous two decades combined – yet funding continues to be cut. An estimated 3 million people in the country will need food assistance from July to September.
Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO, noted Ireland's diplomatic and financial commitment to addressing the Sudan crisis and its regional spillover.
“At a time when some of the world’s largest donors are stepping back, it’s critical that Ireland and other partners continue to do everything they can to prevent unimaginable suffering and loss of life. Our history has shaped a deep public commitment to humanitarian action. Without sustained funding, families fleeing war will be left without food, water or medical care. That is a moral failure that we cannot accept from states slashing humanitarian aid at present.”
Oxfam is supporting refugee response in Chad and South Sudan with clean water and hygiene facilities, food, cash assistance and protection services.
In 2025, Sudan Regional Refugee Response plan was only 25% funded, leaving critical gaps in lifesaving support.
FEWS NET estimates that nearly 3 million people will need food assistance at the height of the lean season in Chad
Food Insecurity and malnutrition in South Sudan remain extremely high according to the IPC with 7.5 million people –53% projected to experience high level of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above)
Emergency standards recommend no more than 50 people per latrine at the onset of a crisis, improving to 20 over time. In Renk, South Sudan that has risen to 70 or more per latrine—pushing facilities beyond safe limits and increasing the risk of outbreaks such as cholera and dysentery.
As Sudan’s conflict drags into a fourth year, the scale of human suffering is staggering and growing by the day. Millions of people who have already lost everything are now facing further devastation as lifesaving aid is cut. For people arriving in South Sudan, safety from war has been replaced by hunger, disease and desperation. Refugee centres are overflowing, food rations are being slashed and families are drinking unsafe water simply to survive. This is happening not because solutions don’t exist, but because funding has been withdrawn at the very moment needs are at their highest.
