UN agency urges global action to prevent regional instability as Sudan war enters 3rd year

As Sudan’s devastating civil war enters its third year, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) called on Tuesday for urgent and coordinated global action to address what it described as “one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”

More than 11.3 million people are currently displaced within Sudan, including 8.6 million uprooted since the conflict erupted in April 2023, according to the IOM. Another 3.9 million have fled to neighbouring countries, straining fragile host communities in Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

“The war has pushed Sudan to the brink. Thousands of lives have been lost to violence, families torn apart, and the hopes and aspirations of millions shattered in the face of starvation, disease and the complete collapse of the economy,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.

“And even with the violence, many displaced people are attempting to return to their homes, only to find total devastation. Sudan desperately needs humanitarian aid, and equally important, longer-term investment to ensure people can return safely, and that they, and their communities, can recover and rebuild their lives.”

With over 30 million people — two-thirds of the country’s population — in urgent need of assistance, the IOM warned that humanitarian needs are growing by the day, especially in the hard-hit Darfur region, where incoming rains threaten to disrupt aid deliveries.

The agency has provided emergency shelter, clean water, sanitation and health services to nearly four million people. However, it warned that its 2025 response plan is just 10 per cent funded.

Urging the global response to scale up, the IOM said that a lack of funding could halt critical data collection, leave millions without aid and undermine regional stability.

“The people of Sudan cannot afford to be kept waiting,” added Pope. “The international community must deliver a clear and united message: the people of Sudan are not forgotten.”

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