The United Nations humanitarian agency has raised serious concerns about the escalating crisis in Sudan, where continued violence, severe food and water shortages, and rising health threats are placing millions at risk.
Since April 2023, an estimated 780,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher town and the nearby Zamzam displacement camps—nearly 500,000 of them in just April and May 2025—according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Compounding the humanitarian emergency is a growing cholera outbreak across Darfur, with over 300 suspected cases and more than two dozen deaths reported in South Darfur alone.
The crisis is being worsened by climate-related shocks and a critically underfunded humanitarian response. The UN’s $4.2 billion appeal for Sudan is only 21% funded, significantly limiting the delivery of lifesaving assistance. UN officials have warned that without immediate and unhindered humanitarian access, the death toll will continue to rise.
The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, which has become a flashpoint in the ongoing conflict between rival military factions.
“Those who remain in El Fasher are facing extreme shortages of food and clean water, as markets are repeatedly disrupted by fighting,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters during a press briefing in New York.
He also highlighted that nearly 40% of children under five in the city are now suffering from acute malnutrition, with 11% classified as severely malnourished. Much of the surrounding water infrastructure has been either destroyed or rendered inoperable due to fuel shortages and lack of maintenance, further compounding the health and sanitation crisis.
The UN continues to call for urgent international support and unimpeded humanitarian access to avert further loss of life and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
COMMENTS