IOM warns Sudan’s emergency aid network could collapse within weeks

Sudan’s emergency aid network could collapse within weeks, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned. Without immediate donor support, shelter and relief supplies are expected to run out by the end of the month, the agency said.

The warning comes as fighting, heavy rains and continued displacement increase demands on humanitarian operations. The IOM said 8.6 million people remain internally displaced in Sudan.

Funding has fallen as needs remain high

The IOM said the pipeline’s warehouse operations can be sustained only until the end of the year. Its reach has already been shrinking as global humanitarian funding declines, even though needs are at an all-time high.

Funding for Sudan at the World Food Programme has also dropped by about half this year. Acting head Carl Skau said access had previously been the largest obstacle, but the organisation now has a presence it cannot fully use because of insufficient funding.

Key points

• The IOM’s Common Humanitarian Pipeline connects nearly 100 national and international nongovernmental organisations.
• The network has supplied aid to 2.8 million people since July 2023.
• Keeping the system running for one year to support 305,000 people costs $15m.
• The IOM says $42m would be needed to restore its 2024 aid capacity.

War and flooding continue to drive displacement

Sudan’s war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023. Aid workers estimate that the conflict has killed more than 200,000 people and created the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.

The IOM said violence, floods and heavy rains are damaging shelters and forcing displaced people to move. Separately, a senior Sudanese military official said at least four civilians were killed and others wounded overnight in RSF drone attacks on Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile region. The official said civilian infrastructure and fuel stations owned by civilians were targeted. Read the context: Can Egypt shape Ethiopia’s next Blue Nile hydropower projects?.

What happens next

The IOM is seeking immediate donor support to prevent shelter and relief supplies from being depleted by the end of the month and to restore its previous aid capacity.