As Sudan enters its third year of conflict, escalating violence will drive a new wave of civilians fleeing for their safety and turn the most significant displacement and hunger crisis in the world into an unparalleled emergency, according to projections by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).
DRC’s latest Global Displacement Forecast, based on the Foresight model developed by DRC and IBM with Danish government funding, indicates that 2.1 million more people will be forced to flee their homes by the end of 2026 because conflict and death are at their doorstep. They will join more than 12 million Sudanese people already displaced inside the country and to neighboring countries since the conflict erupted two years ago.
Compounding this, Sudan is also the world’s largest hunger crisis, where an estimated 25 million people – or half the population – are grappling with severe food insecurity and the threat of famine spreading to new areas.
”It is tragic and heartbreaking to think that this conflict will drive even more people from their homes in search of safety, shelter, food, water and medicine. Civilians and families are broken and exhausted by two years of conflict that has made their lives a living hell. Sudan desperately needs an immediate ceasefire. There is no military solution. The world must turn its attention to this once-in-a-generation humanitarian crisis and get to work, ”DRC Secretary General Charlotte Slente.
If bullets and hunger do not kill people, unexploded remnants of war, including landmines, rockets, and grenades, pose a grave threat. Even in areas where fighting has subsided and families are daring to return to their homes, every step is a matter of life and death.
The impact of widespread explosive ordnance contamination is particularly devastating given that two-thirds of the Sudanese population rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. The hunger crisis is forcing people to take extreme risks to survive. DRC has received the following reports of injuries and near misses:
- A pastoralist in Al Jazirah state grazing his livestock picked up a hand grenade, thinking it a piece of discarded metal that could be used as a bell for his goat, and lost his hand in the ensuing explosion.
- In the same state, one man was injured and another killed, along with three donkeys, while traveling to their farm to begin planting, when their cart rolled over suspected anti-personnel landmines.
- Fishermen along the Nile have been bewildered to pull up their nets from the bottom of the river and find explosives in amongst their catch.
“People dream of returning to their homes, but they face the nightmare of unexploded weapons. Farmland, markets, and roads are riddled with danger. We are working to remove these deadly obstacles and educate communities, but the scale of the contamination is immense. We urgently need more support to expand our mine action efforts,” said Secretary-General Slente.
While DRC is actively involved in providing life-saving aid – including shelter, water, food, cash assistance, and protection services – the organization is also prioritizing humanitarian mine action:
- DRC is the first international mine action organization to begin clearing land since the conflict began, focusing on heavily contaminated areas like Khartoum State, and is currently the only international NGO accredited to conduct humanitarian mine action in Sudan.
- DRC works hand in hand with local mine action organizations, supporting the strong sense of community solidarity displayed by the Sudanese people since the conflict began, and promoting locally owned and led recovery efforts.
- In 2024, DRC and local NGO partner JASMAR reached 220,000 people with explosive ordnance risk education to help them learn how to protect themselves.
