Sudanese crisis : voices from displaced Sudanese refugees

Since the outbreak of war in Khartoum in 2023, the Sudanese conflict has displaced over 14 million people—almost a third of the population. It has driven parts of the country into famine and disrupted all semblances of normal life for its residents. On top of this, exceptionally severe seasonal flooding has added to the crisis. Yet, little of this makes headlines due to restrictions on information. The extraordinary severity of this conflict demands everyone’s attention. For this reason, the testimonies you are about to read are rare and invaluable. It is essential to listen to the few voices that manage to emerge from Sudan.

Displaced in the Sudanese Conflict

In El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, the atmosphere is heavy, and despair is tangible. For the past year and a half, the population has faced an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. An estimated 10.9 million people have fled their homes but remain within Sudan’s borders. Darfur has been at the epicenter of fighting since April 2023, causing a severe food crisis. At the Zamzam displacement camp near El Fasher in Darfur, 755,000 people are facing famine. Over 100,000 individuals are estimated to be severely affected by hunger. Additionally, the region has been struck by unusually heavy seasonal floods, displacing more than 186,000 people.

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Sudan

Context and action

48.11 million inhabitants
172nd out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index
367,391 people helped

“I see many displaced people who have lost family members. Some have been shot in the legs and are injured. This is why we must organize an emergency response. Everything is difficult here. There are many shootings and bombings, especially where I work, in El Fasher. Every morning, we have to assess the security situation.”

Khan Mohammed Masood Iqbal, Logistics Manager for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL in Sudan.

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“At home we couldn’t go anywhere because of the war. Men couldn’t leave the house as they might be killed, so they stayed hidden. Only women could go out and worked hard to support their families. We sold everything—furniture and belongings—and took out loans just to survive. (…) In the camp, my tent was too close to the floods, so we had to flee. But it was hard; there was so much water. I saw families spend three days stuck in trees without food. Eventually, the Red Crescent brought containers to help them cross the river. (…) Today, the situation is dire. We received shelters and mats from SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, but beyond that, we lack everything: food, healthcare… and financial aid because most of us lost our jobs. Those who were able to rebuild their houses managed to go back home. But in my family’s case, even if we want to return home, we have nothing left there.”

Fatima Mahmoud Omar, in El Geneina

“I come from West Darfur. I’m 44 years old and have 11 children. We came here because of the floods. The heavy rains forced us to leave. It was a difficult journey, taking a long time. We had to cross water so deep we carried the children and elderly. We used a container like a boat to ferry them across.”

Osman Bashir Abdullah, in El Geneina

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“This year, we experienced the strongest floods in 80 years. Most people living in the valley lost their homes, and the water became contaminated. Some families were forced to move into schools.”

Sholgi Mohammed Ahmad, Accountability and Learning Officer for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL  

“When floodwaters reach an area, they are full of solid and liquid waste. This contaminates water sources, making them undrinkable.”

Hagar Ismail,  Accountability and Learning Officer for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL  

“In the camps, there is a lot of sexual abuse, many dangers, especially in the women’s sanitation facilities. No one feels safe.”

Khan Mohammed Masood Iqbal, logistics manager in Sudan for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“In Geneina, when you ask people about their needs, it’s always food and water that come up. This is the priority.”

Sholgi Mohammed Ahmad, Accountability and Learning Officer for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL  

Sudanese refugees in Chad :

Chad, bordering Darfur, hosts over 860,000 Sudanese refugees. The border town of Adré is the main arrival point, where SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL set up a base at the onset of the conflict.

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“I’m 40 years old and from Geneina, West Darfur. I used to teach English in secondary school. After the attack on Geneina on April 4, 2023, I fled. My family and I got separated. Most of my group was killed or captured. After a long journey, the Chadian army welcomed us at the border. At Adré, there was no organized food distribution, and we suffered from hunger. Eventually, I was relocated to the Mornei camp with my wife and children, but I have no idea where my extended family is.

I live in this camp, against my will, with a lack of basic services. There is no proper education, no healthcare, no water. I am always searching for a better place that can provide us with the bare minimum. There is no work here either.  And the Mornei camp is too close to the Sudanese border. We meet the people who took our land in Sudan at the markets or when we move around. We are very worried because we suffered the worst over there, and here we come across the same type of people who attacked us there, took our land, and caused our displacement here.“

Mohammad, in the Mornei camp near Adré

“I am currently 24 years old. When I was in Sudan, I was pursuing higher education in mathematics while working at a health center. A week before we arrived in Mornei, we were in Geneina. It was in the morning. The militias attacked us. Every day, the conflict in the city intensified, and we were forced to flee. We formed a small group and escaped to another town where we stayed for a month. But even there, the death toll rose daily, so we felt compelled to flee again. Now that the town has fallen, the government has surrendered, and civilians have faced atrocities. Two of my brothers were killed. I was left alone. I went searching for my mother, father, and other siblings. I found everyone except my father, we only located him later. He was in a hospital with injuries to his leg and shoulder. We arrived in Chad a few months ago. They provide hot meals, but there are so many people in line that you can wait for hours, even days, creating tensions—it’s very difficult.

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

When the rainy season started, we were offered to move here to Mornei. Since they had basic services, we agreed. When we arrived, they granted us refugee status and gave us shelter. If you are a large family of at least 10 people, they provide two shelters. We received supplies that helped us stabilize a bit.

I have been here for a year and four months. The first challenge is insecurity. There are only five qualified security agents in the camp. As a woman in this situation, you can never feel safe. I constantly fear that something bad might happen.”

Young woman, in the Mornei camp near Adré

© SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“The overall situation has improved in Adré, as the population has decreased from 500,000 to just over 200,000 people. But there are still new arrivals, and people need water and latrines. That’s why we dug this well. It can meet the needs of 200,000 people. The idea is that it should serve not only the refugee population but also the host population, because the camp is temporary. When it is evacuated, the well will supply the host community with water.

Regarding the water points set up by SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, we currently have about 45,000 users who each receive 15 liters per day. But the needs are still not fully met. We need to increase capacity, create more water points, and improve hygiene and sanitation facilities.”

Adam, water, hygiene, and sanitation manager for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, Adré.

Sudanese Refugees and Returnees in South Sudan

South Sudan is the youngest state in the world. It was created in 2011 after seceding from Sudan following decades of conflict. The young state was the scene of a civil war from 2013 to 2018. During this period, many South Sudanese sought refuge in Sudan to escape the conflict. While the civil war has officially ended, the political situation remains unstable, and the humanitarian situation is still fragile. South Sudan is currently ranked the lowest in the world in terms of the Human Development Index. Despite catastrophic seasonal floods that submerge 15% of the country’s territory and worsen an already critical food insecurity situation, South Sudan is hosting 878,000 people fleeing the violence in Sudan. Among them, most are South Sudanese who had sought refuge in Sudan between 2013 and 2018, and who now have no other choice but to return to South Sudan. The journey of these people, known as “returnees,” who are experiencing displacement for the second time, is highlighted here. Unfortunately, their struggles continue even once they reach their destination.

« I am Sibilia, I am from Khartoum, Sudan, where I worked as a tea seller. I am 60 years old. I came here because of the war that affected Khartoum last year. I left to find a safe place to live with my children. We arrived by truck in the first location in Sudan. Then we felt that the situation was getting worse, and we decided to go to South Sudan. Here, the humanitarian workers welcomed us to this transit camp. They keep the latrines clean. They train us in hygiene practices.

The problem is that there is nothing to eat. I am old, I am sick. I need medicine, and we lack food. Some of my children stayed in the north of Khartoum. Others are here with me. Our condition is very bad. Sometimes, they sell the clothes they have on their backs for food. Our shelter is also becoming unusable. It was built last year, but with the rain, it’s falling apart. It even rains inside.

I want to leave because we don’t know when the war in Khartoum will end. My children are not receiving any education. I would like to leave anywhere, but outside of South Sudan, so that my children can study.“

Sibilia, in Renk

© Hillary Bébé Joel / SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

“The situation here is really terrible. We sleep on the ground. We have no mattresses, no beds, not even a decent shelter or food. There are thieves. Some people broke into our place a few days ago. They took our things. Life is hard in the transit camp. It’s difficult to stay here. There is no school for the children, no market, nothing to cook with. I want to join my sister in Juba. That’s my final destination. I hope to be there by Monday.”

Gisma, in Malakal

“ I am Waleed Abashan. I am from Sudan. I arrived last year, in August 2023, and I decided to stay here in the transit camp. I am disabled. I already had nothing in Khartoum, and the journey was very difficult for me. It took me eight days to get here, with trucks and other vehicles. No one can imagine such a journey. I saw dead bodies; I was completely lost.

Here I am alone. But at least here, I feel like a human being. I can sleep without fear. When I arrived, it was so hard; I couldn’t sleep anymore. Here, there are no gunshots, no bombings. I am not afraid, but there are still many difficulties. Since I am disabled, I can’t go fetch water, which is the most important thing to live. Someone has to go fetch it for me. I depend on the goodwill of others.

If the war in Sudan stops one day, I would like to return. But for now, that’s not possible. I miss my country. Being a refugee is not easy.”

Waleed Abashan, in Renk

“I am Mary, I am 50 years old. I am one of the returnees. Originally, I am from Malakal. I spent five years in a refugee camp in Sudan before returning to South Sudan. I no longer have a place to go now. Even if peace returned in Sudan, I would stay here. I will try to build a shelter and stay here if possible.”

Mary, Malakal

“I am Daniel, I am 50 years old. Before the conflict in South Sudan, I was a driver for the Ministry of Education. When the South Sudanese conflict started in 2013, everything changed. I left Malakal, we crossed the river to go to Wau Shilluk, then we came to the PoC¹ in Malakal. So, it’s been 10 years that we’ve been here.

Since then, everything has changed. Life has become difficult. We fight to grow some vegetables, to help the children survive. Some go fishing, and when they return, they find out that a massacre occurred while they were away. But what can we do? Life must go on.”

Daniel, Malakal

“We no longer have plastic tarps to repair the shelters. There is not enough food at home, not enough latrines in the PoC. No access to healthcare. But we cannot live outside the PoC because of insecurity. We risk our lives if we go out, due to ethnic issues. That’s why we stay in the PoC, under the protection of the United Nations.”

Daniel, Malakal

Since April 2023, Sudan has been going through an internal conflict that has subjected its people to widespread violence and its consequences: vulnerability, loss of income, lack of food, drinking water, etc. The accumulation of difficulties erodes the population‘s resilience, and humanitarian support is needed to help them survive.

The 14 million people displaced by violence have created a regional displacement crisis. Humanitarian aid therefore faces an immense challenge in conditions that are particularly harmful to work.

Present in Sudan, Chad, and South Sudan, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is working to deliver humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable people. But despite having access to areas that are hard to reach, the organization’s operations are sometimes hindered by the general level of violence and insecurity.

¹ Protection of civilians camp