About the Crisis in Sudan

Sudan has been grappling with conflict and displacement since the start of the Darfur crisis in 2003. More than one year since the most recent conflict in Sudan began, more than 11.5 million Sudanese people have been displaced within the country or are living in neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. Prior to the current conflict, Sudan was also hosting 1 million refugees from neighboring countries including South Sudan and Northern Ethiopia, with many fleeing conflict in Tigray.

The most recent conflict occurred on April 15th, 2023, with violent clashes erupting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in multiple cities across Sudan. Nearly 8.5 million people have been displaced within Sudan’s borders and many more are seeking safety in neighboring countries - notably to Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia. 

According to UNICEF, the UN agency for children, Sudan is the world’s largest child displacement crisis. An estimated 5 million children have been displaced since April; nearly half of the 3 million people who have fled from Sudan to neighboring countries are children. The conflict has also created one of the world’s worst education crises, with more than 90 percent of the country's 19 million school-age children having no access to formal education.