Sudan’s war‑torn state now hosts nearly 910,000 refugees, including hundreds of thousands from South Sudan
Sudan, already in the grip of conflict between the army and rival forces, now hosts nearly 910,000 refugees, including about 689,000 people from South Sudan and more than 324,000 new arrivals from there in the past 18 months, the UN refugee agency says.
Sudan’s internal war hasn’t stopped people from seeking refuge there. According to the UN refugee agency, the country now hosts nearly 910,000 refugees even as fighting between the army and other forces tears at its own cities and countryside.
Of that total, about 689,000 are from neighboring South Sudan. Over the past 18 months alone, more than 324,000 people have arrived from South Sudan. The UN figures say roughly 223,600 of them are Sudanese returnees who had previously fled south and are now coming back, while 101,031 are South Sudanese nationals escaping political instability and escalating hostilities.
For families crossing the border, the categories matter less than the reality on the ground. Many arrive in a country where markets have been looted, hospitals damaged and entire neighborhoods contested by armed groups.
Host communities inside Sudan are under heavy strain. Local residents and newcomers line up at the same overstretched water points, compete for food in markets where prices keep climbing, and look for care at clinics short of medicine and staff. Aid groups must decide how to divide limited supplies between long‑time residents, Sudanese displaced by the current war and new arrivals from across the border.
The numbers point to a regional system under intense pressure. Humanitarian organizations were already struggling to run programs in Sudan before this influx, citing insecurity, access restrictions and lack of funding. Adding hundreds of thousands of people in 18 months without a matching increase in resources forces agencies to scale back rations, health services or schooling in some areas.
Sudan’s dual role as both a country of origin and a host has knock‑on effects. South Sudan relies on pipelines through Sudan to move its oil; unrest on either side threatens that revenue lifeline. If conditions in Sudanese camps and settlements continue to deteriorate, more people may move onward into Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt or Libya, spreading the humanitarian burden.
The situation shows how refugee protection in this part of Africa often depends on fragile states with limited capacity even in peacetime. Asking Sudan to shelter nearly a million refugees while its own citizens flee front lines captures the depth of the crisis.
The developments to watch are whether any ceasefire efforts in Sudan gain traction, whether neighboring governments keep borders open, and whether major donors increase support for UN and NGO operations. A turn toward direct attacks on refugee routes or sites by Sudan’s warring parties would mark a dangerous escalation with wider regional consequences.
Sources
- OSINT