Funding Gaps Leave 15 Million Sudanese Without Shelter as Winter Approaches

The war that erupted in April 2023 between former allies turned rivals has displaced an estimated 15.4 million people across Sudan, all of whom require immediate shelter. Women and children make up three quarters of the internally displaced population, and more than 5.2 million have already returned to their areas of origin, only to find homes destroyed, looted or lacking basic services. Humanitarian officials stress that a tent, solar lamp or kitchen set is not merely a commodity but a means of preserving dignity, safety and privacy for families living in makeshift camps.

UNHCR and IOM say that today they can assist roughly one in ten of those in need because of severe funding gaps. Only 47 percent of the $2.9 billion required for Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been received. While more than 40,000 tonnes of relief assistance have been distributed this year, warehouses are now empty, and the last 16 trucks that arrived in Darfur were the final stocks on hand. Without flexible, additional financing, agencies risk being unable to deliver the shelter kits and essential items that millions still lack.

El Niño has produced significantly below‑average rainfall, damaging harvests in Darfur, Kordofan and other conflict‑hit regions. Consequently, food prices remain painfully high, forcing families to choose between buying food or securing a blanket. Millions of Sudanese now face the prospect of winter without protection from cold, insecurity or exploitation. The humanitarian squeeze also fuels migration: Sudanese nationals have become the largest nationality arriving in Europe via the Eastern Mediterranean route, underscoring how local aid shortfalls can ripple across borders.