Critical Funding Gaps Leave Over 30 Million Sudanese in Need of Aid

– June 29, 2025 –

Khartoum (Sudanile)

A recent analysis released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday reveals alarming funding gaps across the majority of humanitarian response sectors in Sudan. The report notes that only 1% of education needs have been funded, with nutrition receiving 3%, health 10%, and general protection 16% of required funds.

In contrast, essential sectors such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), gender-based violence response, and non-food items are facing funding shortages exceeding 90%, severely threatening the ability of humanitarian actors to reach millions of people in need.

These figures emerge amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan. OCHA reports that 1.9 million people have received multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) between January and the end of May 2025, through interventions spanning 8 states and 9 localities.

The number of people in need has reached an unprecedented 30.4 million. In response to the growing crisis, humanitarian partners are seeking $4.2 billion in 2025 to provide life-saving assistance to 21 million people across the country.

However, available funding remains far from sufficient. By May 31, only 13.5% of the required total had been secured—equivalent to $563 million. This shortfall has forced humanitarian actors to scale down operations, now targeting only 18 million people, though at least $3 billion is urgently needed to deliver minimum essential services.

Despite the challenges, humanitarian responders reached 12.4 million people between January and May 2025, out of a targeted 20.9 million for the period. This included 8.7 million people receiving food assistance and livelihood support, 4.5 million with access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 million who received healthcare services. Over 510,600 individuals benefited from multi-purpose assistance.

According to OCHA’s May dashboard, 37,400 cash transfers were distributed in that month alone, reflecting the growing role of cash aid as needs intensify across Sudan.

The report, obtained by Sudanile, notes that these programs were implemented by 12 organizations, including 8 international NGOs, 2 national NGOs, and 1 UN agency.

States with the highest coverage of cash assistance included North Darfur, White Nile, and South Darfur. Major contributors to cash distribution included CRS, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), and CAFOD.

The cash support aimed to help displaced families and host communities meet basic needs, especially amid livelihood collapse and rising costs of food and healthcare.

April recorded the highest number of cash aid recipients, while distributions began slowly in January and rose steadily through May.

The UN emphasized that humanitarian assistance remains crucial in enabling Sudanese families to make decisions that suit their individual needs and ease the crisis’s impact. However, such support remains inadequate amid rising displacement, poverty, and unemployment.

On the funding front, the United States topped the list of donors with a contribution of $85 million, followed by the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) with $47.3 million, the European Commission ($32.5 million), as well as contributions from Canada, Germany, the UK, Denmark, and Italy.

The report called for urgent and sustained international and national action, given the scale of needs and the deepening humanitarian catastrophe across Sudan. It stressed that continued funding gaps are severely undermining humanitarian operations, leaving millions at risk of famine, disease, and a lack of protection.

This article, published by the Sudanese Media Forum and its member institutions, is part of ongoing coverage by Sudanile tracking and reflecting the deepening humanitarian crisis facing people across Sudan. It highlights critical shortfalls in funding for food, education, and general protection services.