Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026

Country: Sudan Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached Infographic. Foreword by the Humanitarian Coordinator The people of Sudan have had to endure more than 1, 000 days of war. Over the course of 2025, this war did not slow, and guns were not lowered. Rather, the atrocities of El Fasher in October are entrenched in the memories of the Sudanese people and ours. And as the new year begins, the calls for peace continue but with no end in sight. Disease, displacement, famine, malnutrition, mass killings, sexual violence, and torture are a part of the day to day reality of the country. The whole country is impacted directly or indirectly as people run from their homes, grieve for loved ones, cope with trauma and witness the violence. The courage and determination of local humanitarian actors and communities is another day to day reality, as they have been on the front line of the life saving work that is absolutely fundamental in Sudan. Sorrow and solidarity live side by side here. The trends have driven humanitarian needs in Sudan to record levels. In 2026, 33. 7 million people—more than two-thirds of the country’s population and more than any other crisis in the world—need humanitarian assistance. Catastrophic levels of food insecurity and malnutrition are stalking communities in conflict-affected areas. Diseases are spreading unchecked as essential services crumble in some parts of the country. More than 9 million people remain internally displaced, many of them having been forced to flee multiple times using perilous routes where abduction is rampant. Over the past year, the humanitarian community of Sudanese and international actors has joined forces to stem this suffering despite widespread challenges, including drastic reductions in humanitarian funds and the physical risks to the frontline responders. Collectively, we have saved lives and delivered critical assistance to millions of people. There is no alternative to localizing the humanitarian response as the local responders come from these same communities. In Sudan, the community is united in this effort. 2026 is set to be an even more challenging year. As funding cuts continue to bite hard in Sudan and around the world, the humanitarian community must take bold, innovative and determined steps to save as many lives as possible with far less resources. This Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) charts our collective course for this work and outlines how we will deliver a more prioritized, localized, principled and accountable response in 2026. We are already well on our way. Under the global Humanitarian Reset launched in March last year, the humanitarian community in Sudan has implemented strict prioritization and efficiency measures to ensure that we reach those most in need, as quickly and effectively as possible. We have doubled down on our commitments to keep affected people at the center of the response, including through the consultation of over 3, 400 community members to inform this HNRP. And we are working to transform how we do business so that local responders and national partners are better supported, protected and included as equal partners in the response. Scaled-up donor support will be decisive for this HNRP – it will determine how many lives we save and protect, and how many we are forced to leave behind. We also need the international community to do everything possible to end the conflict that is at the root of people’s suffering and ensure accountability for violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. The war must end and the untold suffering must stop. How much worse does it need to get before this happens? Denise Brown Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan15 January 2026

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