Sudanese Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are the Most Numerous Globally, Residing in Around 6,500 Locations

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Sudan has become the worlds leading country in terms of citizens displacement, with the United Nations stating that the number of both old and new IDPs exceeded 9 million people by the end of last December, considering those displaced before the current conflict in April. This makes the country the largest internal displacement crisis globally.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs explained in its latest statement on Friday that one in every eight displaced persons globally is Sudanese, representing 13% of the total number of IDPs worldwide. However, the UN office mentioned that aid does not reach many parts of the country, and as of yesterday, the international community has provided only 3% of the required funding for the new year.

The number of IDPs is likely to increase beyond the current figures due to the ongoing expansion of the conflict. The International Organization for Migration reports that about 13,500 people have been displaced within Sudan in the past week alone.

Since April, the new IDPs, totaling 6.1 million displaced persons, are residing in 6,482 locations across all eighteen states of Sudan. This represents an increase of 127 locations in just one week. The majority of internally displaced persons live in host communities, accounting for 67%, while only 6% reside in shelters.

It is noteworthy that the largest percentage of IDPs is in South Darfur State (12%), followed by River Nile State and East Darfur State, each at 11%. The states of White Nile and North Darfur also have 8%, and Gezira State has 7%.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the IDPs originally come from 12 states, with the majority (58%) from Khartoum State, followed by South Darfur (15%), North Darfur (8%), Gezira (8%), Central Darfur 4%, and West Darfur 3%. The remaining IDPs are in the other six states. Additionally, around 1.5 million people have crossed to neighboring countries since April 15, 2023, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The following table shows the number of IDPs in each state:

Gezira State: 518,711
Blue Nile State: 266,795
Central Darfur: 794,031
West Darfur: 766,845
Kassala: 396,527
Khartoum: 159,832
North Darfur: 37,870
South Darfur: 1,145,022
North Kordofan: 178,638
Northern State: 389,600
Red Sea: 234,000
River Nile: 682,755
Sennar: 477,197
South Darfur: 1,606,195
South Kordofan: 347,283
West Darfur: 261,791
West Kordofan: 251,450
White Nile: 538,280
Total: 9,052,822