Host Families Struggle, and IDP in Sudan Are on the Brink of Collapse

Moatinoon
A year ago, Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), stated, "In all my years as a humanitarian worker, I have never witnessed such an enormous and horrifying catastrophe with so little attention or resources to reach people in their time of need." Since then, the situation has worsened dramatically.

This statement was part of a comprehensive report published by the NRC on Friday, in collaboration with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 12 local NGOs, and the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission. The report sheds light on the consequences of mass displacement in Sudan due to the ongoing war.

The council warned that over two-thirds of displaced families in eastern Sudan cannot secure enough food, urging international action to assist these communities that stand "on the brink of collapse."

The report, based on surveys conducted with more than 8,600 households in six states in eastern Sudan, revealed that 70% of displaced families and 56% of host families in the region "are unable to secure sufficient food due to rising prices and loss of income sources."

The report also highlighted that an overwhelming majority of host families (95%) and a significant proportion of displaced families (76%) reported receiving no food assistance in the past six months.

Will Carter, NRC’s Sudan Director, stated, "Eastern Sudan’s towns and villages were already fragile before the influx of displaced persons."

He added that displaced persons and their host communities are now "on the brink of collapse," with the scale of needs "exceeding what the current humanitarian response can address without urgent support."

The NRC emphasized the need for international intervention to "scale up humanitarian aid, rehabilitate vital infrastructure, and invest in livelihoods to avoid further destabilization."

Carter appealed, "The world must stand by all those affected by this horrific war."

Transitioning to Host Communities
According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an estimated 11.2 million people have been displaced across Sudan’s 18 states. Among the internally displaced families, 75% were forced to leave their homes since the conflict erupted on April 15, 2023. This migration into towns, villages, or nearby areas has created what are termed "host communities" for the displaced.

The report provides insights into how the mass movement of people complicates the lives of millions of displaced persons as well as the communities hosting them. Those hosting displaced persons in their homes face increasing pressure. The demand for food, schools, and healthcare extends the impact to everyone living in towns and villages.

Food Shortages
The struggle to meet basic needs is a shared challenge for both the displaced and their hosts, particularly in securing food. The report indicates that a greater proportion of host families (80%) reported severe to critical food shortages compared to displaced families (54%). This is attributed to the fact that only 8% of host families received food assistance, compared to 23% of displaced families.

Omar Koni, who lives in Gedaref State, is currently hosting 15 family members in a small house he built due to the lack of space in his home.

Omar explained, "The displaced have suffered greatly. We stand with them and try to help. I cover all expenses for the families I host. We struggle to secure food and have changed the type of food we consume to adapt to the situation."

"Everyone here is struggling; displaced persons and residents now share the same living conditions. There’s no difference—everyone is struggling."

According to the NRC report, healthcare services are also overwhelmed, with nearly two-thirds of displaced persons and over 40% of their host families facing acute shortages in medical care.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between two generals: Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The United Nations continues to warn of the dire humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced over 11 million people, and plunged the East African nation into its worst humanitarian crisis in recent years.

Nearly 26 million people—approximately half the population—face the risk of mass starvation amid accusations by both warring parties of using hunger as a weapon and obstructing or looting humanitarian aid.