Key Considerations: Humanitarian Responses to Famine and War in Sudan

The Republic of Sudan is suffering a catastrophic famine. The entire country is in food crisis or food emergency. In July 2024, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in North Darfur, near El Fasher; between 500,000 to 800,000 people live in the camp.¹ The IPC also reported that 755,000 people in Sudan would be ‘in catastrophe’ (IPC phase 5) in the period to September 2024, while 25.6 million people face crisis conditions, the worst levels of food security ever recorded by the IPC in Sudan.² The significant humanitarian crisis affecting Sudan has been greatly exacerbated by the current civil war in which the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been fighting against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Hunger is being used as a weapon by both sides.

Every humanitarian crisis eventually gives rise to a set of ‘lessons learned’, often set out in the relevant evaluations. But there is also the possibility of ‘lessons not learned’, the title of an article on peacekeeping by Mats Berdal.³ It is true that the relevant lessons are often far from obvious or agreed upon. But it is clear that some important lessons from past crises are not being sufficiently taken into account as one crisis gives way to another. We should also recognise that it is not just humanitarians who are trying to learn lessons from humanitarian crises: those who manipulate and even promote these crises are also learning lessons about how best to do so. An important question here is: who is learning fastest? The immediate and longer-term survival of Sudan’s people depends on concerned governments learning lessons more quickly than abusive armed groups. Another concern is that the practice of ‘learning lessons’ may itself have become a kind of ritual that insures the humanitarian system against the charge of complacency while the system itself does not change very much.

This brief provides humanitarian organisations with key information about the background to the current civil war in Sudan and the factors that have had a role in creating famine. The brief also looks at responses to the humanitarian crisis, highlighting reasons for civilians not having adequate protection and reasons why relief has been inadequate. The brief sets out opportunities to push against the obstacles or constraints to humanitarian relief. The brief and the key considerations have been informed from consultations with experts active in or knowledgeable about the history of Sudan and humanitarian work in Sudan, the author’s own expertise, and academic and grey literature.