Sudan

Conflict is taking a devastating toll on the women and girls of Sudan.

Some 6.3 million people are displaced inside Sudan, while more than 1.8 million people have fled to equally fragile neighbouring countries in the region – Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan – and most are women and children.

A hunger crisis is looming for 18 million people across the country, with the most desperate trapped behind front lines. An estimated 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.

The health-care system has not been spared by the fighting. Women and girls face extreme challenges in accessing reproductive health care – challenges that are exacerbated for the estimated 150,000 displaced women who are currently pregnant. Around 80 percent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functioning due to shortages of supplies and the displacement of staff. The health facilities that remain operational are overwhelmed by the influx of people seeking care, many of whom are internally displaced, straining the country’s health system to its very limits.

Protection risks have also soared: Kidnappings, forced marriage, intimate partner violence, conflict-related sexual violence and harmful practices such as child marriage continue to be reported, as access to protection services and support is severely compromised.

Despite challenges in reaching populations, UNFPA is staying and delivering for women and girls in Sudan, working with partners to provide life-saving reproductive health and protection services in areas with high numbers of internally displaced people. This includes deploying mobile teams and supplies to build capacity for maternal health, including emergency obstetric care, and the clinical management of rape, as well as supporting safe spaces.
 

Updated on 07 March 2024