Sudan: More than 14 million people need humanitarian assistance

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The United Nations said on Monday that about 14.3 million people need humanitarian assistance in Sudan in 2022, which is an increase of 8 million people compared to 2021, and the highest in a decade.

The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs stated that the majority of people in need of assistance are from the vulnerable population, and this number is more than 800,000 people from this year, according to the report, which also revealed that the number of people in need in Sudan during 2022 will be “the highest in the world over the course of a decade.”

The statement added that two years after Sudan was experiencing a wave of political transitions and one year from the Juba Peace Agreement, humanitarian needs have continued to grow across the country.

The Office stated that these needs are driven by an economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 virus, insecurity, and local violence in parts of the country, along with floods and disease outbreaks, noting that Sudan hosts millions of refugees and displaced persons despite being one of the poorest countries in the world.

More than half of the 'vulnerable population' are women and children, and Sudan has nearly three million people displaced after decades of conflict, including those from the western Darfur region and southern Sudan.

Local and international statistics on the rate of poverty in Sudan vary; while the United Nations reports say that 46.5% of the Sudanese population live below the poverty line, a government study conducted in 2017 says that poverty has decreased to 36.1%. 

According to official data, the inflation rate in Sudan during the month of September reached 365.82%, compared to 387.56% in August.

It is noteworthy that Sudan has been in a transitional period since August 21, 2019, which ends with the coming elections in July 2023, where power would be shared by the army, civil forces, and armed movements the signing of a treaty with the government in 2020 aiming to ensure peace across the country.