UN warns Sudan aid network could collapse within weeks as funding runs short

Sudan's emergency relief network is at risk of collapse within weeks, the International Organization for Migration has warned, as fighting, heavy rains and continued displacement strain an already overstretched response. The agency said its Common Humanitarian Pipeline could face an imminent end if new donations do not arrive quickly. It said shelter and aid relief supplies could be depleted by the end of the month.

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The warning comes as the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, continues to drive mass displacement and deepen hunger across the country. The IOM said the conflict, combined with flooding and rain, is making it harder to move assistance to people in need. Amy Pope, the agency's director general, said the entire humanitarian system could collapse within weeks without new funding.

The IOM said 8.6 million people remain internally displaced in Sudan, while ongoing violence and weather damage shelters and force families to move again. It said its network of nearly 100 national and international non-governmental organisations has delivered aid to 2.8 million people since July 2023. But it also said its reach has been shrinking as global humanitarian funding falls, even as needs remain at record levels.

The warning underlines the scale of Sudan's humanitarian crisis, which aid agencies describe as the world's largest hunger and displacement emergency. The conflict has killed more than 200,000 people, according to aid worker estimates cited by the agency, and has left relief groups struggling to maintain basic operations. The IOM said the cost of keeping its system running for a year to support 305,000 people is $15m, while $42m would be needed to restore the level of aid it was able to provide in 2024.

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The funding squeeze is not limited to one agency. The acting head of the World Food Programme said its funding for Sudan has fallen by about half this year, adding to concerns that the humanitarian response could weaken further. The IOM also said the warehouses that keep the pipeline functioning can only be sustained until the end of the year, highlighting how close the system is to running out of capacity.

What remains unclear is whether donors will move quickly enough to prevent further disruption to food, shelter and other emergency supplies. The IOM said its warning reflects immediate operational risk rather than a completed shutdown, but it stressed that the window for action is short. The next few weeks will show whether the relief pipeline can be kept open as the conflict, displacement and heavy rains continue.

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