A Crisis That Keeps Growing
The scale of Sudan’s crisis is difficult to overstate. Sudan faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with 33.7 million people, over half the population, requiring assistance in 2026. Since April 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced, including 8.8 million within Sudan and over 3 million who have fled to neighbouring countries, making this the world’s largest internal displacement crisis (OCHA).
Food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels. As of early 2026, 21.2 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity. At least nine areas are at risk of famine (OCHA).
Access to humanitarian aid has been systematically obstructed, with parties to the conflict deliberately blocking or looting essential supplies. Local emergency responders have been targeted, further exacerbating the suffering of already vulnerable populations.
The funding picture makes an already dire situation worse. As of April 2026, only 17 per cent of the $2.9 billion required under Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan had been received (OCHA).For the NGOs on the ground trying to reach people in famine conditions, it means shuttered health facilities, suspended food distributions, and communities left without aid.
“One of our partners shared with me that they often face the impossible choice of either closing health facilities or operating without medicine. Their teams have frequently been unable to reach communities due to insecurity and restrictions, leaving them with no access to even the most basic care. Sustained conflict across Sudan has overstretched the local coping mechanisms, pushing resilience to the breaking point. INSO is committed to staying and delivering alongside our humanitarian partners. With this sustained access and support, it is possible to stabilise communities and address the humanitarian emergency.” Shared Andrew, Deputy Director, INSO Sudan
Aid Workers Under Attack
Operating in Sudan means working daily in an environment of extreme and evolving uncertainty. Security conditions can change rapidly, as aid workers face persistent and shifting movement restrictions, continuous risk of arbitrary arrest and detention, and growing risk from drone attacks.
Sudan continues to be one of the most dangerous operational contexts in the world. In 2025 alone, we recorded the deaths of 43 humanitarians. Almost all were Sudanese nationals. Since the conflict began, INSO has recorded more than 280 security incidents affecting humanitarian operations across Sudan. What those incidents reveal about who is being targeted, and how, should reshape how the international community talks about aid worker safety in this crisis:
95% of serious incidents impacting humanitarians affect locally recruited staff. Sudanese staff and local community responders are at the forefront of the humanitarian response and, as such, also bear the most risk. 67% of incidents occur when staff are on duty. Aid workers continue to be attacked while they are actively involved in the delivery of assitance jobs, during distributions, while staffing clinics and hospitals, at checkpoints, in transit and as part of aid convoys.
Attacks on aid workers are inseparable from continued attacks against civilians. Since the beginning of the conflict INSO has recorded 650 deadly incidents against civilians and aid workers. The use of explosive weaponry in populated areas, including the increasing use of drones, causes significant civilian casualties and damage to critical civilian infrastructure and services, alongside the atrocities and sexual violence communities have suffered at the hands of parties to the conflict.
Local Responders at the Front Line
It needs to be stated plainly: the humanitarian response in Sudan is being led by Sudanese people. Local and national NGOs, community health workers, volunteers, local responders and mutual aid groups are the backbone of the response. Local responders and national staff are indispensable to maintain proximity to those in need, however, as a result, they continue to bear a disproportionate burden of risk. In 2025, 97 per cent of aid workers killed in attacks globally were national staff. Local organisations and aid workers continue to bear a disproportionate burden of risk. In Sudan, this structural inequity is acute. The organisations with the deepest networks, the greatest community trust, and the broadest reach are also the most exposed and the least resourced to manage that exposure.
The humanitarian system is under attack from multiple directions at once: funding is cut, aid routes are blocked, visas and permits are denied, and disinformation undermine public acceptance. Attempts to prevent humanitarians from doing their jobs are not only dangerous for aid staff but are also have wide ranging impacts for the people they are trying to assist.
Equitable access to safety information and security support is not a secondary concern. It is a prerequisite for a functioning humanitarian response.
INSO’s Support to NGOs in Sudan
INSO provides free safety and security services to NGOs, with one overarching goal: to help them stay and deliver aid to people in need. In Sudan, that goal has demanded constant adaptation since the conflict began.
From the outset, INSO established a remote support platform, providing weekly digests on conflict activity and NGO incidents, thematic analysis, and direct briefings to humanitarian partners. Over time, INSO built a physical presence in Sudan, with a team now operating across Darfur and Port Sudan, and active plans to establish presence in Khartoum, Blue Nile and Kordofan. INSO currently provides services to 94 international and national NGO partners in Sudan.
The services INSO provides to registered partners include:
Real-Time Incident Alerts 24/7 operational alerts enabling NGOs to make informed decisions as the security situation evolves. In an environment where conditions can change within hours, timely information can be a lifeline.
Analysis & Thematic Briefings Regular, evidence-based analysis covering conflict dynamics, access constraints, and area-specific security trends. INSO Sudan’s weekly digests have become a critical reference for NGO teams managing operations across multiple and hard-to-reach locations.
Coordination Bringing NGOs together to share information and develop collective responses to shared threats. In a fragmented and complex operating environment, inter-NGO coordination is itself a safety mechanism.
Crisis Management Support Direct expert support to NGOs navigating acute emergencies including attacks, abductions, and staff detentions.
Data & Mapping Access to INSO’s Conflict and Humanitarian Data Centre (CHDC), providing a reliable consolidated record of security incidents in Sudan to inform operational planning, donor reporting, and policy advocacy.
In Sudan, maintaining visibility on the evolving risk landscape underwrites every operational decision an NGO makes.
“The third anniversary of Sudan’s conflict underscores a protracted crisis defined by fragmentation, access constraints, and increasingly complex risk dynamics. Humanitarian operations require not only resources, but robust security analysis and coordination to remain viable. INSO Sudan continues to support partners in navigating these risks, enabling sustained humanitarian presence in a highly volatile environment.” says Elhadi, Country Director, INSO Sudan
What Must Change
After three years of conflict and sustained attacks, communities are at breaking point. Lack of funding, obstructions of aid and attacks against and detention of aid workers and local responders, continue to undermine the humanitarian response in Sudan. As governments meet in Berlin today to address the situation
Attacks against and detention of aid workers and local responders, as well as the continuous obstructions of humanitarian assistance directly jeopardise the ability of millions of people to access the assistance and services they need. Conflict actors must immediately cease attacks on civilians and aid workers, fulfil their obligations under IHL to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and facilitate unhindered humanitarian access.
As governments yet again meet in Berlin today, political statements must now translate into tangible international action on Sudan:
Use all diplomatic means to ensure the protect civilians – including aid workers and local responders and ensure accountability for those responsible for violations.
Redouble efforts with conflict parties to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all areas where people are in need.
Protect and resource local responders, including national and local NGOs, health workers, mutual aid groups and other community responders by adopting and resourcing adequate risk-sharing measures.
Fund the response, ensuring that such funding quickly reaches those on the frontline of the response.
NGOs operating in Sudan that are not yet registered are encouraged to do so at ngosafety.org/registration or by contacting info@sdn.ngosafety.org. All services are free and available to both national and international organisations.
INSO Sudan is gratefully supported by ECHO and FCDO. NGOs wishing to register for INSO’s free services in Sudan can do so at ngosafety.org/registration or by contacting info@sdn.ngosafety.org.
INSO incident data cited from the Conflict and Humanitarian Data Centre (CHDC). Source: International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), NGOsafety.org.