Through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Sweden is providing an additional SEK 149 million to the civilian population in Sudan. This support will help meet growing humanitarian needs resulting from the armed conflict that broke out in April this year. Parts of the support will also go towards food security and protection of human rights.

The situation of the civilian population in Sudan has deteriorated sharply. An estimated 10 000 people have lost their lives since the armed conflict broke out in April. Around 25 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, which is roughly half of Sudan’s population. There is a shortage of food and water, and a number of health care facilities have been forced to close. A food crisis that was already acute has deepened and there are reports of serious abuses against civilians, including sexual and ethnic violence, particularly in the Darfur region.

To address needs in the country, Sweden is scaling up its assistance to Sudan by SEK 149 million. This includes SEK 89 million in additional humanitarian assistance and top-ups of SEK 25 million to improve small-scale farmers’ opportunities for self-sufficiency and SEK 35 million to monitor and document human rights abuses.

Sweden’s support to the civilian population in Sudan

The SEK 89 million in humanitarian assistance from Sida will be provided through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Sweden’s humanitarian assistance to Sudan in 2023 totals SEK 355 million.

Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organisation, will be allocated SEK 25 million. The organisation’s food security programme aims to increase small-scale farmers’ opportunities to improve their production and, together with the private sector, enhance their prospects of self-sufficiency. To date, the programme has helped over 31 000 farmers, a large proportion of whom are women. This top-up of SEK 25 million is expected to help reach an additional 10 000 farmers.

SEK 35 million will go to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The OHCHR has maintained its office in Sudan since the fighting broke out and plays a key role in monitoring and documenting human rights abuses. Sida is now extending its agreement with the OHCHR by a year and increasing Sweden’s support from SEK 50 million to SEK 85 million.