Refugees Escaping Sudan Face Escalating Hunger and Malnutrition as Food Aid Risks Major Reductions – World Food Program USA

 

Report on the Sudanese Refugee Crisis: A Threat to Regional Stability and Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a critical warning regarding the escalating humanitarian crisis stemming from the conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023. Over four million people have been displaced to seven neighboring countries, creating a regional emergency that severely undermines progress toward multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Critical funding shortages are forcing drastic reductions in food assistance, directly threatening the achievement of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and placing immense strain on host nations. This report outlines the crisis’s impact on regional stability and the SDGs, detailing the operational status and funding requirements in affected countries.

Critical Threat to SDG 2: Zero Hunger

Escalating Food Insecurity and Malnutrition

The core of the crisis is a direct assault on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Millions of refugees, arriving malnourished and traumatized, are facing further deprivation due to insufficient humanitarian aid. The situation is particularly dire for children, whose vulnerability to food insecurity has severe long-term consequences for their health and development, challenging SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

• In Uganda, many refugees are forced to survive on less than 500 calories daily, which is less than a quarter of the required nutritional intake.
• Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have surpassed emergency thresholds, indicating a severe public health crisis.
• The reduction of food rations across the region increases the risk of hunger-related diseases and mortality, further impeding progress on SDG 3.

WFP Response and Funding Shortfall

While the WFP has scaled its operations significantly, reaching over four million people per month inside Sudan and providing emergency aid in neighboring countries, its capacity is critically limited by funding. The impending halt of assistance in several countries represents a failure of global partnership, a key tenet of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

1. A total of just over $200 million is urgently required to sustain the emergency response for Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries for the next six months.
2. An additional $575 million is needed for lifesaving operations for the most vulnerable populations inside Sudan.

Regional Impact Analysis and SDG Implications

The crisis is unfolding in countries already grappling with their own development challenges, including food insecurity and conflict. The influx of refugees places enormous pressure on limited resources, threatening the stability and SDG progress of host communities.

Central African Republic (CAR)

• Status: WFP supports over 25,000 refugees and returnees.
• Impact: Without an additional $4 million, all support for refugees will be forced to stop in August, leading to a severe humanitarian catastrophe and a complete reversal of gains related to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 for this population.

Chad

• Status: Hosts nearly 1.4 million refugees, including 860,000 from the current Sudan crisis, with around 1,000 new arrivals daily.
• Impact: Food rations will be reduced unless new funding is received. A funding gap of $77 million for the next six months threatens the well-being of over 1.2 million people and risks destabilizing host communities, undermining both SDG 2 and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Egypt

• Status: The largest host country with 1.5 million arrivals. WFP assistance has been cut progressively from 235,000 to 150,000 beneficiaries.
• Impact: With a $20 million funding requirement, WFP faces a complete halt of aid in August. These cuts push vulnerable families deeper into poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2).

Ethiopia

• Status: WFP supports over 800,000 refugees with 50% rations.
• Impact: An $18 million shortfall for the Sudanese refugee response jeopardizes assistance. Maintaining even partial support for all refugees through December requires $40 million, highlighting the strain on resources needed to achieve SDG 2.

Libya

• Status: WFP assists 50,000 of an estimated 313,000 Sudanese refugees.
• Impact: All assistance will end by July without an additional $5 million. This abandonment of refugees will create extreme hardship and directly contravenes the global commitment to leave no one behind.

South Sudan

• Status: WFP has assisted 1 million of 1.16 million new arrivals. New arrivals in established camps receive only 50% rations.
• Impact: A $71 million funding shortfall threatens all operations, including food assistance, nutrition, and school meals programs, which are vital for achieving SDG 2, SDG 3, and SDG 4 (Quality Education).

Uganda

• Status: Home to 1.9 million refugees, with WFP support drastically reduced. Moderately vulnerable refugees receive only 22% rations.
• Impact: The severe ration cuts are a direct threat to life and health (SDG 3). A $6 million requirement is needed for Sudanese refugees, with $50 million needed to restore full rations for all refugees and uphold commitments to SDG 2.

A Call for Global Action to Uphold the SDGs

Addressing the Root Cause: SDG 16

Humanitarian support is a temporary lifeline, not a solution. The ongoing conflict is the primary driver of displacement and suffering. Achieving a lasting resolution requires urgent political and diplomatic action to end the fighting, a fundamental prerequisite for establishing SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Without peace and stability, sustainable development is impossible.

Invoking SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The international community must mobilize to prevent a deeper catastrophe. The funding shortfalls represent a critical failure in global partnership and solidarity. Meeting the financial requirements is not merely a humanitarian imperative but a necessary investment to protect regional stability and prevent the complete collapse of SDG progress for millions of people.

1. Mobilize $200 million for the six-month regional refugee response.
2. Provide $575 million for lifesaving operations inside Sudan.
3. Pursue diplomatic solutions to end the conflict in Sudan.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger

   • Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. The article is centered on the World Food Programme’s (WFP) efforts to provide “lifesaving food assistance” to millions of Sudanese refugees who have “fled to neighboring countries in search of food.” The text explicitly states that without funding, these refugees “risk plunging deeper into hunger.”
   • Target 2.2: End all forms of malnutrition. The article highlights the severe risk of “malnutrition,” especially among children. It mentions that “Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have already breached emergency thresholds.”

2. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.2: End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5. The article warns that forcing cuts to food assistance will leave “vulnerable families, and particularly children, at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition,” which directly contributes to preventable child deaths.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates. The root cause of the crisis is identified as the “conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023.” The article concludes by stating that “political and global diplomatic action is what’s urgently needed to end the fighting so that peace and stability can return.”

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries. The entire article is an appeal for funding. The WFP explicitly states it “needs just over $200 million to sustain its emergency response for Sudanese refugees” and an “additional $575 million is needed for lifesaving operations for the most vulnerable inside Sudan.” This is a direct call to the “international community to mobilize additional resources.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 2.1 (End Hunger):

   • Number of people requiring food assistance: The article states that “more than 4 million people have fled” and that the WFP aims to reach “over 4 million people per month” inside Sudan.
   • Level of food rations provided: Progress can be measured by the percentage of full rations provided. The article mentions “full rations,” “75% food ration,” “50% rations,” and in Uganda, refugees surviving on “less than 500 calories a day – less than a quarter of daily nutritional needs.”
   • Number of beneficiaries receiving assistance: The text notes specific numbers of assisted people, such as in Egypt where assistance was cut from “235,000 to 200,000 people” and then further reduced.

2. For Target 2.2 (End Malnutrition):

   • Prevalence of malnutrition: The article explicitly mentions “Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children” as a key indicator of the severity of the crisis.

3. For Target 16.1 (Reduce Violence):

   • Number of refugees and displaced persons: The figure of “more than 4 million people” who have fled Sudan due to the conflict serves as a direct indicator of the scale of violence and instability. The article also notes that “Around 1,000 refugees continue to arrive daily into Chad.”

4. For Target 17.3 (Mobilize Financial Resources):

   • Amount of funding requested vs. received: The article provides specific funding requirements, such as “$200 million” for the regional refugee response and a “$71 million shortfall” for the response in South Sudan. The gap between the required amount and the funds received is a direct measure of progress.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 2: Zero Hunger	2.1: End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for all. 2.2: End all forms of malnutrition.	– Number of refugees requiring/receiving food assistance (e.g., “more than 4 million people”). – Percentage of daily nutritional needs met (e.g., “less than 500 calories a day”). – Percentage of full food rations provided (e.g., “50% rations”). – Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among refugee children.
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	3.2: End preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5.	– Child malnutrition rates (as a proxy for risk of preventable deaths).
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions	16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates.	– Number of people displaced by conflict (e.g., “more than 4 million people have fled”). – Daily arrival rate of new refugees (e.g., “1,000 refugees continue to arrive daily into Chad”).
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries.	– Amount of funding requested (e.g., “$200 million”). – Funding shortfalls (e.g., “$71 million shortfall for the Sudan refugee response”).

Source: wfpusa.org