IRC Places Sudan at Top of Emergency Watchlist for 2026
The watchlist identifies 20 nations facing the gravest risk of deteriorating humanitarian conditions over the coming twelve months. The Palestinian territories rank second, with South Sudan claiming third place. The African continent dominates the crisis catalog, with Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Burkina Faso also appearing on the roster.
A staggering two-thirds of Sudan's entire population—33.7 million individuals including 15 million children—now depend on humanitarian aid to survive, according to the assessment.
Hunger has reached catastrophic proportions across the nation. Acute food insecurity grips 19.2 million people, while 207,000 face famine conditions. The country's healthcare system confronts an unprecedented cholera epidemic, with over 100,000 suspected cases documented since December 2024—the most extensive outbreak in Sudanese history, data reveals.
More than two years of relentless warfare have devastated the country.
Aid workers now operate in one of the world's deadliest environments. "Sudan is now the third most dangerous country for aid workers, accounting for 12% of attacks against aid workers globally in 2025," the report said.
Violence against international personnel escalated Sunday when a drone strike killed six peacekeepers at a UN logistics facility in South Kordofan state. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning: "attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law."
Healthcare facilities face systematic targeting. Guterres declared Wednesday on X that the World Health Organization (WHO) "has documented 65 attacks on health care with more than 1,600 killed and 276 injured."
The nation's economy has collapsed alongside its infrastructure. Sudanese Human Resources and Social Welfare Minister Mutasim Ahmed Sale reports the national poverty rate has skyrocketed from approximately 21% pre-conflict to 71%, plunging an estimated 23 million citizens below the poverty threshold.
The 2023 conflict outbreak triggered massive displacement. UN agencies calculate more than 12 million people have fled their homes within Sudan's borders, while countless others escaped to surrounding countries. Official UN statistics record over 40,000 deaths, though humanitarian organizations caution the actual toll likely exceeds this figure substantially due to restricted access and incomplete reporting.
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