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STORY: UN / SUDAN HUMANITARIAN PRESSER
TRT: 04:07
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 24 OCTOBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations
24 OCTOBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General for Operations, International Organization for Migration (IOM):
“Now in its third year of war, Sudan is the world's worst displacement crisis. Over 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and we've recorded 9.6 million internally displaced people and 4.3 million people who are displaced across borders in their neighboring countries. And this is made all the worse by food insecurity, disease outbreaks, flooding, grave human rights violations, widespread damage to the infrastructure and the near collapse of most of the most essential services.”
4. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director General for Operations, International Organization for Migration (IOM):
“2.6 million people have now returned home in Sudan. In Khartoum alone, 1 million people have returned, the vast majority of whom, 94 percent, has come from other locations in Sudan. Sudan urgently needs to rehabilitate its key infrastructure, restore access to public services and provide direct support to vulnerable returnees, IDPs and the communities that host them.”
6. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
“The protection risks for women and girls in this conflict are as infuriating as they are heartbreaking. The use of rape as a weapon of war, the trauma from horrific human rights violations are producing scars that may never heal.”
8. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
“Development investment, along with humanitarian support is essential. The people that we saw returning represent a fragile but hopeful shift. Shops are reopening and schoolchildren are on their way to class. Ordinary life is returning a little bit amidst the rubble.”
10. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF):
“1.4 million children live in areas of famine, or at risk of famine. Thousands will die without urgent treatment. In North Darfur alone this year, 150,000 children are likely to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form. In Tawila cases have surged from hundreds to over 2,000 a month since April.”
12. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF):
“A staggering 14 million children out of school, four out of every five children in Sudan: an entire generation lost without learning.”
14. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF):
“Violence robs children of safety with at least 350 grave violations, including killing verified in North Darfur in just this last six months.”
16. Med shot, speakers on screen
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF):
“Urgent needs grow every day, and what Sudan needs is unfettered access, funding and the political way towards the end of the conflict.”
18. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“While there are massive, immediate humanitarian needs in Sudan, on my visit and on the visit of all of us, we saw resilience, recovery, and we also have some agricultural opportunities. With partners like the World Bank, an initial restart of safety nets is underway in multiple locations. There's strong potential to scale, especially in urban sectors and areas with significant returns.”
20. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Guarnieri, Assistant Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“And investing in productive capacity alongside humanitarian needs, feeds communities today and lays the foundation for a more self-reliant tomorrow.”
22. Wide shot, speakers, journalists, press room
Four United Nations agencies called for urgent international attention on the crisis in Sudan, to address the immense suffering and growing dangers to the population.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), over 900 days of brutal fighting, widespread violations of human rights, famine, and the breakdown of life-sustaining services have pushed millions to the brink of survival, particularly women and children.
IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, Ugochi Daniels, along with UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner, Kelly Clements, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban and WFP Assistant Executive Director, Valerie Guarnieri, briefed reporters today (24 Oct) on their recent visit to Sudan where they witnessed the devastating impact of the crisis across the country, including in Darfur, Khartoum and other conflict-affected areas.
Sudan is facing one of the world’s most severe emergencies, with more than 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 9.6 million internally displaced people and nearly 15 million children.
IOM’s Ugochi Daniels, said, “Now in its third year of war, Sudan is the world's worst displacement crisis. Over 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and we've recorded 9.6 million internally displaced people and 4.3 million people who are displaced across borders in their neighboring countries. And this is made all the worse by food insecurity, disease outbreaks, flooding, grave human rights violations, widespread damage to the infrastructure and the near collapse of most of the most essential services.”
Additionally, while around 2.6 million people have returned to their homes as fighting in Khartoum and other parts of the country has eased, many are finding their homes and neighbourhoods damaged or destroyed and lacking access to essential services.
Daniels said, “2.6 million people have now returned home in Sudan. In Khartoum alone, 1 million people have returned, the vast majority of whom, 94 percent, has come from other locations in Sudan. Sudan urgently needs to rehabilitate its key infrastructure, restore access to public services and provide direct support to vulnerable returnees, IDPs and the communities that host them.”
Since the beginning of 2025, more than one million people have returned to Khartoum alone.
Now in its third year, the brutal conflict has destroyed essential services like healthcare and education.
Ted Chaiban from UNICEF said, “A staggering 14 million children out of school, four out of every five children in Sudan: an entire generation lost without learning.”
He also said, “Urgent needs grow every day, and what Sudan needs is unfettered access, funding and the political way towards the end of the conflict.”
14 out of 17 million school-aged children are out of school. Entire communities have been displaced, with families fleeing for their lives facing human rights violations and grave protection risks.
Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan last year and the hunger situation remains catastrophic, with children among the hardest hit.
Ted Chaiban from UNICEF said, “1.4 million children live in areas of famine, or at risk of famine. Thousands will die without urgent treatment. In North Darfur alone this year, 150,000 children are likely to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the deadliest form. In Tawila cases have surged from hundreds to over 2,000 a month since April.”
Malnutrition rates have soared, and thousands are at imminent risk of death without immediate food and nutrition assistance.
Families returning to Sudan, many driven by the determination to rebuild their lives after years of relentless conflict, reflect a fragile but hopeful shift. Yet Sudan remains a country in deep crisis.
UNHCR’s Kelly Clements, said, “The protection risks for women and girls in this conflict are as infuriating as they are heartbreaking. The use of rape as a weapon of war, the trauma from horrific human rights violations are producing scars that may never heal.”
She also said, “Development investment, along with humanitarian support is essential. The people that we saw returning represent a fragile but hopeful shift. Shops are reopening and schoolchildren are on their way to class. Ordinary life is returning a little bit amidst the rubble.”
Access to most affected populations remains severely constrained. Humanitarian actors face insecurity, bureaucratic impediments, and logistical challenges that make the delivery of life-saving aid extremely difficult: there is a need for simplified procedures. Attacks against civilians remain widespread and women and girls continue to face serious risks of conflict-related sexual violence.
Valerie Guarnieri, from WFP said, “While there are massive, immediate humanitarian needs in Sudan, on my visit and on the visit of all of us, we saw resilience, recovery, and we also have some agricultural opportunities. With partners like the World Bank, an initial restart of safety nets is underway in multiple locations. There's strong potential to scale, especially in urban sectors and areas with significant returns.”
She concluded, “And investing in productive capacity alongside humanitarian needs, feeds communities today and lays the foundation for a more self-reliant tomorrow.””
In Khartoum, with anti-foreigner sentiment rising, Sudan's longstanding support for nearly 900,000 refugees is under pressure. Continued protection for refugees is lifesaving for hundreds of thousands in need.
The situation across the Darfurs and Kordofan states is deeply concerning, with humanitarian needs escalating.
Communities are increasingly isolated, and the collapse of essential services is leaving millions vulnerable.
Agencies continue to make every effort to reach civilians where children and families are enduring conditions that defy survival.
In Al Fasher, over 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, have been trapped under siege for more than 16 months, cut off from food, water, and healthcare.
Health facilities have collapsed, and thousands of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are now without treatment, facing an imminent risk of death. Reports of killings, sexual violence, and forced recruitment are mounting daily.
In the Kordofans, towns like Dilling and Kadugli have been isolated for months, with families enduring destroyed water systems and non-functioning health services.
Outbreaks of cholera and measles are spreading unchecked.
Funding shortfalls are further compounding the crisis.
The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan, totaling US$4.2 billion, remains critically underfunded at only 25 percent, threatening the scale and continuity of emergency operations.
Despite massive challenges, the humanitarian response in Sudan has reached over 13.5 million people so far this year - including in the hardest-hit areas of Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazira. But without additional resources, humanitarian agencies will be forced to scale back life-saving interventions, putting millions of lives at risk.
The four agencies jointly call for: Immediate cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians, especially children; Unhindered humanitarian access to all affected populations, including a UN presence throughout the country; Simplified procedures for aid delivery and staff movement; Urgent and flexible funding to scale up lifesaving interventions; Support for durable solutions for displaced populations, including returnees and host communities; Continued support for internally displaced populations and the nearly 900,000 refugees inside Sudan in need of international protection and services.
