Coping with crisis: Livelihood vulnerabilities and food insecurity in Sudan’s current conflict

Oliver K. Kirui, Tarig AlHaj Rakhy, Khalid Siddig, Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse and Hala Abushama

No 12, Sudan Strategy Support Program Policy Note from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: Sudan’s conflict, reignited in April 2023, represents not just a military contest between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but a total systemic collapse that has engulfed governance, infrastructure, markets, and public services. This conflict did not arise in a vacuum. Sudan has long faced structural vulnerabilities including weak institutions, a fragile economy, and climate-related stressors such as erratic rainfall and land degradation. The war, however, accelerated these pre-existing fault lines into a full-blown crisis. Key urban economies such as Khartoum have been devastated by airstrikes and sieges, while transport corridors and trade routes have been severed. Local governance structures in many regions have been displaced or dissolved, leaving civilians without recourse to basic services or protection. Simultaneously, the banking sector has fractured, disrupting remittances, cash transfers, and supply chains across the country. Insecurity has driven over 12.8 million people from their homes – 8.6 million internally and 3.9 million seeking refuge neighboring countries, as of May 2025 (UNHCR, 2025).

Keywords: capacity development; conflicts; livelihoods; vulnerability; food insecurity; Sudan; Africa; Northern Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-07-21
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