KHARTOUM – Damaged telecommunications networks, power outages and severe funding shortages are disrupting humanitarian coordination across Sudan and limiting aid agencies’ ability to reach communities affected by the war, according to the WFP-led Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications sectors.

In their October update, the sectors said services from Sudan’s three main mobile operators — Zain, Sudani and MTN — continued to operate at reduced capacity and remained expensive, congested and unreliable in many areas.

Damage to fibre-optic networks and telecom towers, combined with insecurity that prevents maintenance teams from reaching affected sites, has left major coverage gaps in Darfur, Kordofan and other parts of western Sudan.

The disruptions are affecting humanitarian coordination, needs assessments, case referrals and the timely delivery of assistance, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. They are also limiting affected communities’ access to information and communication.

Satellite communications remain an important alternative in areas where terrestrial networks have failed, but access is uneven and often too expensive for many users.

Despite operational and financial constraints, the emergency telecommunications response maintained internet connectivity for about 1,700 users at 70 humanitarian sites, including 44 locations in Port Sudan and 21 in Kassala, as well as sites in Kosti, Ed Damazin, Gedaref, Dongola and Atbara.

In Khartoum, 392 people used internet access and phone-charging services at a community centre during October. The connectivity was also used to support educational activities for students.

Humanitarian teams are assessing whether community connectivity services can be introduced in Abu Jubeiha in South Kordofan, although fighting and access constraints have delayed progress.

Joint assessments were also carried out in Kosti and El Obeid between Oct. 23 and 28 to examine options for expanding security communications and internet services.

El Obeid Operations Centre Remains Offline

Five security operations centres remained functional in Port Sudan, Kassala, Gedaref, Kosti and Ed Damazin.

In El Obeid, North Kordofan, an assessment found that the operations centre and its equipment remained intact, but the facility was not functioning because of shortages of staff and electricity.

Plans under consideration include moving some equipment to Kosti while retaining radio repeaters in El Obeid and monitoring the site remotely.

Security communications are particularly important for tracking incidents and supporting humanitarian movements in areas where mobile phone networks are weak or unreliable.

$5.5 Million Needed for Communications

The Emergency Telecommunications Sector said it requires $5.5 million under Sudan’s 2026 humanitarian response plan to maintain communications services.

It received $500,000 in August through a WFP flexible funding mechanism and has also requested $900,000 for telecommunications under a joint proposal to the Sudan Humanitarian Fund.

The sector warned that significantly more funding is still required to maintain minimum services through the end of the year.

Funding shortages have forced agencies to focus mainly on sustaining existing operations rather than expanding to additional locations, while insecurity continues to limit assessments and infrastructure repairs.

The communications crisis comes amid broader humanitarian pressures across Sudan, where 33.7 million people are estimated to need assistance and about 19.5 million face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.