KHARTOUM – About 15.4 million people in Sudan need emergency shelter and essential household supplies, while humanitarian agencies are reaching only around 10% of those in need because of severe funding shortages, the United Nations said.

The U.N. refugee agency and International Organization for Migration warned Friday that shifting front lines continue to force families from their homes while emergency shelter stocks are being depleted.

Abu Bakr Jallo, UNHCR’s deputy representative in Sudan, said women and children account for about three-quarters of displaced people.

He said adequate shelter was essential not only for protection from weather but also for privacy, safety and dignity for families who had lost their homes.

The agencies warned that dwindling stocks could leave more displaced families without adequate shelter during the winter, increasing their exposure to harsh weather, insecurity, violence and exploitation.

IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan Mohammed Refaat said the agency’s warehouses were effectively empty, with 16 trucks arriving in Darfur on Thursday carrying the last of its available emergency stocks.

Returnees Face Destroyed Homes, Limited Services

More than 5.2 million people have returned to their areas of origin, according to IOM, but many have found homes destroyed or looted and basic services unavailable.

Refaat said shortages of healthcare, electricity and water could force some returnees to leave again.

Sudan’s displacement crisis has increasingly shifted from emergency flight alone to a combination of new displacement and fragile returns, as families move back to areas where infrastructure and livelihoods remain severely damaged.

UNHCR also warned that poor agricultural conditions were adding pressure on displaced households.

Jallo said reduced rainfall linked to El Niño had affected crops in Darfur, Kordofan and other conflict-affected regions.

Food prices remained unusually high even after the harvest season, he said, forcing families to prioritise food over blankets, shelter materials and other essential items.

Humanitarian Plan Less Than Half Funded

The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has received only 47% of the $2.9 billion required.

The plan aims to assist 20.4 million of the 33.7 million people estimated to need humanitarian support across Sudan.

Funding shortages have forced humanitarian organisations to scale back services despite continuing displacement, destruction of housing and deteriorating living conditions.

Refaat warned that the consequences could extend beyond Sudan’s borders as displacement continues into neighbouring countries and farther abroad.

He said Sudanese nationals were the largest group arriving in Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean migration route.

The U.N. describes Sudan as the world’s largest displacement crisis, driven by the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that began in April 2023.