Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, is facing a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale, with 97 percent of households reporting food shortages and the city’s healthcare system largely nonfunctional, according to a recent assessment by humanitarian organizations Medical Teams International and Norwegian Church Aid. The report highlights the extreme conditions in a city devastated by months of armed conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The study, conducted between August and September, surveyed over 1,250 families and 70 healthcare facilities. Findings indicate that three-quarters of households in Khartoum consume fewer than 1,800 calories per day, far below recommended nutritional levels. Only 43 percent of health facilities remain operational, while just 14 percent of women have access to safe childbirth services. Shortages of essential medicines are widespread, with 70 percent of facilities reporting no available antibiotics.
“The need for humanitarian assistance in Khartoum is urgent,” stated Dirk Hanekom, country director for Norwegian Church Aid in Sudan. Experts warn that conditions in remote conflict zones may be even more dire. Medical Teams International’s Birhanu Waka emphasized that the data should guide immediate efforts to restore healthcare services amid what he described as “unimaginable hardship.”
Although the military recaptured Khartoum from the RSF in March and the capital’s airport reopened for domestic flights in October, violence persists across western Sudan. The RSF maintains control of large areas, including all of Darfur, after capturing the city of el-Fasher in late October. In Babnusa, West Kordofan state, RSF forces reportedly detained over 100 families—including children and pregnant women—under dangerous conditions, with reports of beatings and restricted movement.
The United Nations has issued urgent warnings that Kordofan may face further atrocities, with UN human rights chief Volker Turk noting that history is “repeating itself” following the fall of el-Fasher. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab shows the city remains largely deserted. British lawmakers were briefed that at least 60,000 people were killed in el-Fasher within just three weeks, with up to 150,000 residents unaccounted for.
Overall, Sudan’s conflict has displaced nearly 12 million people and left over 24 million facing acute hunger. While the U.S. government has pledged to lead peace efforts, negotiations remain stalled as RSF attacks continue despite a declared unilateral ceasefire, and the army demands the paramilitary group withdraw from captured territories. Humanitarian organizations continue to call for urgent intervention to prevent further loss of life and to address the critical needs of Sudan’s civilian population.
