IOM WARNS SUDAN AID NETWORK AT RISK OF COLLAPSE

The United Nations' International Organisation for Migration has warned that Sudan's aid network could collapse within weeks without new funding. The agency said continued fighting, heavy rain and displacement threaten an "imminent end" to relief supplied through its Common Humanitarian Pipeline. IOM director general Amy Pope said the whole humanitarian system could collapse within weeks unless donors act, adding that without new funding, aid cannot reach where it is needed most. She said the organisation could not turn its back on the people of Sudan amid conflict, displacement and heavy rain.

War between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces has continued since April 2023, and aid workers estimate it has killed more than 200,000 people. Aid organisations describe the conflict as the world's largest hunger and displacement crisis. The IOM said 8.6 million people remain internally displaced in Sudan, with violence, flooding and heavy rain continuing to damage shelters and force further movement. It said shelter and aid supplies are expected to run out by the end of the month without immediate donor support, and that warehouses keeping the pipeline running can only sustain operations until the end of the year. The shortfall comes amid a sharp reduction in global aid funding, the IOM said.

The IOM's network of nearly 100 national and international non-governmental organisations has delivered aid to 2.8 million people since July 2023, the agency said. It said its reach has been shrinking as funding falls, even as needs in Sudan remain at record levels. Pope called for immediate donor action to prevent the pipeline collapsing. Other UN agencies separately warned that Sudan's wider humanitarian system could collapse for the same funding reasons.