Humanitarian situation worsening in Sudan's camps for displaced people

Al-Karama 3 is a camp for people displaced by Sudan’s war. It is in El-Damazin, in Blue Nile state, and currently houses about 24,000 people. The camp matters because it shows how civilians are relying on temporary shelters while fighting continues.

Residents fled attacks, including drone strikes, and have repeatedly moved from place to place. The article connects their displacement to the civil war that began in 2023, when tensions between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s military erupted. The camp therefore provides safety from fighting, but not reliable living conditions.

Conditions at Al-Karama 3 are deteriorating. Food aid has stopped for four months, sanitation is poor, and healthcare is extremely limited. Residents face hunger, disease, and malnutrition. Camp officials and residents are appealing to authorities and humanitarian organizations for urgent intervention while the war continues.

Sudan’s displacement crisis is enormous: at least 11 million people have been displaced since fighting erupted in 2023. Displacement means people have been forced from their homes, while the war continues to threaten communities and disrupt essential services. The scale makes aid delivery difficult and leaves camps under severe pressure.

Hunger is also reaching an emergency level. More than 30 Western states warned that at least five million people across Sudan face emergency levels of hunger. Al-Karama 3 shows what that means locally: about 24,000 residents have received no food aid for four months and are relying mainly on corn.

The crisis may worsen if funding and access do not improve. The states urged the warring parties to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid and called on donors to increase funding. Without those steps, food shortages and displacement could deepen.

The Rapid Support Forces are a paramilitary force, and Sudan’s military is the country’s military institution. The article presents them as the two sides whose tensions triggered Sudan’s current civil war. Their conflict matters because it has killed tens of thousands and displaced at least 11 million people.

According to the article, tensions between the two forces erupted into open civil war in 2023. The fighting has included drone attacks, which residents at Al-Karama 3 describe as a reason they have repeatedly fled. The conflict has pushed civilians into camps and disrupted food, sanitation, and healthcare.

The war remains active, and its effects are spreading beyond direct combat. Camps face worsening humanitarian conditions, while drought and cuts to international aid add pressure. More than 30 Western states have called on the warring parties to remove obstacles to aid, but the article gives no indication that the conflict has ended.

When food aid stops, displaced people lose a crucial source of calories and balanced nutrition. At Al-Karama 3, residents say they eat only corn because there is no alternative. This is especially dangerous for children and for people whose health requires special care or a different diet.

Adam Ahmed, a camp resident, says he eats corn even though he should not, and asks for proper nutrition. The article also reports that hundreds of thousands of children across Sudan are suffering from malnutrition. The mechanism is direct: limited food choices and prolonged shortages weaken people and make existing health problems harder to manage.

The shortage has already lasted four months at the camp. Its effects are unfolding alongside disease, poor sanitation, and limited healthcare. Camp officials are calling for urgent intervention, while Western states are urging donors to increase funding and the warring parties to allow humanitarian aid through.

Toilets are essential for safely containing human waste. When a camp lacks adequate facilities, people are forced to defecate in the open. Waste can then contaminate shared surroundings and water sources, increasing exposure to infections. Crowded conditions can make transmission easier.

At Al-Karama 3, the article links poor sanitation with a rise in disease. Camp manager Babiker Othman Ibrahim names allergies, malaria, and schistosomiasis among the illnesses that have emerged. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, while schistosomiasis is linked to parasites associated with contaminated freshwater; unsafe conditions can increase health risks for displaced people.

The problem is intensified by extremely limited healthcare. Even when people become sick, they may struggle to receive diagnosis, medicine, or ongoing treatment. Ibrahim describes the camp’s health situation as completely degraded and appeals for urgent action from official authorities and humanitarian organizations.

Conflict, drought, and aid cuts reinforce one another because each increases needs while reducing people’s ability to cope. Fighting displaces families and disrupts food supplies, services, and movement. Drought can further reduce available food and water. Cuts to international aid then leave fewer resources for people already affected by both pressures.

Al-Karama 3 illustrates this mechanism. About 24,000 displaced people are living there, but the camp has received no food aid for four months. Residents rely on corn, sanitation is inadequate, and healthcare is extremely limited. These shortages make hunger and disease more likely at the same time.

The result is what officials describe as a perfect storm. More than 30 Western states warned that at least five million people face emergency levels of hunger. They urged the warring parties to remove barriers to aid and asked donors to scale up funding, because reduced assistance could worsen the crisis.

An internally displaced person, or IDP, is someone forced to leave home because of war, violence, disaster, or another threat, but who remains within their own country. They may move to a camp, another city, or a safer rural area. The term describes displacement without crossing an international border.

A refugee has also been forced to flee, but has crossed into another country to seek safety. This border crossing creates a different legal and humanitarian situation. For example, someone fleeing Sudan to another country may be a refugee, while someone fleeing to Al-Karama 3 within Sudan is internally displaced.

The people at Al-Karama 3 are internally displaced based on the article’s description: they fled fighting and live in a camp in Sudan’s Blue Nile state. Their status does not guarantee adequate assistance. They still face food shortages, disease risks, and limited healthcare while the war continues.