Millions fleeing Sudan’s war risk losing shelter as funds run low, UN warns

“Emergency shelter and basic household items” means practical help for people forced from home by war. It includes a safe place to sleep and supplies needed to live with basic security. The support matters because displacement can leave families without homes, household goods, or reliable services.

The UN agencies describe shelter as more than a physical structure. For families repeatedly displaced, it offers safety and dignity. For women, children, and others at heightened risk, that protection is especially important. People returning home may also need shelter assistance when their houses and local services have been destroyed.

Sudan’s needs are enormous. About 15.4 million people urgently need shelter and household items, but only 936,000 have received assistance. UNHCR and IOM are trying to maintain supply pipelines, place emergency stocks in priority areas, and deliver help where needs are greatest. They say predictable, flexible funding is needed to continue.

The gap between need and assistance is exceptionally large. Across Sudan, an estimated 15.4 million people urgently need emergency shelter and basic household items. These needs affect people displaced by fighting and people returning to areas where homes and services have been damaged.

So far, humanitarian agencies have assisted 936,000 people. This is fewer than one million, leaving most people without the support they need. Funding shortages are the main reason agencies can prioritise help for only about 10 percent of those in need. Limited resources also force agencies to reduce their ambitions.

The shortfall is becoming more urgent because aid stocks are running down. IOM chief Mohamed Refaat said the agency distributed more than 40,000 tonnes this year, but its warehouses are now completely empty. UNHCR and IOM are calling for urgent funding to replenish supplies and prevent conditions from worsening.

Millions of Sudanese people are being displaced because war has made homes and communities unsafe. Fighting began in 2023 and has continued between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, known as the RSF. The conflict has damaged homes, infrastructure, and basic services.

The scale of movement shows how deeply the fighting has disrupted civilian life. About 8.6 million people have been displaced within Sudan. More than 4.6 million others have crossed the country’s borders. Sudan is therefore described by the UN as the world’s largest displacement crisis.

Displacement may continue even when some people return. More than 5.2 million people have gone back to their areas of origin, but many find destruction there. IOM chief Mohamed Refaat warned that the number of internally displaced people could rise again. Agencies have already reduced their plans because funding is limited.

UNHCR and IOM help displaced people obtain emergency shelter and basic household items. Their role is both logistical and humanitarian. They work with local organisations and other partners to move supplies, prepare stocks before emergencies intensify, and direct assistance toward the greatest needs.

Their shared supply pipelines are a key mechanism. Agencies maintain supplies across the response system and pre-position emergency stocks in priority areas. They then distribute help to people who need it. IOM’s work shows the scale involved: it distributed more than 40,000 tonnes this year, according to Mohamed Refaat, IOM Sudan’s chief.

That system is now under severe pressure. Refaat said IOM warehouses were completely empty as resources dwindled. UNHCR and IOM say their efforts cannot continue without predictable and flexible funding. They are calling for urgent money to replenish emergency stocks and maintain operations.

When emergency stocks run out, families displaced by war may lose access to the basic protection that shelter and household supplies provide. They can be left without a safe place to sleep and without the items needed to rebuild daily life. This deepens the insecurity created by repeated displacement.

The article describes shelter as a measure of safety and dignity, not merely an everyday necessity. Women, children, and other people at heightened risk may face especially serious consequences. Returning families also suffer when destroyed homes, infrastructure, and services leave them unable to restart their lives without assistance.

The immediate reality is a widening gap between needs and resources. Only 936,000 of 15.4 million people in need have received help. IOM says its warehouses are empty after distributing more than 40,000 tonnes this year. Without urgent, flexible funding, agencies warn that conditions will worsen.

Returning to an area of origin does not necessarily mean returning to a functioning home. In Sudan, many people come back to places damaged by war. Their houses, infrastructure, and basic services may have been destroyed, leaving them unable to live safely or resume ordinary life.

That is why humanitarian assistance remains necessary after return. Shelter support can provide a first step toward rebuilding. The UN agencies say it helps people find a safe place to sleep and regain a measure of safety and dignity. Basic household items can also help families restart after repeated disruption.

More than 5.2 million people have returned to their areas of origin, according to the UN. Yet the wider crisis remains severe, with 15.4 million people needing emergency shelter and household items. Agencies warn that internal displacement could rise again, especially as resources dwindle and assistance plans are scaled back.

An internally displaced person, or IDP, has been forced from home but remains inside the country’s borders. A refugee has fled across an international border because of conflict or persecution. This distinction describes where people are displaced, not how serious their needs are.

It matters because different response systems may be involved. IDPs need assistance inside their own country, where national authorities and humanitarian agencies operate. Refugees need support in the countries where they seek safety, alongside help from international agencies. The article focuses mainly on Sudan’s internal displacement while also noting cross-border flight.

Since the war began, about 8.6 million people have been displaced within Sudan, while more than 4.6 million have fled across its borders. These figures show two connected movements. Both groups may need shelter and household support, but the location of displacement affects how aid is organised and delivered.