Displaced Sudanese Outside Camps Face Mounting Health and Economic Crises
24 August 2026
Displaced women carry humanitarian aid supplies in Khartoum, Sudan. (SPA photo)
August 23, 2026 (OMDURMAN/KASSALA/Jazirah) – Hundreds of displaced Sudanese families living outside official shelters and displacement camps face severe hardship, struggling with soaring living costs, lost livelihoods, and scarce access to healthcare, education, and clean drinking water.
Field accounts and recent United Nations figures highlight the mounting challenges confronting vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women and female heads of households, alongside the risks faced by millions returning to ruined hometowns amid a collapsing health sector and underfunded relief efforts.
Sara fled the town of al-Hasahisa in Al Jazirah State with her family to escape the fighting, carrying only essentials in the hope of returning quickly once danger subsided.
Her family settled in Omdurman, renting modest quarters outside managed displacement centres. Sara, who used a pseudonym for security reasons, said her family initially stayed with relatives before finding separate accommodations.
“When we left al-Hasahisa, we did not know where we were going; we took whatever clothes and basic necessities we could carry and left most of our possessions behind,” Sara told Sudan Tribune. “We thought we would be away for a few days, but this journey has stretched on for months.”
Settling in Omdurman brought little relief, she explained.
“Living costs here are exorbitant, and we have no steady income. We need food, water, and transportation daily. When one of our children falls sick, the crisis multiplies because medical treatment and travel costs exceed our financial means,” she said.
“We are not asking for the impossible. We just want a safe haven where we can feed our children and continue their education.”
Sara’s experience reflects a broader pattern across Sudan, where thousands of families choose to stay outside formal camps—residing with relatives, in rented houses, or in unfinished buildings—relying almost entirely on community solidarity and scarce aid.
According to World Health Organization estimates, 33.7 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance in 2026, including 21 million in urgent need of health services, as conflict, supply shortages, and depleted medical personnel push the health system toward total collapse.
International Organization for Migration data recorded approximately 8.88 million internally displaced persons and 4.24 million returnees between April and May 2026.
However, returning home does not guarantee stability. Millions returning to Khartoum and Al Jazirah find widespread destruction, severe water and power shortages, shuttered schools, and no jobs, alongside the hazard of unexploded ordnance in residential neighbourhoods.
Pregnancy without healthcare
In Omdurman, Maryam, who fled Um Ruwaba in North Kordofan State, struggles to access maternal care due to movement restrictions and high transport costs.
“Before the war, I could visit the doctor and follow my pregnancy regularly,” Maryam told Sudan Tribune. “Now it is extremely difficult because I often cannot afford transport to the remaining operational health facilities.”
As her due date approaches, her concerns grow.
“I fear going into labour when transportation is unavailable, or reaching a medical centre that lacks life-saving equipment. I worry not only for myself, but for my unborn child,” Maryam said.
“Pregnancy requires proper nutrition, rest, and regular check-ups, none of which are available here. My main focus is scraping together money for treatment to avoid sudden complications.”
WHO figures indicate that at least 803,000 pregnant women require urgent reproductive healthcare in 2026, with an estimated 1.1 million births expected, while 37% of health facilities across Sudan remain out of service.
The UN Population Fund has warned that roughly one million pregnant women in Sudan are cut off from essential maternal care due to damaged hospitals and severe shortages of medicine and qualified personnel.
Loss of livelihoods
In the al-Haj Yousif area of East Nile locality, Amina, who fled Sinjah in Sennar State, struggles to provide for her children after losing her income.
“When we fled Sinjah, my only concern was keeping my children alive at any cost, without thinking about tomorrow; getting to safety was everything,” Amina told Sudan Tribune.
“Yet safety alone does not feed a hungry child. Life here requires cash, and we lost all our income. Every day we have to calculate every penny to secure basic food, rent, and medicine.”
She expressed deep distress over her children’s interrupted schooling.
“The children do not understand how drastically our lives changed. All they want is safety, food, and school, and providing that has become a burden beyond my capacity,” she said.
UN agencies estimate that more than 21 million people in Sudan suffer from acute food insecurity, with growing risks of malnutrition and disease outbreaks in displacement hubs.
From El Fasher to Kassala
Huda, who fled El Fasher in North Darfur to Kassala in eastern Sudan, reflects the toll of prolonged displacement.
“We left behind homes and belongings we spent years building, not knowing what tomorrow held,” Huda told Sudan Tribune. “Once the gunfire stopped, the real challenge began: surviving and rebuilding everything from scratch.”
“We hoped this stay would be temporary, but reality forced us into an extended displacement far from home,” she added. “I worry our children will grow up without knowing stability. Our only hope is for the war to end so we can return home or live with dignity.”
Crises outside camps
These accounts illustrate the plight of displaced populations residing outside formal sites, who frequently fall through the cracks of regular humanitarian distribution networks.
Host cities face strained public infrastructure alongside concurrent outbreaks of cholera, dengue fever, malaria, and measles.
Aid agencies continue to grapple with international funding shortfalls and operational access hurdles, while IOM officials stress that intervention plans must support both host communities and returnees.
Displacement in Sudan extends well beyond camp boundaries, encompassing host families, pregnant mothers lacking medical care, and families forced back to ruined neighbourhoods because they cannot afford the costs of staying displaced.
