Donate to the Sudan Crisis Appeal
The crisis in Sudan has plunged the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Friday 9 January will mark 1,000 days since conflict broke out in Sudan. The crisis continues to devastate civilian lives, as children, mothers and families are affected by conflict.
Kayode Akintola, CAFOD’s Head of Region for Africa, visited the country late last year. He said: “What I heard left me speechless. Atrocities, mass displacement, and a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold in silence. The scale of suffering is staggering, and the muted global response has been profoundly disheartening.”
Urge the Foreign Secretary to act on Sudan
CAFOD has joined forced with 11 other agencies to ask the UK government to step up its response to this crisis.
We want the UK to:
scale up diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire
increase humanitarian access across Sudan
increase funding, particularly to local aid groups.
Why is there a crisis in Sudan?
Sudan has been affected by conflict since April 2023. The fighting is mainly between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has ever seen. It is estimated over 150,000 people have already lost their lives and almost 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Over 33 million people - more than half of Sudan's population – desperately need emergency aid.
Yet, despite the extreme challenges, there is still hope. CAFOD partners and staff have done all they can to support communities in Sudan since war broke out.
How is CAFOD responding to the crisis in Sudan?
We have heard reports of the devastating recent violence in Sudan. We remain committed to the people of Sudan. Our staff and partners continue to respond bravely in northern Darfur and in towns in the El Fasher region.
With your support, we are working closely with Church partners and other local experts to provide:
emergency food, and nutrition screening and treatment in North Darfur State, to quickly identify and treat people who are malnourished
cash vouchers for vulnerable families to buy essentials
water supply planning and repairs to latrines, including building emergency latrines and trucking water to relocated South Sudanese refugees in the White Nile region
support for people who have had to flee their homes.
What is the Catholic Church doing to help?
The Catholic Church and Church-run institutions in Sudan and neighbouring countries are providing critical support to families who have been forced to flee conflict, often without formal recognition or adequate funding.
However, the crisis is severe, and Church-run clinics, schools and community centres in conflict zones have been pushed to breaking point. Some have been forced to close, and those that remain open are under extreme duress. Workers at these centres, many of them volunteers, face daily threats.
The Church’s voice is needed now more than ever to call for an end to this conflict and to the terrible violence against civilians, and to get help to people struggling to rebuild their lives.
What has Pope Leo said about the crisis in Sudan?
Speaking on Sunday 2 November, Pope Leo appealed for a ceasefire in Sudan and humanitarian access:
"With great sorrow I am following the tragic news coming from Sudan. Indiscriminate violence against women and children, attacks on unarmed civilians, and serious obstacles to humanitarian aid are causing unbearable suffering.
"May we pray together that the Lord may receive the deceased with his embrace, strengthen those who are suffering, and move the hearts of those responsible. I renew my heartfelt appeal to all parties involved to agree to a ceasefire and to urgently open humanitarian corridors. Finally, I call on the international community to act with determination and generosity."
I renew my heartfelt appeal to all parties involved to agree to a ceasefire and to urgently open humanitarian corridors
What you can do to help
Sign our petition for peace
We’re urging the Foreign Secretary to take action to end the suffering in Sudan.
Pray for peace in Sudan
We ask the Lord to open the paths of peace as we pray for the people of Sudan who are facing conflict and hunger.
Even when the world looked away from the horror of violence and starvation, we remained steadfast in our commitment to the people of Sudan
What is the human impact of the crisis?
Sarah, a mother of four, arrived in South Sudan after her hometown became a conflict zone. When fighting erupted in her neighbourhood, three of her children were far away at their grandmother’s house. Sarah had no choice but to flee without them to protect her one child at home.
“I used to run a small business, which was destroyed," Sarah said. "I ran with nothing. Life has been very difficult, and sometimes l have no food to feed my child."
Our local experts supported Sarah by giving her cash so she could buy essentials like food for her and her child. Her hope is simple: for the war to end so she can reunite with her children.
Sarah with her youngest daughter
I ran with nothing. Life has been very difficult, and sometimes l have no food to feed my child.
Mary lost everything to the conflict. Sadly, some of her family members were killed. Imagine dealing with the loss of loved ones while fleeing to an unknown country?
Mary, her children and her elderly mother all crossed the border into South Sudan.
"The biggest challenge here now is shelter as we wait to relocate but it's so peaceful compared to the bombing and shelling we have experienced," Mary said.
Mary hopes to one day return home with her family and for her children to get an opportunity to go back to school.
Mary crossed the border into South Sudan with her children and elderly mother
The biggest challenge here now is shelter as we wait to relocate but it's so peaceful compared to the bombing and shelling we have experienced
Cash helps people get what they need, when they need it most
Before the war, Fatima lived in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The city has seen more than two years of constant fighting. It’s estimated 60,000 people have lost their lives as a result of the violence.
Fatima was one of the thousands who fled. She made it to a safer place, away from the fighting – but she’d had no choice but to leave everything behind. How would she survive with no way to grow food or make a living?
Thanks to your support, our local experts helped Fatima and many of her neighbours with cash she could use to buy the essential supplies she needed.
“Now I can attend classes without fear”
Nadia, a young student living in a camp for people who have fled conflict, told us how a lack of sanitary pads was making it hard for her to keep up with her studies.
“I used to miss school every month because I didn’t have pads,” she said. “I felt embarrassed and stressed.”
She joined a workshop run by our partners to learn to make her own sustainable, hygienic sanitary pads. These pads not only help prevent discomfort and infection, but enable women like Nadia to regain some normality and get on with their lives.
“Now, I can attend classes without fear,” said Nadia.
How you can help the people of Sudan
Despite the extreme challenges the Sudanese people face, there is still hope. It takes all of us to support communities living in conflict.
You can call on the UK government to push for peace and support those who are suffering. You can help by donating today. Your donation will be with our local experts, who are working tirelessly to support families. Please also keep those living through the conflict in your prayers.
It takes all of us to support Sudan. We stand together. It takes you, our local experts and the communities we support all working together to build a better world.