This marked what officials describe as a significant step toward strengthening co-ordination in a country still gripped by violence and mass displacement.
For more than a year, the 28 UN agencies, funds and programmes operating in Sudan were forced to run their operations from Port Sudan after brutal fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has displaced millions and devastated basic services across the country.
UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the return of the team on Monday, calling it “an important step” toward deeper engagement on the ground as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
While the move back to the capital signals some progress, conditions for those fleeing violence remain critical. The UN Refugee Agency and its partners are scaling up responses to displacement from hotspots such as El Fasher in Darfur and parts of Kordofan.
Teams deployed to Tawila and Dabbah are conducting in-person protection monitoring to identify urgent needs, including cases of sexual violence, separated children, and others requiring specialised support. Immediate priorities include psychosocial assistance, family tracing and reunification, food aid, non-food items, and the issuance of identity documents for those who have lost everything in the chaos.
The UN continues to support tens of thousands who have crossed into neighbouring Chad as violence spreads across Sudan’s western regions. Site expansion and infrastructure work are underway in camps and relocation areas, but conditions remain far from adequate.
Dujarric warned that reception sites face severe shortages of shelters and latrines, leaving displaced families vulnerable to harsh weather and disease. Urgent action is needed, he said, to restore dignity and ensure basic protection for those seeking safety.
The UN has once again urged both warring parties to end the fighting to allow humanitarian agencies sustained access to communities caught in the crossfire.
“Civilians urgently need respite and protection,” Dujarric said, adding that without a cessation of hostilities, the crisis will continue to escalate beyond the capacity of aid agencies.
Sudan now hosts one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises, with needs rising sharply as conflict grinds on with no political solution in sight.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
