Sudan: Statement by David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee

Khartoum, Sudan, September 11, 2025 - Sudan is top of the IRC's 2025 Emergency Watchlist for good reason. 30 million people - over half of Sudan's population - are in humanitarian need and this week I got to meet some of them in River Nile state. The civil war that has consumed the country in the last two years has combined foreign entanglement and local violence, devastating civilians and spilling instability across the region. IRC programs in health, nutrition, cash, water and sanitation and child protection represent a lifeline.

Like many of our clients, many of our 400 national staff are part of the largest displacement crisis in the world. The war, now in its third year, is a catastrophe of staggering proportions: the world's largest hunger crisis, largest humanitarian crisis, largest displacement crisis, and yet one too often put in the "too difficult" box by global politics. The scale of suffering should jolt the conscience of the international community. Instead, this crisis is one of the most underfunded worldwide, and has been met by diplomatic stasis.

The IRC is proud to stand with Sudanese communities. In River Nile State I saw firsthand the extraordinary dedication of our Sudanese staff and partners-keeping health clinics open, treating malnutrition, providing clean water and safe spaces for women and girls, providing cash-despite access constraints and dwindling resources. In neighboring countries-including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, and the Central African Republic-the IRC is assisting Sudanese refugees with health services, cash assistance, and livelihood support.

Last year, IRC served 1.7 million people in Sudan, but still we need to scale up. Across the East Africa region, including Sudan and South Sudan, the IRC's REACH project, in partnership with GAVI, has delivered over 19 million vaccine doses to zero and under-immunized children through a localized approach that works with, not around, conflict dynamics.

The international community cannot continue to look away. Last year, of the 16,000 words uttered by the permanent members of the UN Security Council at the opening plenary of the UN General Assembly, the word "Sudan" was only mentioned 8 times. As we approach this year's UNGA, Sudan must move from the margins of diplomatic discussion to the center of the agenda. That means unified pressure behind a single peace track, meaningful action to protect civilians and humanitarian access, and-critically-new, flexible funding to meet the scale of need. Sudanese civilians are paying the price of international inaction. The time to stand with them is now.

When the conflict began in 2023, the IRC adapted our programs and scaled up our response to address the increased humanitarian needs. Despite immense operational challenges, the IRC continues to provide support in Blue Nile, Gedaref, Khartoum, River Nile and White Nile states. We also have a logistics and coordination office in Port Sudan and are exploring opportunities to expand our presence into other states.