Over 50,000 people have fled violent conflict in Ethiopia for neighboring Sudan in the past month, overwhelming structures and creating huge needs. CARE staff and partners on the ground are hearing terrible stories of families having to flee, often on foot, and arriving with nothing. Nearly half of the refugees are children. UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees arriving in Sudan could surpass 200,000 in the next 6 months if the conflict continues. This is the largest influx into Sudan in 20 years and the country is still suffering the effects of large-scale flooding, rising COVID-19 cases, an economic crisis, and acute food insecurity affecting over 9.6 million people.
CARE is responding in Eastern Sudan with lifesaving humanitarian assistance including water, sanitation and hygiene services as well as health — including reproductive health services — and nutrition services for refugees. CARE is particularly worried about the impact on women and girls who are often worst affected in a crisis. There are serious concerns that if immediate assistance isn’t scaled up for the refugees arriving in Sudan, cases of gender-based violence could increase.
