In January 2025, shortly after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that called for a 90-day pause on new foreign-aid programs. The freeze affected numerous programs, including those supporting independent media, humanitarian aid, and pro-democracy initiatives. This freeze had a devastating impact on Sudan humanitarian response, and the work of local civil society and efforts of protection of women and girls. Sudan received 5.9% of the USA global humanitarian assistance through UN agencies in 2024, with an amount of 830 million. US government was the largest contributor to the Sudan humanitarian response plan with over 45% of the budget of 2024.
Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today. The ongoing conflict in Sudan has led to severe famine, displacement, and extensive damage to critical infrastructure. The humanitarian response plan for Sudan in 2024 required $2.7 billion to support 14.7 million people, where only 65% of the required funding was received. The Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 requires $4.2 billion to deliver lifesaving aid to almost 21 million of the most vulnerable people.
Since the conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, the U.S. government has provided over $2.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries hosting Sudanese refugees. This includes more than $1.4 billion from USAID and over $980 million in FY 2024 alone. In 2024, the United States, through USAID and the U.S. Department of State, announced substantial humanitarian assistance for Sudan. The U.S. government committed nearly $466 million in humanitarian aid to support conflict-affected populations in Sudan. This funding includes $280.5 million from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) and $185.5 million from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM).
The humanitarian assistance aimed to provide urgently needed agricultural inputs, cash assistance, food assistance, health care, malnutrition treatment, protection support, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services for the nearly 25 million people in need of humanitarian assistance across Sudan. Additionally, the funding support life-saving assistance to refugees, host communities, and other conflict-affected people in Sudan and neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
The most important impact of the US funding to the humanitarian aid response is the cash assistance program that provide support to the local organizations and initiatives providing urgent assistance for millions of Sudanese inside conflict areas. These local groups include the Emergency Response Rooms, women led groups, and other community led initiatives providing food, shelter and health care across Sudan. These local groups rely on the cash transfer programs that are largely funded by USIAD. Some estimates that USAID funding to these flexible cash programs amount to 70-80% of the total funding. The importance of the cash program comes from the gaps being filled by local, mostly unregistered groups operating in areas where international aid groups can’t access. These areas include Khartoum, Kordofan, Aljazeera and Darfur, where the conflict continues to intensify.
Beyond the humanitarian assistance, funding from various US government programs is one of the essential sources of funding for protection programs for Human Rights Defenders, human rights groups and groups working on protection of women and girls. The response to GBV and CRSV is also impacted by this freeze and USAID is the substantial donor to this cluster. Youth and women peace building and prodemocracy efforts are also impacted by the recent decisions to halt all US foreign funding efforts. This freeze will impact the efforts of resilience and resistance of the Sudanese civil society as it navigates the unprecedented closure of civic space since the war erupted.
The international community must take action to fill the gaps created by this uncertainty following the recent decision by the US government. This situation is threatening the access to life saving food assistance, protection and health care support to millions of Sudanese people. Women and girls are specially impacted by this freeze that will put the lives of millions at risk due to the funding gaps for protection and life saving humanitarian aid. The Sudan humanitarian response plan for 2025 is starting with lack of major funding commitments, and this freeze comes to raise more challenges to respond to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today.
Our recommendations to the international community:
- Step up to the challenge and work to create a pool fund for Sudan to fill the gaps already existed in the response efforts prior to the USA government decision and work to increase funding to fill the gaps created by the recent freeze. This includes the EU, Canada, Australia, UK, and other major donors to the crisis response in Sudan.
- Private and philanthropic donors should prioritize the crisis in Sudan in their funding plans and engage with actors responding to the crisis in Sudan.
- Increase support to locally led initiatives, including women and youth led groups through the cash programs and other flexible funding initiatives to increase the reach to those in need the hot zones with enhanced cost efficiency.
