Conflict in Sudan

Updated February 2017

Conflict between the Sudanese government and rebel groups as well as tribal disputes have resulted in massive civilian death and displacement in Sudan. Oxfam and partners are working to assist nearly 300,000 people in Darfur. Our goals: meet urgent emergency needs where we can, and—by boosting health, nutrition, and incomes, and reducing risks—help conflict-affected communities build a healthier and more secure future.

In Darfur

Protecting health

Oxfam is working with community members and partners to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced by conflict. Our water engineers are helping maintain the wells, pumps, tanks, pipes, and taps that deliver treated water to camps for displaced people, and our sanitation and public health staff are ensuring that residents have latrines, bathing areas, soap, water cans, and access to the information they need to stay healthy under challenging conditions. Each time we set up water, sanitation, and hygiene programs, we train local residents to take charge of them so as to maximize sustainability and boost local humanitarian leadership.

Building resilience

The armed conflict in Darfur has persisted for more than a decade, and many of those who have survived the violence continue to struggle to meet their families’ most basic needs. In several hard-hit communities, Oxfam and our partners have undertaken multifaceted programs aimed at easing poverty and malnutrition, and reducing deadly risks.

• We are helping farmers gain access to high-quality seeds, and new techniques for cultivating and storing their crops and conserving soil and water.
• We are helping communities form Saving for Change microfinance groups that encourage savings and investment, and provide loans to members who want to start or grow small businesses.
• We have undertaken a program to improve hygiene practices and nutrition in rural communities through a grassroots network of women, with a special focus on protecting the health of children under five and pregnant and nursing mothers.
• We provide training and supplies to paraveterinary workers, and other agricultural support to contribute to longer-term solutions.
• As part of our risk-reduction work, we have provided cash-for-work programs to build water reservoirs, and early-warning systems to prepare for emergencies and mobilize effectively when they occur.
• And we are helping communities rebuild relationships that have become volatile in Darfur’s conflict-affected environment, and restore the skills and culture of peaceful coexistence.

In all our work, Oxfam and partners are looking for ways to bring the concerns, well-being, and leadership of women to the forefront, and we are working to create programs that can be led and sustained by the communities that need them most.

Stand by the people of Sudan with a gift to the Sudan Crisis Relief and Rehabilitation Fund.