conflict

Sudan: Two years into the conflict, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis now threatens regional stability

April 15, 2025

Upcoming rains and aid cuts could further hamper humanitarian efforts and push millions of people to famine

As Sudan’s conflict enters its third year, massive displacement and fighting are spilling over into neighbouring countries, worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The looming rainy season, combined with aid cuts by the US and other key donors, will severely hamper humanitarian efforts putting millions of lives at risk, a new Oxfam report warned today.

Sudan’s brutal conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. More than 12.7 million people —nearly one-third of the population— have been forced to flee their homes, including 3.7 million to neighbouring countries. One in two Sudanese is hungry. Five areas in the country are already experiencing famine, and nearly eight million more people are at risk of starvation.

The upcoming rains could turn roads to mud, and trigger the collapse of vital bridges, cutting off entire areas and communities from essential aid and services. This period coincides with the annual lean season when food insecurity already peaks.

The Oxfam report –The Unravelling of the World’s Largest Humanitarian Disaster: From the Sahel to the Red Sea – published jointly with humanitarian organisations responding to the Sudan crisis, highlights the staggering human cost of the Sudan conflict. It warns that the crisis is now spilling over neighbouring South Sudan and Chad, where humanitarian needs are already dire.

Fati N’Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director, said:

“We are already witnessing clashes between armed groups from South Sudan and Sudan. This volatile situation is simmering like a volcano ready to erupt any minute. Unless the fighting stops and the humanitarian crisis is addressed, the situation could quickly turn into a full-blown regional catastrophe.”

Two of the host countries, South Sudan and Chad, are already among the world’s poorest countries. They grapple with ongoing conflict, food insecurity, and climate shocks, leaving them ill-equipped to manage the crisis.

In South Sudan, the arrival of people fleeing Sudan’s conflict has put more pressure on already scarce resources, which is deepening local tensions and threatening the fragile peace South Sudan has struggled to maintain.

Nadia, a mother of five-year-old son Ismail who fled and is now sheltering in Renk, South Sudan, after soldiers killed her husband and two children says: “The war took everything. We left with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Here, we are safe from bullets, but there is no food, we are dying of hunger.”

The report also found that 17 million children in Sudan are out of school, while 65 percent of refugee children in Chad lack access to education — heightening risks of child labour, marriage, trafficking, and recruitment by armed groups.

For the first time in the history of modern humanitarian response, a single country –Sudan – reaches over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Yet, despite the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis, international support is falling severely short. Only 10 percent of this year’s UN appeal for Sudan has been met to date.

The recent suspension of approximately $64 million USAID funding for Chad and South Sudan in 2025 has also dealt a severe blow to lifesaving efforts. In 2024, the U.S. was the largest donor to both countries.

“Turning a blind eye to this crisis would not only be a profound political and moral failure, but a failure of our core humanity. Without immediate injection of funds, millions of people will simply die of starvation or disease,” added N’Zi-Hassane.

The report urges all warring parties to halt fighting and prioritize diplomacy, in order to forge an immediate and lasting ceasefire.

Note to editors

Read “The Unravelling of the World’s Largest Humanitarian Disaster: From the Sahel to the Red Sea”. The report is jointly endorsed by Sudan and South Sudan Forum, Inter Agency Working group (IAWG) for East and central Africa and Forum des ONG en Afrique de l’Ouest et centrale (FONGI)
Oxfam is supporting 150,000 people fleeing the conflict to Renk, South Sudan, and has reached 94,562 refugees in the Eastern part of Chad with lifesaving clean water, hygiene facilities and cash.
Sudan currently accounts for 1 in 8 internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide and 1 in 13 refugees globally, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Sudan war has left 4.8 million people across neighbouring countries (Egypt, Libya, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Uganda) in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. This is up from 1.8 million in mid-2023, more than the double.
Despite funding needs, only a third of the Regional Refugee Response Plan was met last year.
In South Sudan, the number of people needing assistance has more than doubled over the past decade—from 4.1 million in 2015 to 9 million in 2025 while in Chad, one in three people – about 7 million people need assistance in 2025.
The UN appeal for Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2025 was US$ 434.5 million. Only 10 percent of this amount has been funded according to the UNOCHA Financial Tracking Service portal.
Approximately $64 million USAID funding for Chad and South Sudan in 2025 has been cut. Source: The Center for Global Development.
In December 2024, the Famine Review Committee (FRC) classified a Famine (IPC Phase 5) in five areas in Sudan: Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps in Al Fasher locality and in the Western Nuba Mountains. It also projected that Famine would expand to five additional areas by May 2025.

CONTACT

Spokespeople are available for interviews. For more information, contact:

Rachel Schaevitz at [email protected]

Myanmar earthquake: Risk of waterborne disease outbreak amidst devastation compounded by weekend heavy rains

April 8, 2025

Heavy rains that struck Mandalay and Sagaing – the epicenter of the recent earthquake in Myanmar – at the weekend have further complicated the humanitarian situation. The existing lack of sanitation and clean water is now increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, said Oxfam today.

Rajan Khosla, Oxfam in Myanmar Country Director, said:

“The recent heavy rains have added to the challenges faced by the survivors of this earthquake, further affecting those who are already struggling. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter in temporary accommodations or in open areas, with limited access to clean water and proper sanitation.”

The destruction of roads and bridges, together with the disruption in telecommunications have already slowed rescue and relief operations over the past week. Millions of people in hardest-hit areas remain with limited access to electricity, clean water and sanitation, and essential services.

The 7.7-magnitude quake – the worst to hit Myanmar in decades – has left a trail of devastation, particularly in the regions of Mandalay, Sagaing, parts of Shan, and Nay Pyi Taw.

The UN has estimated that the earthquake has affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country’s 330 townships. Over 3,400 people have been announced dead and thousands more injured, and the number is still rising.

Oxfam’s team was among the first to reach the hardest-hit areas, providing lifesaving supplies to prevent the outbreak of disease, particularly acute watery diarrhea. Together with our partners, Oxfam is providing people in shelters with lifesaving water, sanitation and hygiene kits, blankets, mosquito nets and other essential supplies.

Oxfam’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene expert in Mandalay, said:

“Heavy rains flooded drains, polluting the environment and increasing public health risks including diarrhoea due to flies and insects. Many camps lack proper latrines, forcing people to dispose of human waste without adequate sanitation.” He added, “there are significant hygiene challenges for the camp population, as food is cooked outdoors, making it difficult to prepare meals after rain. This increases the risk of contamination and the spread of diseases.”

Myanmar was already reeling from a severe humanitarian crisis, with almost 20 million people – a third of the population –needing humanitarian assistance. The situation is now catastrophic. But despite the scale of need, the country remains one of the world’s most underfunded humanitarian crises. Less than 40 percent of the UN Humanitarian appeal for Myanmar was met last year.

Rajan said: “This tragedy underscores the need for a coordinated international response and significant support to help Myanmar recover and rebuild. The road to recovery is long, and every contribution can make a significant difference in the lives of those impacted by this devastating earthquake,”

Oxfam is scaling up its response to reach the most vulnerable groups in hardest hit areas, particularly women, children, and people with disability.

//END

Notes to editors

Oxfam in Myanmar has been working to support communities in Myanmar since 2008, following the devastating Cyclone Nargis in the Delta region. Since then, we have expanded our programmes with the aim of reducing poverty and suffering in Myanmar, working closely with communities and local partners.
Immediately after the earthquake, Oxfam has mobilized to deliver urgent relief to the hardest hit areas. Together with our partners, our teams have reached thousands of people, particularly in Mandalay and Sagaing, with hygiene and dignity kits, as well as, cooked food, water, mosquito nets and blankets.

Contact information

Rachel Schaevitz at [email protected]

Yemen faces economic freefall and devastating aid crisis after a decade of conflict

March 28, 2025

A decade after a Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the internationally recognized government of Yemen to power, the country remains deeply divided, facing economic freefall and a devastating humanitarian crisis, Oxfam said today.

Competing financial policies in the North and the South have caused economic collapse. Violations of human rights, the detention of humanitarian workers, and unacceptable conditions on aid imposed by the authorities in Sana’a have exacerbated suffering.

In the South, despite strong international support, the internationally recognized government has failed to provide basic services or stabilise the currency. Over the last 10 years, the Yemeni rial has depreciated by more than 90 per cent in government-controlled areas – pushing basics like food, water, and health care out of reach for most Yemenis. This inflation is only worsening – the rial lost 30 per cent of its value in February alone.

In the North, the Houthis have made it increasingly difficult and dangerous for the humanitarian community to operate and provide vital food, cash and other assistance. Their arbitrary and unlawful detention of Yemeni humanitarian workers and members of civil society has worsened the already difficult operating environment. Authorities should release all unlawfully held detainees, including Oxfam staff.

The environment of restriction and fear imposed by the Houthis, coupled with the US government’s freeze of foreign assistance funding and imposition of heightened legal risks, have caused many humanitarian organisations to wind down their operations, leaving millions of people without the means to survive and without access to education and health services. Families are facing higher prices and reduced humanitarian assistance.

Pauline Chetcuti, Oxfam International’s Head of Humanitarian Advocacy and Campaigns said:

“Yemenis deserve – and have the right – to live in safety, have access to food, water, health care and to lead on a path towards a peaceful future.

“The last decade has been devastating for Yemenis, and we’ll only see these deadly consequences compounded without urgent action from authorities and the international community to allow the economy and the aid community to operate.”

Education and healthcare services have been decimated, leaving millions without critically needed support, and civil servants without salaries. Health facilities across the country have been significantly impacted by the conflict; just 40 per cent are now only partially functioning or completely out of service due to shortages of staff, funds, electricity, medicines, and equipment.

The war has destroyed much of Yemen’s critical infrastructure – the roads, bridges, markets, hospitals, schools, and private factories that powered Yemen’s economy. Though the frontlines have largely been frozen since the ceasefire in April 2022, competing monetary policies and the absence of a full political settlement have left more than 17 million people – nearly half of Yemen’s population – food insecure.

Yemeni families are facing higher prices and reduced humanitarian assistance stemming from the US government’s designation of the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The designation creates significant obstacles to life-saving humanitarian assistance and commercial imports of food and medicine. It also adds a barrier to the vital flow of remittances from Yemenis abroad to their families, which account for approximately a fifth of Yemen’s GDP; a vital part of Yemen’s social safety net. Yemenis need to see an end to the Houthis’ rights violations and international attacks, but this designation is unlikely to make that happen. Governments should support international accountability mechanisms for all parties to the conflict – and not penalise Yemeni families by cutting off lifesaving aid.

The decade of conflict has killed over 19,000 people and displaced nearly five million people, disproportionately women and children. These figures will only grow as more legal and security barriers are placed on the economy and the aid community.

Chetcuti said: “Regional and global powers should collaborate to support a genuine peace instead of supporting aligned factions and furthering their narrow political interests. Only through a Yemeni-led political process that includes women, youth, and civil society can Yemenis emerge from crisis and enjoy basic peace and security.”

Notes to editors

Figures from Relief Web and UN.
The number of people estimated to experience food insecurity and malnutrition is expected to rise far beyond the figure listed above (17 million) due to global cuts to aid funding.
The 26 March 2015, is generally considered the start date of the international dimension of the conflict in Yemen with the start of airstrikes by the Saudi-led-coalition and reciprocated fighting by all parties, though it’s acknowledged the internal conflict started much earlier.
US is responsible for half of humanitarian programmes in Yemen which have stopped overnight, and the UK will taper its aid over a two-year period, with potential effects on humanitarian programming in Yemen.

Contact information

Rachel Scahevitz – [email protected]

Hundreds of thousands of people flee from renewed fighting in North Kivu, straining humanitarian efforts.

January 28, 2025

Renewed fighting around the North Kivu capital of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has led to a catastrophic escalation of the humanitarian crisis displacing hundreds of thousands of people — many of whom had already endured multiple displacements before — to flee once again in search of safety.

As violence intensifies, families have sought shelters in schools and churches in and around Goma city, where they face inadequate shelter and the lack of essential basic social services including humanitarian aid.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave behind whatever little they had managed to salvage on displacement sites,” said Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxfam in DRC.

“Many are seeking shelter in churches, schools, and other makeshift shelters in Goma which are far from safe or adequate. The most basic needs for survival — food, clean water, medical care, blankets and protection — are in short supply, and humanitarian aid is yet to reach them.” added Manenji.

Artillery shelling in areas already housing displaced families has caused panic among them, nearly emptying one of the displacements sites around Goma that were already home to more than 600,000 people. Another 178,000 people escaped the recent clashes outside Goma.

Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children have fled into the urban center of Goma, where local infrastructure cannot meet their needs.

The displaced population in Goma now face dire conditions that threaten their health, safety, and well-being. Without proper shelter and access to critical resources, the risk of disease outbreaks including the Mpox virus which has already claimed countless lives in the country further compounds to their trauma.

“Every day, the situation is getting worse. We are seeing firsthand the devastating impact that this conflict is having on vulnerable communities. Some of these families have been displaced for the seventh time, with no immediate means of support. This situation is unsustainable,” said Manenji.

The worsening humanitarian crisis comes as newly sworn in US president Trump announced a 90- day suspension of foreign development assistance. This policy could have significant implications for a country like DRC which is grappling with escalating hunger and repetitive displacements.

Oxfam is working to provide people with clean water, non-food items but the scale of their needs is overwhelming and the worsening insecurity is making it difficult to reach the affected families. Oxfam is calling for immediate international support to ensure that these vulnerable families are not left behind.

END

Note to editors

According to the official figures, as of March 31, 2024, some 2.67 million people were displaced in North Kivu, including around 600,000 in and around Goma.
According to estimates made by humanitarian actors at a crisis meeting held on January 20 in Minova, more than 178,000 people would be newly displaced in the area between January 04 and 20, 2025 as a result of the recent clashes.
The DRC continues to grapple with the devastating impacts of the Mpox outbreak, which has claimed lives further straining an already fragile healthcare system.

CONTACT

Rachel Schaevitz | [email protected]

Billionaires emit more carbon pollution in 90 mins than the average person does

October 29, 2024

Fifty of the world’s richest billionaires on average produce more carbon through their investments, private jets and yachts in just over an hour and a half than the average person does in their entire lifetime, a new Oxfam report reveals today. The first-of-its-kind study, “Carbon Inequality Kills,” tracks the emissions from private jets, yachts and polluting investments and details how the super-rich are fueling inequality, hunger and death across the world. The report comes ahead of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, amidst growing fears that climate breakdown is accelerating, driven largely by the emissions of the richest people.

If the world continues its current emissions, the carbon budget (the amount of CO2 that can still be added to the atmosphere without causing global temperatures to rise above 1.5°C) will be depleted in about four years. However, if everyone’s emissions matched those of the richest 1 percent, the carbon budget would be used up in under five months. And if everyone started emitting as much carbon as the private jets and superyachts of the average billionaire in Oxfam’s study, it would be gone in two days.

“The super-rich are treating our planet like their personal playground, setting it ablaze for pleasure and profit. Their dirty investments and luxury toys —private jets and yachts— aren’t just symbols of excess; they’re a direct threat to people and the planet,” said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.

“Oxfam’s research makes it painfully clear: the extreme emissions of the richest, from their luxury lifestyles and even more from their polluting investments, are fueling inequality, hunger and —make no mistake— threatening lives. It’s not just unfair that their reckless pollution and unbridled greed is fueling the very crisis threatening our collective future —it’s lethal,” said Behar.

The report, the first-ever study to look at both the luxury transport and polluting investments of billionaires, presents detailed new evidence of how their outsized emissions are accelerating climate breakdown and wreaking havoc on lives and economies. The world’s poorest countries and communities have done the least to cause the climate crisis, yet they experience its most dangerous consequences.

Oxfam found that, on average, 50 of the world’s richest billionaires took 184 private jet flights in a single year, spending 425 hours in the air —producing as much carbon as the average person would in 300 years. In the same period, their yachts emitted as much carbon as the average person would in 860 years.

Jeff Bezos’ two private jets spent nearly 25 days in the air over a 12-month period and emitted as much carbon as the average US Amazon employee would in 207 years. Carlos Slim took 92 trips in his private jet, equivalent to circling the globe five times.
The Walton family, heirs of the Walmart retail chain, own three superyachts that in one year produced as much carbon as around 1,714 Walmart shop workers.

Billionaires’ lifestyle emissions dwarf those of ordinary people, but the emissions from their investments are dramatically higher still —the average investment emissions of 50 of the world’s richest billionaires are around 340 times their emissions from private jets and superyachts combined. Through these investments, billionaires have huge influence over some of the world’s biggest corporations and are driving us over the edge of climate disaster.

Nearly 40 percent of billionaire investments analyzed in Oxfam’s research are in highly polluting industries: oil, mining, shipping and cement. On average, a billionaire’s investment portfolio is almost twice as polluting as an investment in the S&P 500. However, if their investments were in a low-carbon-intensity investment fund, their investment emissions would be 13 times lower.

Oxfam’s report details three critical areas, providing national and regional breakdowns, where the emissions of the world’s richest 1 percent since 1990 are already having —and are projected to have— devastating consequences:

Global inequality. The emissions of the richest 1 percent have caused global economic output to drop by $2.9 trillion since 1990. The biggest impact will be in countries least responsible for climate breakdown. Low- and lower-middle-income countries will lose about 2.5 percent of their cumulative GDP between 1990 and 2050. Southern Asia, South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will lose 3 percent, 2.4 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. High-income countries, on the other hand, will accrue economic gains.
Hunger. The emissions of the richest 1 percent have caused crop losses that could have provided enough calories to feed 14.5 million people a year between 1990 and 2023. This will rise to 46 million people annually between 2023 and 2050, with Latin America and the Caribbean especially affected (9 million a year by 2050).
Death. 78 percent of excess deaths due to heat through 2120 will occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

“It’s become so tiring, to be resilient. It’s not something that I have chosen to be —it was necessary to survive. A child shouldn’t need to be strong. I just wanted to be safe, to play in the sand —but I was always fleeing when storms came. Counting dead bodies after a typhoon isn’t something any child should have to do. And whether we survive or not, the rich polluters don’t even care,” said Marinel Sumook Ubaldo, a young climate activist from the Philippines.

Rich countries have failed to keep their $100 billion climate finance promise, and heading into COP29, there is no indication that they will set a new climate finance goal that adequately addresses the climate financing needs of Global South countries. Oxfam warns that the cost of global warming will continue to rise unless the richest drastically reduce their emissions.

Ahead of COP29, Oxfam calls on governments to:

Reduce the emissions of the richest. Governments must introduce permanent income and wealth taxes on the top 1 percent, ban or punitively tax carbon-intensive luxury consumptions —starting with private jets and superyachts— and regulate corporations and investors to drastically and fairly reduce their emissions.
Make rich polluters pay. Climate finance needs are enormous and escalating, especially in Global South countries that are withstanding the worst climate impacts. A wealth tax on the world’s millionaires and billionaires could raise at least $1.7 trillion annually. A wealth tax on investments in polluting activities could bring in another $100 billion.
Reimagine our economies. The current economic system, designed to accumulate wealth for the already rich through relentless extraction and consumption, has long undermined a truly sustainable and equitable future for all. Governments need to commit to ensuring that, both globally and at a national level, the incomes of the top 10 percent are no higher than the bottom 40 percent.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Download Oxfam’s report “Carbon Inequality Kills” and the methodology note.

Oxfam’s research shows that the richest 1 percent, made up of 77 million people including billionaires, millionaires and those earning $310,000 ($140,000 PPP) or more a year, accounted for 16 percent of all CO2 emissions in 2019.

On average, a billionaire’s investments in polluting industries such as fossil fuels and cement are double the average for the Standard & Poor 500 group of corporations.

Oxfam’s analysis estimates the changes in economic output (GDP), changes in yields of major crops (it considers maize, wheat, and soy, which are among the most common crops globally) and excess deaths due to changes in temperatures that can be attributed to the emissions of the richest people. Economic damages are expressed in International Dollars ($), which adjusts for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).

Daniel Horen Greenford (Concordia University, Universitat de Barcelona) carried out the calculations on economic damages, Corey Lesk (Dartmouth College) conceived and carried out calculations on agricultural losses, and Daniel Bressler (Columbia University) provided country-level estimates of the mortality cost of carbon.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, if invested in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures by 2030, billionaires’ wealth could cover the entire funding gap between what governments have pledged and what is needed to keep global warming below 1.5⁰C.

Rich countries continue to resist calls for climate reparations. Climate activists are demanding the Global North provide at least $5 trillion a year in public finance to the Global South “as a down payment towards their climate debt” to the countries, people and communities of the Global South who are the least responsible for climate breakdown but are the most affected.

Contact information

Rachel Schaevitz – [email protected]

Oxfam condemns killing of water engineers in Gaza

October 20, 2024

Oxfam condemns in the strongest terms the killing in Gaza today of four water engineers and workers from the Khuzaa municipality who were working with our strategic partner the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU).

The four men were killed on their way to conduct repairs to water infrastructure in Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis. Despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities their clearly-marked vehicle was bombed. Oxfam stands in solidarity with the CMWU, their partners and the families of the victims. 

Their deaths deepen the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza where access to clean water is already severely compromised.

Dozens of engineers, civil servants and humanitarian workers have been killed in Israeli airstrikes throughout this war. They were all working on essential services to keep Gaza’s fragile infrastructure running. Despite their movements being coordinated with the Israeli authorities by the CMWU and the Palestinian Water Authority, to ensure their safety, they were still targeted. 

Attacks on civilian infrastructure and those who maintain it are clear violations of international humanitarian law. Those responsible must be held to account. Such attacks are part of the crime of using starvation as a weapon of war.  

Oxfam demands an independent investigation into this and other attacks on essential workers. We reiterate our calls for a ceasefire, an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel, and the international community to ensure Israel is held accountable for its continued assault on civilians and those working to deliver life-saving services.

Contact Information:

Rachel Schaevitz, [email protected]