Three years after the start of the conflict in Sudan, poverty has reached unprecedented levels. According to estimates released Tuesday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), nearly seven out of ten Sudanese now live below the poverty line, compared to approximately 38% before the outbreak of war in April 2023.
The threshold set by the UN corresponds to an income of less than four dollars a day, or approximately 3.40 euros. Even more alarming, at least a quarter of the population survives on less than two dollars a day. This drastic decline illustrates the economic collapse caused by the clashes between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“We are witnessing the systematic erosion of a country’s future,” warned Luca Renda, UNDP Country Director in Sudan. According to the UN official, this is no longer just a temporary crisis, but a lasting shift with profound consequences for the whole of Sudanese society.
The regions most exposed to the fighting, particularly South Kordofan, which has become one of the main epicenters of the clashes, and North Darfur, are experiencing a particularly critical situation. In these territories, the destruction of infrastructure, the cessation of economic activity, and the massive displacement of populations are exacerbating the precarious situation every day.
According to a joint report by UNDP and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), nearly seven million people fell into extreme poverty in 2023 alone. Average incomes have fallen to levels not seen since 1992, while extreme poverty rates now exceed those recorded in the 1980s.
Behind these figures, the UN describes a devastating human reality: broken families, children deprived of school, livelihoods destroyed and future prospects permanently compromised for an entire generation.
The humanitarian toll of the war remains equally dramatic. The conflict has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 11 million people. Furthermore, over 21 million Sudanese are currently facing acute food insecurity, while two-thirds of the population are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Faced with the scale of the disaster, the international community is attempting to remobilize. A conference is to be held in Berlin to relaunch diplomatic and humanitarian efforts, as the UN now considers the Sudanese crisis to be one of the most serious in the world.
