GENEVA — Sudan is grappling with a massive new influx of refugees, with more than 324,000 people crossing into the war-torn country from South Sudan over the past 18 months, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Friday.
According to UNHCR, the new arrivals comprise 223,600 Sudanese returnees and 101,031 South Sudanese nationals. The agency cited “political instability and escalating hostilities” in South Sudan as the primary drivers of the displacement.
The figures underscore a stark paradox: Sudan, currently in the grip of a devastating civil war between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is simultaneously serving as a sanctuary for hundreds of thousands fleeing violence elsewhere.
Sudan now hosts nearly 910,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. Of this total, approximately 689,000 are South Sudanese—a population that has historically sought refuge in Sudan during previous conflicts.
UNHCR officials noted that the recent movement is specifically linked to clashes involving armed groups in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Jonglei states, which began in late February 2025. The violence in the neighboring nation’s northern regions has forced civilians to cross the porous border in search of safety.
The distribution of the new arrivals has placed significant strain on specific regions within Sudan. The majority 52% have settled in White Nile State. The remaining population has dispersed to Blue Nile State (20%), South Kordofan (11%), and West Kordofan (10%).
The influx presents a complex humanitarian challenge. Aid agencies are already struggling to reach millions of Sudanese civilians displaced internally by the ongoing conflict between the army and the RSF. The addition of hundreds of thousands more people many of whom are returning to areas already devastated by fighting further stretches limited food, shelter, and medical resources.
“Sudan is facing a dual crisis,” a UNHCR spokesperson said in a statement accompanying the data. “It is both a major source of global displacement and, despite its own internal conflict, a reluctant host to those fleeing instability in the region.”
The returnees Sudanese who had previously sought refuge in South Sudan often arrive with few resources, returning to communities that are ill-equipped to absorb them amid the wider war. Meanwhile, the South Sudanese nationals arriving are now facing a precarious situation, seeking safety in a country where the rule of law has largely collapsed due to the RSF conflict.
The UN has repeatedly warned that the situation in Sudan constitutes the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 10 million people forced from their homes since the fighting erupted in April 2023. The continued arrival of refugees from South Sudan adds a new layer of urgency to an already overwhelming humanitarian emergency.
