Three years into its devastating civil war, Sudan has been transformed beyond recognition. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives<\/b>, forced approximately 14 million people<\/b> \u2013 a quarter of the nation’s population \u2013 to abandon their homes, and left civilian infrastructure across the country extensively damaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not just facing a crisis \u2013 we are witnessing the systematic erosion of a country\u2019s future<\/b>,\u201d stated Luca Renda, the United Nations Development Programme\u2019s (UNDP\u2019s) resident representative in Sudan, in an interview with Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
A recent report by the UNDP and the Institute for Security Studies starkly illustrates the immense scale of Sudan\u2019s economic collapse<\/b> since the war erupted in 2023, stemming from a brutal power struggle between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).<\/p>\n
Even under the most optimistic scenario, where peace is achieved by 2026, Sudan is projected to lose an estimated $18.8 billion<\/b> in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2043. This figure, highlighted in the report, underscores the profound and lasting impact the war has already had on the nation’s economic trajectory.<\/p>\n
The report further warned that the damage extends far beyond mere lost economic activity, deeply affecting the very foundations of the economy<\/b>, including vital sectors such as agriculture, industry, services, and state institutions.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a detailed look at how this devastating war has impacted Sudan, already one of the world’s most impoverished nations.<\/p>\n
The widespread destruction of Sudan\u2019s infrastructure and the subsequent collapse of essential systems supporting daily life and economic activity have imposed a massive and unsustainable economic cost<\/b> on the country.<\/p>\n
According to UNDP estimates, Sudan suffered a staggering $6.4 billion loss<\/b> in its GDP in 2023 alone. Renda described this loss as reflecting \u201ca simultaneous collapse across all major parts of Sudan\u2019s economy,\u201d largely driven by the extensive destruction of infrastructure. Sudan\u2019s GDP stood at $26 billion in 2023, the year fighting erupted as army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo fiercely jostled for power.<\/p>\n
The ongoing conflict has severely damaged farmland, irrigation systems, and transport networks, leading to a significant 15 percent drop in cultivated land<\/b>. In urban centers, the destruction of factories and power supply infrastructure has caused industrial activity to plummet by approximately 90 percent<\/b>, forcing businesses to shut down and resulting in widespread job losses.<\/p>\n
Up to 40 percent of power generation capacity has been lost<\/b>, and critical water infrastructure has been either destroyed or seized, severing communities from access to clean water and sanitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe destruction of infrastructure not only triggers massive displacement but also makes it extremely difficult for people to secure adequate housing or access basic services once they have been displaced<\/b>,\u201d Renda explained to Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
Disease outbreaks, including cholera<\/b>, have become rampant due to the breakdown of water systems, placing immense additional strain on an already weakened health sector and significantly increasing the long-term costs of recovery.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization has verified over 200 attacks on healthcare facilities<\/b>, with fewer than 14 percent remaining fully operational in conflict areas. Furthermore, thousands of schools have either closed or been damaged, severely disrupting the education of millions of children.<\/p>\nWhat has happened to Sudan\u2019s labour market?<\/h3>\n
Agriculture, which once employed approximately 65 percent of the workforce<\/b> and served as the backbone of Sudan\u2019s economy, has been severely crippled by the war. Cultivated land has dramatically shrunk, adversely impacting rural livelihoods. Numerous rural communities, dependent on farming for income and food, have lost their economic base, thereby weakening a sector that previously sustained millions of families.<\/p>\n
According to the UNDP, average incomes have plummeted to levels last seen in 1992<\/b>, starkly underscoring the profound depth of the economic shock and its devastating impact on households nationwide.<\/p>\n
Approximately 90 percent of manufacturing activity has been destroyed<\/b> in key economic hubs, leading to the elimination of thousands of jobs. Concurrently, the informal economy, a crucial source of survival for many Sudanese, has significantly contracted as resource shortages and mass displacement have forced the closure of small businesses and markets.<\/p>\n
Mass displacement has further exacerbated the crisis, with over 14 million people<\/b> forced from their homes and pushed out of both formal and informal employment, making it increasingly challenging to sustain livelihoods.<\/p>\nWhat has the war done to Sudan\u2019s oil industry?<\/h3>\n
Oil output has sharply declined amidst widespread instability and severe infrastructure damage. The Khartoum refinery (Al-Jaili), which previously processed up to 100,000 barrels per day<\/b> and supplied approximately half of Sudan\u2019s fuel needs, has been out of operation since July 2023.<\/p>\n
Refinery officials reported that parts of the facility have been destroyed, and other sections require complete replacement following repeated strikes in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n
Although recaptured by the army in 2025, the facility regrettably remains non-operational.<\/p>\n
Critical infrastructure has also been targeted elsewhere. Pipeline routes transporting crude oil to Port Sudan have been shut down due to war-related damage, while facilities at Heglig were disrupted by RSF drone attacks.<\/p>\n
The dramatic collapse of the Sudanese pound and severe disruptions to supply chains have triggered a sharp and widespread rise in living costs<\/b> across Sudan.<\/p>\n
The Sudanese pound has plummeted from approximately 570 per dollar<\/b> before the war to between 3,500 and 3,600 today<\/b>, according to the Sudan Central Bureau of Statistics. This drastic depreciation has made imports prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n
Consequently, food prices have surged dramatically. In the capital, Khartoum, four pieces of bread now cost approximately 1,000 pounds<\/b>, an amount that previously purchased six pieces. In Gezira State, a 50kg (110lb) sack of sugar has increased from 155,000 to 175,000 pounds, while a bag of cement has jumped from 35,000 to 55,000 pounds, as reported by traders quoted by the Sudan Tribune.<\/p>\n
Household essentials have followed the same alarming trend. In Port Sudan, a 7-liter (nearly 2-gallon) container of cooking oil increased from 30,000 to 35,000 pounds, placing even greater pressure on already strained family budgets.<\/p>\n
Transport and fuel costs have also experienced sharp increases. Bus fares in Wad Madani are up approximately 50 percent<\/b>. Rickshaw fares have nearly doubled in some areas, and fuel prices have soared to more than 7,000 pounds per liter<\/b> in several regions.<\/p>\n
Wages, however, have tragically failed to keep pace with rampant inflation, leaving countless households unable to access basic necessities. According to the UNDP, nearly half the population is now experiencing acute food shortages<\/b>, while almost 90 percent of displaced households<\/b> report they cannot afford enough food.<\/p>\nWhat does the economic collapse mean for Sudan\u2019s people?<\/h3>\n
The devastating collapse of Sudan\u2019s economy cannot be fully grasped through numbers alone; its human toll is immense.<\/p>\n
\u201cA child born in Sudan after April 2023 enters a world where the hospital that should care for them is likely closed, the school that should educate them is probably not functioning, and the family that should support them has likely been displaced<\/b>,\u201d Renda stated, emphasizing that this crisis is resulting in \u201clost childhoods, lost education, lost health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, approximately 34 million people are in dire need of assistance<\/b>, with 19 million facing acute food shortages<\/b>.<\/p>\n
The profound human cost is already tragically visible. Approximately 5.6 million children have been born<\/b> since the war began, many entering a world where essential health facilities are non-operational.<\/p>\n
Education has been severely disrupted for an estimated 19 million children<\/b>, according to the UNDP, as only about 20 percent of schools<\/b> are currently operational in some conflict-affected areas.<\/p>\nWhat does continued war mean for Sudan\u2019s future?<\/h3>\n
The war has already inflicted immeasurable death, trauma, and profound loss, casting a long, dark shadow over Sudan\u2019s future and dimming the prospects of an entire generation whose lives are being irrevocably shaped by relentless violence.<\/p>\n
Should the conflict persist until 2030, UNDP estimates indicate that Sudan\u2019s economy in 2043 would be approximately $34.5 billion smaller<\/b> than it would have been without the war. Furthermore, GDP per capita would plummet by roughly $1,700<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Extreme poverty would surge to affect over 60 percent of the population<\/b>, pushing an additional 34 million people into severe deprivation<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Renda characterized the war as a \u201cshrinking opportunity for recovery<\/b>,\u201d where each month of continued conflict entrenches deeper and more irreversible damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery additional month costs lives and deepens structural damage<\/b>,\u201d he told Al Jazeera, unequivocally stating, \u201cThe most urgent priority is to stop the conflict<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe choices made now will determine whether Sudan\u2019s trajectory can still be reversed<\/b>,\u201d he concluded, emphasizing the critical juncture the nation faces.<\/p>\n
#SudanWar #SudanCrisis #EconomicCollapse #HumanitarianCrisis #UNDPReport #CivilianImpact #SudanConflict #FoodShortages #DisplacementCrisis #FutureOfSudan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three years into its devastating civil war, Sudan has been transformed beyond recognition. The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives, forced approximately 14 million people \u2013 a quarter of the nation’s population \u2013 to abandon their homes, and left civilian infrastructure across the country extensively damaged. \u201cWe are not just facing a crisis \u2013 we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}