Sudan - Concept of Operations, June 2026

Country: Sudan Sources: Logistics Cluster, World Food Programme Please refer to the attached file. Background Since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, Sudan has faced one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Nearly 8.9 million people are internally displaced – including more than 6.6 million displaced since the conflict began. This represents a 23 percent decrease from the peak of almost 11.6 million recorded in January 2025, reflecting increased returns, particularly to Khartoum and Al Jazirah. Nearly 4.6 million people have fled to neighbouring countries. The crisis has also exacerbated the humanitarian situation in Chad and South Sudan, both of which were already dealing with protracted emergencies. In 2026, 33.7 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance – an increase of 3.3 million from 2025. Despite these overwhelming needs, access constraints, bureaucratic and administrative impediments, an overstretched logistics market, storage constraints, and rising costs for logistics services continue to hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected populations. Crossline and cross-border movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies continue to face significant obstacles. To address these logistical challenges and mitigate disruptions to the humanitarian supply chain, the Logistics Cluster has been scaling up its operations since 2023 (following its initial activation in 2020). With the main operational cell based in Port Sudan, the Logistics Cluster leads coordination, advocates for the uninterrupted flow of assistance, and supports humanitarian partners operating across the country. Operational Constraints Humanitarian organizations are facing significant operational challenges due to factors including movement restrictions, airspace closures, limited safe access to conflict-affected areas, complex deconfliction processes, bureaucratic impediments, and telecommunications constraints, among others. These issues are significantly hindering the delivery of assistance to affected populations. Partners have reported the following logistics gaps and bottlenecks impacting their operations, including through the Gaps and Needs Analysis (GNA) published in August 2025: Limited humanitarian access to hard-to-reach areas, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan regions. Limited operational points of entry into Sudan and restrictions on crossline movements due to ongoing conflict and insecurity. Limited ability to contract reliable transportation and storage services due to security constraints, an overstretched market, rising costs, and service disruptions. Insufficient temperature-controlled storage and transport capacity, particularly for cross-border corridors. Limited information on logistics service providers’ availability and capacity, market conditions, and road network and infrastructure status, particularly during the rainy season. Bureaucratic and administrative impediments, including lengthy and frequently changing customs and importation procedures and travel permit approval delays. Airspace closure except for limited air access in Port Sudan, Khartoum, Kassala, and Dongola. Limited fuel availability and rising costs in certain areas.

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