A new Islamic Relief study on the impact of the war in Sudan’s Darfur region shows how rising hunger, poverty and violence against women and children has become the daily reality.
Since the war erupted in April, 93% of people surveyed by Islamic Relief have lost income and struggle to get food and healthcare, and increasingly desperate families are turning to begging, child labour, marrying off their young daughters or getting into debt. The survey found that 92% of women survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are not getting support, while mental health needs have rocketed.
Islamic Relief’s study interviewed 384 households in 20 villages in Jabal Marra, a mountainous region which has seen a large influx of people fleeing fighting in other parts of Darfur. Around 1.6 million people in Darfur have been displaced within the region since the conflict began.
Elsadig Elnour, Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Sudan, says: “Our research paints a picture of immense suffering among the communities we interviewed. Families can’t access food or medicine, women and girls live in constant fear of attack, and communities are being trapped in poverty and debt. Years of progress on reducing maternal mortality and child malnutrition in Darfur are now at risk of being reversed due to the conflict and lack of humanitarian access. I don’t know how long people can survive like this.”
Almost nine out of ten people, 86% are struggling or not able to meet their basic needs, the research shows. The assessment finds the war has affected every aspect of people’s lives:
A rise in child labour and child marriage
The growing poverty and hunger are forcing more children into work or to beg in the streets of towns. One respondent told our assessment team, “We have no option but to send our son to beg in the local market for money and food. If we had any food or money, then I would not have sent him out there with all the insecurity and risks involved.” There has also been a rise in child marriage.
Women and girls at extremely high risk