Western Darfur. Distribution of basic household items.©ICRC/T. Gassmann/ref. sd-e-00181

The ICRC operation in Sudan remains the organization’s largest worldwide. The ICRC focuses on addressing the urgent needs of vulnerable people in remote rural areas and remains ready to respond to emergencies. Its priority is to ensure that people affected by armed conflict: are protected in accordance with international humanitarian law (IHL); receive relief aid, medical care and assistance to preserve their livelihoods; and restore contact with family members if separated from them. The ICRC cooperates with the Sudanese Red Crescent and other members of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement.

After a period of relative stability in Southern Sudan since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, violence and clashes are on the rise since the end of 2008.

Attacks attributed to the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have targeted civilians in Sudan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR). According to United Nations figures, the violence has resulted in the displacement of over 66,000 Sudanese and has forced nearly 17,000 Congolese to seek refuge in camps in Southern Sudan since the end of 2008.

The ICRC, together with SRCS, is tracing the relatives of unaccompanied Congolese refugee children. Some have already been reunited with their families in the DRC. ICRC teams have repaired water pumps and drilled new boreholes for Congolese refugees and Sudanese IDPs.

Communal clashes have reportedly resulted in the killing and displacement of thousands. Poor rains that arrived late in the season and bad infrastructure are making a dire situation even worse.

The ICRC has responded by sending aid where the needs are most acute. The organization provided thousands of refugees and displaced people with seeds, as well as food and essential household items to help them bridge the gap until the next harvest.

The six-year conflict in Darfur has displaced an estimated two million people. While the search for its settlement endures, deadly clashes over scarce resources and between government troops and armed opposition groups persist, driving even more people from their homes. The ICRC provides emergency aid, while supporting traditional livelihoods by helping farmers and herders in their work. In 2009 it will remain flexible, ready to adapt its operation to the realities on the ground.

Countrywide, the ICRC documents alleged IHL violations, discusses them with the relevant parties and monitors their response. Sudan's ratification in 2006 of the 1977 Additional Protocols signalled a step towards the protection of conflict victims.

In Sudan since 1978 – initially to assist victims of fighting between Eritrea and Ethiopia – the ICRC launched operations, in 1986, to help victims of the conflict between government forces and rebel groups in southern Sudan. Since 2004, it has been responding to needs arising from the hostilities in Darfur.

Presence (2009): 1,671 staff, including 153 expatriates