The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that Türkiye has provided 30,000 tents for families displaced by Sudan’s prolonged conflict, describing it as the largest in-kind shelter donation the organization has received for operations in the country.
In a written statement, IOM said humanitarian needs continue to escalate across Sudan as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its second year. The donation, delivered through Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), aims to help hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by violence and forced to seek refuge in overcrowded or improvised settlements.
“This contribution from the Republic of Türkiye is both timely and extremely valuable,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said. She noted that many displaced families lack even the most basic protection. The tents, she added, will allow IOM and its partners to expand their shelter response and offer safer temporary accommodation to people who “have lost nearly everything while trying to rebuild their lives.”
The agency emphasized that the assistance comes at a critical moment. Sudan is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with 11.6 million people in urgent need of shelter support. Currently, only about 9.4% of these needs are being met, according to IOM figures.
IOM said Türkiye’s donation will play a crucial role in stabilizing vulnerable communities and strengthening the broader humanitarian response as the crisis deepens.
The conflict, which erupted on April 15, 2023, has devastated major population centers, including parts of the Darfur region. El Fasher, the largest city in North Darfur, recently came under the effective control of RSF forces after intense battles. Videos shared by RSF members have shown civilians being forcibly displaced, as well as reports of torture and extrajudicial killings.
Last week, dozens of Sudanese civilians, including many children, were killed in a paramilitary drone attack on the army-held town of Kalogi in Sudan's South Kordofan state, local officials confirmed.
According to the state government, eight people, including six children and a teacher, were killed and others were injured in the attack before the death toll climbed to 79 people.
It called on the international community and human rights groups to take a firm stance to end these violations, designate the RSF as a "terrorist organization,” and hold its allies accountable for what it described as "inhumane crimes.”
UNICEF condemned the drone attack as "a horrific violation of children’s rights.”
In a statement, UNICEF said that more than 10 children aged between 5 and 7 years were among the victims.
"Children should never pay the price of conflict. UNICEF urges all parties to stop these attacks immediately and allow safe, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to reach those in desperate need,” UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett said.
