Sudan's Aid Workers Under Fire As Volunteers Keep Humanitarian Lifeline Alive

Aid workers in Sudan face grave risks in conflict zones as they carry out their duties delivering humanitarian assistance to people affected by the war. They are exposed to a range of violations, including killings, injuries, abductions and unlawful detention, as well as restrictions and obstacles aimed at limiting their movement.

Sudan and Gaza topped the list of the world's deadliest places for aid workers in 2025, with 71 humanitarian workers killed in Sudan.

Meanwhile, Sudanese volunteer Idris Ibrahim Sidi was killed after the vehicle carrying him came under attack by armed looters near the Chadian border. The Local Malha Emergency Rooms Coordination Council said on its Facebook page that Idris was killed while on his way to carry out his professional duties and provide for his family, adding that the incident had deeply shaken the local community.

80 per cent of civilian deaths in Sudan caused by drones

In a statement marking World Humanitarian Day on August 19, the United Nations said the rapid spread of low-cost, easily modified armed drones had increased the risks facing both civilians and aid workers, as their use in armed conflicts has expanded.

According to the UN, drones were responsible for about 80 per cent of civilian deaths in Sudan during the first four months of 2026, targeting markets and health facilities.

On World Humanitarian Day, the UN called for civilians to be respected and protected under international humanitarian law, including humanitarian and medical workers. Parties to armed conflicts must allow and facilitate humanitarian access to people in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Since the outbreak of war on 15 April 2023, youth initiatives and local civil society organisations have responded by forming resistance, emergency and service committees. They organised communal kitchens, known as takayas, as a form of humanitarian action. Their work has attracted international attention and praise from numerous organisations, which have relied on them to distribute humanitarian aid. They have also won admiration in several European countries and received international awards in recognition of their humanitarian work.

Praise for Sudanese volunteers

The UN World Food Programme, in a post on its official X account marking World Humanitarian Day, said: "We honour Sudanese humanitarian workers who have stayed in their homeland for their people throughout the past three years of conflict."

Dr Salah El Amin, an expert in international humanitarian work, said: "On this World Humanitarian Day, we have every right to be proud, and to hold our heads high, in celebrating the young men and women who have taken on humanitarian work since the outbreak of the war on 15 April 2023, providing food, clean drinking water, healthcare, protection, communication and transport to very large numbers of Sudanese during the war."

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, El Amin praised the emergency rooms, takayas and all Sudanese local initiatives. Their work, he said, had won the admiration and approval of international organisations, pointing to the post by the UN World Food Programme highlighting these young people who have enabled Sudanese to survive inside the country.

El Amin said World Humanitarian Day, observed on 19 August each year, commemorates the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad that killed 22 aid workers, including the UN secretary-general's special representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

He noted that the United Nations officially designated 19 August as World Humanitarian Day in 2008, to celebrate humanitarian work around the world. This year's theme focuses on protecting civilians and aid workers, as well as calling for respect for international humanitarian law.

Signing truces

El Amin expressed deep regret that the reality of the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan does not reflect protection for civilians or aid workers, nor respect for international humanitarian law.

He accused the parties to the fighting of committing daily violations of international humanitarian law and breaching rules relating to the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

He pointed to attacks on civilian objects, including the shelling of a hospital in El Daein and the destruction of the Ardamata bridge, which had been used to deliver aid to people living east of El Geneina.

The violations, he said, had also included drone attacks on electricity and water facilities, while the warring forces had used civilian sites as military barracks, including schools and hospitals. Some attacks had also targeted mosques and churches, he said, stressing that such practices represented a clear breach of international humanitarian law.

What was urgently needed, he said, was the signing of a humanitarian truce under a clear agreement and with international oversight from humanitarian organisations and countries concerned about Sudan. But given the delays by the warring parties, he said, they should agree on temporary truces that respected international humanitarian law and protected civilians.

He also stressed that the parties to the war must respect international humanitarian law and civilians' right to live with dignity, as well as their right to communicate and move freely.

He called for the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors under international and local monitoring, with local initiatives serving as the foundation and taking responsibility for delivering humanitarian assistance while building links with international organisations.

Without these measures, he said, violations of international humanitarian law would continue.

He warned that civilian suffering would worsen unless greater restraint was exercised in delivering humanitarian assistance and aid workers were allowed freedom of movement, alongside the establishment of a protocol to protect civilians on the ground.

Aid as a tool of war

El Amin said the parties to the fighting were using security and military concerns to restrict humanitarian work and attempting to turn humanitarian and relief services into tools of war by preventing food and aid from reaching civilians in conflict zones and blocking aid workers from reaching them.

The parties to the fighting were also preventing civilians from travelling between areas, despite freedom of movement and travel being a protected right, he said. This was part of the humanitarian crisis facing the country.

El Amin said some of the areas suffering the worst humanitarian conditions in Sudan were what he described as the "triangle of death", covering parts of Kordofan, including Dilling, Kadugli and El Obeid, as well as areas in south-eastern Blue Nile and parts of Darfur.

"These areas are facing critical humanitarian conditions because humanitarian assistance is not reaching them, or because international and local organisations are not being allowed to reach them and provide support to the population," he said.

Information shortage

The humanitarian expert also said most humanitarian organisations were complaining of a lack of information because they were not being allowed to enter some areas or obtain or possess information needed to assess humanitarian conditions there amid the devastating war.

He stressed that civilians were suffering the most from the war, pointing to reported cases of rape against women and girls in conflict zones, as well as continuing restrictions imposed by the parties to the fighting on the flow of information from areas under their control.

Areas of Kordofan, parts of Darfur and parts of Blue Nile are currently among the worst affected areas from a humanitarian perspective, he said, although Sudan as a whole is suffering from food shortages, deteriorating security and a lack of basic services, including healthcare.

Health workers displaced

Former humanitarian aid commissioner for Khartoum state Mustafa Adam told Radio Dabanga that the war had caused major loss of life and extensive damage to vital sectors, particularly healthcare. Humanitarian workers had been attacked while carrying out their duties in El Geneina, El Fasher, Khartoum, Sennar and elsewhere, he said.

He referred to World Health Organisation reports indicating that more than 2,000 humanitarian workers had been killed and about 37 per cent of health facilities had been completely destroyed, with a major impact on services and the stability of healthcare institutions.

Adam said a number of health facilities had been turned into military barracks, as happened during the early days of the war in Khartoum, Darfur and other areas. This had led to the displacement of large numbers of health workers. Some health facilities had also become military targets, while the Rapid Support Forces had intervened in humanitarian operations.

He stressed the need to comply with international humanitarian law and the rules of war in conflict zones, and to allow humanitarian aid to pass. The continuation of the war, alongside the presence of irregular armed groups, had led to declining adherence to international and humanitarian laws, he said.

Former humanitarian aid commissioner Mustafa Adam said these conditions had affected the ability of international and national organisations to reach people and provide assistance in a number of areas. He pointed to major humanitarian needs in Darfur and Blue Nile, with the need for aid access increasing.

He called for the release of large numbers of humanitarian workers and civilian activists who were being detained, saying some were being held in prisons where conditions were extremely difficult. He called for them to be allowed to return to their humanitarian work, particularly given the exceptionally difficult and complex humanitarian and security conditions.

Read the original article on Dabanga.