SNAPSHOT: Civilian Protection Needs & Responses in Sudan (April 2023)

The recent escalation of fighting in Sudan has introduced new and rapidly exacerbated existing civilian protection concerns. Civilians are being exposed not only to the impacts of active fighting, including gunfire, shelling, and unexploded ordnance (UXO), but also increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), displacement, child recruitment, and intercommunal mistrust and violence. This snapshot highlights ongoing protection needs and risks facing civilians in Sudan, as well as highlights the need for urgent responses. These responses must include dedicated resourcing for protection activities and programmes; they must go beyond monitoring to ensure action, including direct protection work by community and unarmed civilian actors; investment in community-based protection mechanisms; and recognition that to be sustainable, these protection responses must encompass all parts of the conflict cycle.