Cash is as Important as Food

As the crisis in Sudan appears to be sliding inexorably towards civil war, the UN and its non-governmental partners are planning for a protracted humanitarian catastrophe.

As is usual at the beginning of such disasters, the situation is fluid and uncertain. Aid stockpiles have been looted while hundreds of thousands have sought sanctuary in neighbouring countries, most of which are already facing their own humanitarian crises. Hundreds of thousands more are displaced as they flee local violence. Widespread and potentially long-lasting food insecurity looms.

‘Families across Sudan are running out of everything, including water, food, fuel and cash.’

Jan Egeland, Norwegian Refugee Council, 3 May 2023.

The UN-facilitated Cash Working Group for Sudan, temporarily based in Nairobi, Kenya, is considering its options: While there will be a short-term requirement for food-aid, the bulk of the response is likely to involve cash transfers. But in what form?

This is what we know at the moment: