Sudan War Destroys Infrastructure, Threatening Agriculture, Industry, Services, UNDP Report Says

Three years after the civil war, Sudan as we knew it is no longer recognizable, with more than 40,000 people killed and nearly 14 million residents forced to flee their homes, according to a UNDP and Institute for Security Studies report discussed by UNDP resident representative Luka Renda.

“Three years after the civil war, Sudan as we knew it is no longer recognizable, with more than 40,000 people killed and nearly 14 million of its residents — a quarter of the population — forced to flee their homes, and civil infrastructure across the country severely damaged”

Al-Bayader

The report says that even in the most optimistic peace scenario expected by 2026, Sudan would still lose about $18.8 billion of GDP by 2043, and it warns the damage threatens the economy’s base, including agriculture, industry, services, and state institutions.

Al-Bayader

UNDP estimates Sudan could lose $6.4 billion of its GDP in 2023 alone, and it links the decline largely to infrastructure destruction, including a 15 percent decline in cultivated land after fighting destroyed farmland, irrigation systems, and transport networks.

In urban centers, the report says industrial activity collapsed by roughly 90 percent due to factory destruction and power outages, while up to 40 percent of electricity-generation capacity was lost and major water infrastructure was destroyed or seized.

Renda also told Al Jazeera that infrastructure destruction does not only drive displacement but makes it extremely hard for people to secure adequate housing or access essential services once displaced.

UNDP says that after two years of war, Sudan is undergoing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 12 million people displaced and 25 million people struggling to put food on the table.

The UNDP article describes a global $45 billion funding appeal for 2025 to meet humanitarian needs of 185 million people, noting it has received only 5% of that amount.

Dabanga Radio TV Online

It says this financial situation is the darkest since World War II and that in Sudan it endangers lives as food reserves dwindle and health facilities close.

UNDP reports that about 75% of health facilities have closed, and it adds that shelves have fewer medicines for preventable yet deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and diarrhea.

The article also says UNDP piloted approaches in Kassala, Gedaref and Nile governorates, supporting farmers to increase crop yields and establish gardens on unused land to help families feed themselves.

A UNDP study cited by Dabanga Radio TV Online says Sudan’s electricity grid has suffered up to US$3 billion in damage since war broke out in 2023, forcing millions of households, farms and clinics to rely on solar power as diesel prices soar and fuel supplies disappear.

“After two years of war, Sudan is undergoing the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 12 million people displaced”

UNDP

The study says growing demand for solar energy is being held back by rising local costs, limited financing and supply shortages, while imports of solar panels surged across safer parts of Sudan and new businesses offer installations and repairs.

It gives a price example that a 550-watt solar panel that cost around SDG75,000 before the war now sells for roughly SDG330,000, and it says batteries have more than tripled in price.

UNDP says solar energy is keeping key services running, with telecom companies depending on hybrid solar systems to maintain mobile networks and hospitals using solar power to preserve vaccines and provide emergency care.

UNDP resident representative Luca Renda is quoted saying, “With these in place, solar can provide reliable power for millions of Sudanese,” and the study says UNDP has installed hundreds of solar-powered water systems and supported more than 110 health facilities across Sudan over the past five years.