Sudan

Sudan is a country in the north east of Africa with a coast on to the Red Sea. It borders Egypt, Chad, Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

HALO started a Sudan program in 2025 in response to the extensive humanitarian crisis that has developed since the onset of a major conflict in 2023.

Situation in Sudan

Sudan is currently the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, with 33.7 million people in humanitarian need – over 60% of the pre-war population. Prior to 2023, it was reported that 2,662 civilians were victims of landmines and explosives in Sudan, while only 130 explosive incidents have been reported since, resulting in 248 victims – likely a significant underrepresentation of the true toll, given three years of intense fighting.

The most recent estimate from 2023 suggested there were 34 sq km of land still to be cleared across 400 different sites. But it is certain that the level of contamination has grown by magnitudes around urban centers, such as the capital Khartoum, which had a combined pre-war population of 8 million – a size and scale comparable to London.

Since May 2025, over 1 million civilians have returned to Khartoum, with over 2 million expected if conditions allow. While communities struggle to survive, the war rages on.

Play: The Associated Press on explosives contamination in Khartoum

Many families arrive to find homes that are damaged or uninhabitable.

Electricity and clean water remain scarce. Health care is limited and the risk of cholera persists. Unexploded ordnance continues to endanger civilians in residential areas, near schools and along roads.

International Organization on Migration

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HALO's work and impact in Sudan

UXO in Khartoum — Unexploded muntions in a Khartoum graveyard (photo by Giles Clarke)

HALO Sudan was established in 2025 to reduce the risk to civilians posed by the threat of explosive ordnance in and around Khartoum. Following an invitation to work from the National Mine Action Centre of Sudan, HALO is seeking funding to deliver life-saving humanitarian mine action services in Khartoum and the surrounding localities of Bahri and Omdurman, all currently absorbing an unprecedented influx of returnees.

HALO is registered with the Humanitarian Aid Commission and accredited by the NMAC in Sudan. The program is currently operating from an established office in Port Sudan, with plans to open an office in Khartoum.

HALO's mission is to promote the safe return of communities, local prosperity and regional stability, through the delivery of explosive ordnance disposal, explosive ordnance risk education non-technical survey and battle area/minefield clearance activities.