Three Urgent Humanitarian Crisis in 2024

image via Unsplash, Dinka Tride, South Sudan - Randy Fath

2023 marked the year of deteriorating humanitarian crisis that are only estimated to worsen in the coming year. The UN and other partnering agencies estimated in yearly reports of 2023 that in 2024 299.4 million people across the globe will require humanitarian assistance and protection. The UN’s report categorised three main drivers for this; conflict, climate crisis and economic factors. These three factors are often directly linked to other causes of humanitarian issues such as a lack of health-care and education, inadequate sanitation, and food shortages. Unstable governments are a main driver as well.

This is a complied list of three urgent humanitarian crisis that cannot be ignored in 2024. There are many more crises that are not included in this list that still require the same urgency, such as; Myanmar, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Hati and many more.

Sudan                                                                          

Sudan’s on-going humanitarian crisis reached an all-time high in April 2023 due to conflict that broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan is at the top of the list for most watchdog and NGOs in the coming year, as there does not seem to be an end to the conflict with tension and violence soaring. Currently 24.8 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, which equates to over half the population.

The conflict is prominently situated in the country’s capital, Khartoum, but has spread to other regions. Since last year, 5.9 million people are displaced as a direct cause of the conflict, making this the largest case currently of displacement globally.

Before the conflict, Sudan was already battling a severe crisis with 15.8 million in need of humanitarian aid. This was due to many factors such as political instability, the climate emergency and severe hunger due to increasing food prices.

Afghanistan

image via Unsplash, Sohaib Ghyasi

Afghanistan’s long-term humanitarian crisis is one that requires urgent sustainable solutions due to its complex nature. The United Nations report states:

“The end of the 20-year armed conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces in August 2021, and the simultaneous takeover of the country by the Taliban have ushered in a new era characterised by rapid economic decline, hunger and risk of malnutrition, inflation driven by global commodity shocks, drastic rises in urban and rural poverty, a near-collapse of the national public health system, a stifling of the media and civil-society sectors, and almost total exclusion of half the population – women and girls – from public life.”

The UN report also mentioned that due to conflict and other drivers, the efforts made in the last 20 years to liberate and protect the people of Afghanistan are reversing, especially for women’s rights.

 An estimated 29 million people – over half the population - need humanitarian support and these needs have met a record high at the end of 2023, making the coming year for Afghanistan unknown.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Image via Unsplash, Imani Bahati

The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country in central Africa, also known as DRC has suffered human rights violation and conflict for decades, with resolution seeming dire.

Conflict perpetuated by armed groups has resulted in mass killings, leaving many innocent people without the choice but to flee and has internally displaced 6.1 million people.  A lot of the conflict has been occurring in Rutshuru territory in the North Kivu province of DRC. The UNs 2024 overview report states:

“Decades of clashes between armed groups, widespread violations of human rights, and devastating incidents of gender-based violence have caused unprecedented levels of protection needs, vulnerabilities and risks, displacing 6.1 million people within the country and forcing 1 million to seek asylum across Africa. At the same time, the DRC hosts more than half a million refugees from neighboring countries.”

There has been a real struggle from NGOs to protect women and girls and eradicate human rights violations due to inflation, epidemics, natural hazards, food insecurity and funding constraints.