HIGHLIGHTS
• UN requests $1 billion to assist 4.3 million people in Sudan
• Staple food prices continue to increase, likely exacerbating humanitarian need
• U.S. assumes chairmanship of Sudan Mine Action Support Group
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
• The 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Sudan projects that 5.5 million people in Sudan will require humanitarian assistance in 2018 and requests approximately $1 billion to deliver assistance to 4.3 million people in the country.
• Staple food prices increased for a fourth consecutive month in February, reaching levels of two to three times February 2017 prices, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The January discontinuation of wheat and wheat flour subsidies and the continued depreciation of the Sudanese Pound have contributed to increases in staple food prices and reductions to household purchasing power.
• Relief organizations recorded approximately 300 acute watery diarrhea (AWD) cases in Central Darfur State in February and March. The Government of Sudan (GoS) and relief actors mobilized response efforts to treat AWD cases and mitigate further transmission, with new AWD cases declining significantly by early March.