Intermittent rainfall and expanding agriculture intensify resource conflicts, while displaced populations face critical shortages.
Sudan's pastoralists and smallholder farmers are increasingly challenged by climate change, with unpredictable rainfall shortening grazing periods and forcing earlier migrations into farming areas. This, coupled with agricultural expansion into traditional pastoral lands, fuels resource conflicts, especially during climate shocks. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is developing climate-risk management tools, including weather-index insurance that can automatically trigger payouts based on dry-spell thresholds, aiming to support pastoralists with feed, water, and veterinary care.
The UNDP views the equal targeting of farmers and pastoralists with climate finance as a pioneering approach that could yield substantial peace dividends. Success hinges on building a comprehensive environment for climate risk management, which includes effective climate observation infrastructure and a robust regulatory framework for climate-risk financial services. This initiative draws on lessons from a past project focused on climate risk finance for rainfed farming and pastoral systems, which ran from 2014 to 2023 with significant budget and UNDP support.
Meanwhile, in South Kordofan's Abu Jubeiha locality, approximately 57,880 displaced people reside in 62 locations, straining local services. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that families in camps like El Safa face persistent needs for water, sanitation, and healthcare, living in temporary shelters. Many of these residents are women and children, highlighting the urgent humanitarian situation for displaced communities.
Why it mattersPastoralists and farmers face increased conflict and resource scarcity due to climate change, while displaced families in South Kordofan lack essential water, sanitation, and healthcare.
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