12 June 2025 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply concerned about the devastating impact of global funding cuts, which have led UN agencies that support the IRC to announce the cessation of financial support for IRC programs serving Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. Since April 2023, more than 1 million Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees have fled the conflict in Sudan and sought refuge in South Sudan.
This decision will directly affect more than 370,000 vulnerable refugees—men, women, and children who have fled brutal conflict in Sudan and now face a dramatic reduction in life-saving services. The cuts will significantly disrupt IRC operations in Maban, Renk, and Ajuong Thok, where the IRC has been delivering critical humanitarian assistance.
The affected programs include primary health and nutrition services, which deliver essential care to malnourished children and pregnant women; economic recovery and development, which supports livelihoods and food security; women and child protection initiatives, which provide safe spaces, legal assistance, and psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence; and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs, which are critical in preventing deadly disease outbreaks in overcrowded and under-resourced refugee camps.
Joyce Mogane, IRC Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, said
“These cuts will have catastrophic consequences for hundreds of thousands of people who are already living on the brink. Refugees who fled unimaginable violence are now being stripped of the very support that helped them survive. We urge the U.S. government and international donors to urgently reconsider and reinstate funding to avoid further loss of life and dignity.”
The IRC calls on all stakeholders to act swiftly to prevent a humanitarian collapse in refugee-hosting areas of South Sudan. Refugees must not pay the price of political and budgetary decisions beyond their control.
Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis, the IRC in South Sudan has been responding to the influx of refugees and returnees. The IRC delivers lifesaving assistance to prevent and reduce excess mortality and morbidity, ensuring that emergency needs are met, and acute protection concerns are addressed at points of entry through offering services in health, nutrition and general protection, including women’s protection and empowerment, legal assistance, support to persons with specific needs and child protection.
About the IRC
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC works in more than 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.