Living together in Sudan

Sudan has no single nationwide institution responsible for everyday coexistence. In Khartoum and other urban areas, neighbourhood committees called لجان الأحياء (Lijan al-Hayy), decentralized civilian neighbourhood networks called Lijan al-Muqawama, Emergency Response Rooms, community management committees, local nongovernmental organizations, religious and social leaders, and women's and youth groups may organize information, food, water, health support, evacuation, protection and mediation. Lijan al-Muqawama and other civilian networks can face political and security risks. Emergency Response Rooms are community-led emergency aid structures, not uniform state service offices. In Darfur and Kordofan, Native Administration, elders, Community-Based Reconciliation Mechanisms, peace committees and farmer-pastoralist mediation can help address land, water, grazing, migration paths and harvest disputes. In the eastern and Nile states, host communities, refugees and internally displaced people often interact through local peace and community structures. Native Administration means customary local leadership and mediation arrangements; its authority, neutrality, inclusion and practical reach vary by area and do not automatically give a dispute settlement legal force. Displacement is a central condition of coexistence. Research for April 2026 records around 15 million people displaced by conflict, about 8.94 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and about 3.99 million returnees. Around 60% of returnee households were living in damaged homes. A 2023 displacement assessment found that 65% of IDPs stayed with host communities. A 2025 assessment recorded approximately 30% of displaced households in makeshift shelters, 10% in tents and 24% in solid houses. Overcrowding, limited water and sanitation, reduced privacy, gender-based violence risks, property disputes and pressure on host communities can intensify conflict. Sudanese coexistence is affected by ethnic, religious, linguistic, regional, gender and age differences, disability, and IDP, refugee or host-community status. Ethnic profiling, hate speech, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and attacks on civil society create serious exclusion and retaliation risks. Women, children, minorities and local aid workers may need additional protection. Refugees have rights and duties under the Asylum Organization Act 2014, including compliance with applicable law and public-order rules, but implementation and access to protection are fragile. The Transitional Constitution 2005 provides a normative basis for equality, non-discrimination, religious, cultural and language rights, movement, assembly, association and privacy, while its practical status and enforcement remain politically and legally uncertain in 2026. Markets, water points, schools, health facilities, roads, transport and transhumance corridors, displacement camps and Multi-Purpose Community Centres are key shared spaces. A Multi-Purpose Community Centre, or MPCC, may combine a safer meeting place with a protection desk, psychosocial support, literacy activities and community meetings. Access depends on the location, partner presence and security conditions. Attacks, closures, checkpoints, movement restrictions, mines, explosive remnants and supply interruptions mean that no public space is uniformly safe or neutral across Sudan. Disputes may concern land, natural resources, water, grazing, migration, harvest damage, markets, mobility, family matters or social relations. Dialogue, mediation by elders or Native Administration, women's and youth networks, peace committees, Community-Based Reconciliation Mechanisms, community policing, legal aid, police, prosecutors and courts may all form part of a local response. Serious violence, sexual or gender-based violence, threats, grave crimes and risks of retaliation should not be handled only through informal mediation. The available formal pathway depends on whether police, prosecution and courts can function safely in that locality. Participation can include community volunteering, community management committees, peace or protection networks, community kitchens known as Takaaya, refugee-led organizations and feedback or complaint channels. These activities are often donor-funded, voluntary and dependent on security and access. A committee or aid group usually does not provide a nationwide individual entitlement, and services commonly have no direct user fee but may be limited by quotas, funding, partners and locality. Digital channels support family contact, warnings, aid coordination, money transfers and community information through mobile networks, WhatsApp, social media and diaspora networks. The Electronic Transactions Act 2007 recognizes electronic records, signatures and payments under stated conditions, while the Cybercrime Act 2007 provides a legal framework for cybercrime investigation and justice structures. Connectivity remains costly and unequal. Research records three shutdowns in 2025 and a nationwide restriction on WhatsApp voice and video functions in July 2025. Protect identities and locations, verify sources, avoid forwarding unconfirmed accusations about violence or ethnicity, and keep SMS, offline contacts and local relays as fallback channels because shutdowns and service restrictions can interrupt communication.