23-05-2025 | di COOPI

North Sudan. Water relief reaches 9,000 displaced from Zamzam

Displaced families, forced to flee the violence in and around Zamzam camp, have sought refuge in El Fasher, many with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As thousands gather in makeshift shelters or sleep in the open, without access to clean water or basic hygiene, COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale has launched an emergency intervention to provide immediate life-saving support called “Provision of Life Saving assistance for IDPs in emergency in El fasher locality, North Darfur region”, with fundings from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund of OCHA. Drawing on its solid expertise in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector (WASH), COOPI acted swiftly by ensuring water trucking, water quality monitoring and the distribution of containers, emergency kits and latrine construction, helping to reduce health risks for the affected population and ensuring basic hygiene standards.

The emergency project will last two months and represents a prompt response to the ongoing severe crisis following the attack on the IDP Zamzam camp on April 11, 2025, an area already classified as Phase 5 (famine) by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the most severe level of food insecurity. Over 400,000 people were forced to flee their homes without belongings, seeking safety in various directions, including El Fasher, which had already been under siege for nine months, enduring continuous bombings and mounting humanitarian pressure. In this fragile context, COOPI swiftly conducted a rapid needs assessment in coordination with the Water and Environmental Sanitation department (WES), the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and displaced communities.

The findings revealed a dire situation: 85% of the newly displaced population lacks access to basic items and services and only three water sources remain functional in the city, leaving 97% of the population below the minimum standard access to water. The influx of displaced persons has overwhelmed the already limited infrastructure, with many forced to live on the streets without even basic water containers.

“Most nearby water points are now inaccessible due to the presence of continued violence, and those still in use face overexploitation and urgent need for repairs. Meanwhile, skyrocketing fuel prices have further crippled water pumping systems”

said a COOPI staff member currently operating in El Fasher.

Access to water is now severely limited by availability, affordability and quality, while poor sanitation conditions and widespread open defecation raise the risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera and acute watery diarrhea. Due to the acute water shortage, displaced families are forced to prioritize drinking water over personal hygiene, leading to serious health and protection risks—particularly in overcrowded gathering sites.

Humanitarian access and response capacity remain critically limited and vastly insufficient to meet the needs of over 400,000 newly displaced people, who joined the pre-existing 47,561 IDPs already in El Fasher. In response, COOPI has taken a leading role in coordinating with HAC and WES authorities and other actors through joint assessments and WASH Cluster-led platforms at the North Darfur level. COOPI is spearheading the rapid WASH response within the first 48 hours of displacement, working closely with partners such Africa Humanitarian Action and Welthungerhilfe to expand water trucking coverage and reach the most vulnerable populations in El Fasher. COOPI’s urgent response will bring safe water to 9,330 people, giving also two 20-liter containers to 1,000 vulnerable households and build 50 emergency latrines to help 2,500 people, making sure they are private, accessible and clean.

Since 2004, COOPI has been working in Sudan and North Darfur to support vulnerable communities, using a multi-sectoral approach and improving access to essential services like shelter, food security, livelihoods, WASH, and disaster risk reduction. Following the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, the organisation has intensified its humanitarian efforts, expanding its presence and scaling up emergency response to meet the urgent needs of affected populations.