The humanitarian situation in the north-west was dire even before the earthquakes. Mirroring trends in previous years, floods and winter storms destroyed tents in displacement sites in early February, triggering 9,300 onward displacements. The structure of many buildings, including health and education facilities, was already weakened after 12 years of conflict. They were severely damaged or destroyed when the earthquakes hit, further hindering basic service provision to those affected.

The earthquakes triggered about 678,000 internal displacements, making them Syria’s largest disaster displacement event since data on disaster displacement became available for the country in 2014. The vast majority of those displaced had already fled conflict in Aleppo, Idlib and Lattakia governorates and were living in highly vulnerable conditions in makeshift settlements. The earthquakes also contributed to a dam burst in Idlib’s Harim district, forcing around 9,500 people to evacuate.

Family separation during displacement and the loss of relatives has left some children as heads of their household, increasing their risk of child labour and early marriage. Winter conditions, including snowstorms and floods, persisted in the aftermath of the disaster, triggering at least 6,250 further onward displacements from overcrowded camps in March.

Humanitarian access constraints obstructed the delivery of aid, adding a layer of complexity to the situation. Only one border crossing from Türkiye was open in the first week of the response, until negotiations secured two more crossings on 13 February, allowing aid organisations to reach more people in need. Aleppo International Airport was, however, closed on 7 March as a result of airstrikes, forcing aid organisations to suspend their flights and bring in aid via Damascus or Latakia.

Fighting between government forces and non-state armed groups escalated in early October, with displacement camps sometimes being targeted. The violence triggered more than 79,000 movements in a matter of weeks, particularly in north-eastern Aleppo and southern Idlib governorates. Many people were able to return by early December, but insecurity persisted, and hampered some to return.

The combined impacts of disasters and conflict increased in 2023. The lack of development assistance has limited reconstruction and disaster risk reduction efforts, leaving the population exposed to future disasters. Beyond restricting IDPs’ capacity to cope with the recurring shocks they face, funding shortfalls also limit comprehensive data collection, making displacement figures conservative and impeding our understanding of the true scope and scale of the situation.

Conflict resolution and disaster risk reduction remain distant prospects for Syria, but improved data collection will be needed to inform more effective responses to crises and help ensure that assistance and support is targeted towards those who need it most. Increasing humanitarian access and, with it, the gathering of more harmonised, timely and disaggregated data is also essential to paint a fuller picture of internal displacement in Syria.As the conflict expanded, many IDPs were forced to move again. This was the case in the state of Al Jazira, where conflict ignited in December, triggering 327,000 displacements, many of which were secondary movements involving people who had already fled Khartoum. Other IDPs moved to rural areas during the year, where they required humanitarian support to establish alternative livelihoods and access services.

Most of the remaining displacements in 2023 were reported in Darfur, a region historically affected by conflict and displacement. Two decades ago, the RSF’s predecessor, the Janjaweed, conducted large-scale attacks in the region targeting civilians along ethnic lines, leading to displacement. Long-standing communal tensions reignited in the latest outbreak of violence, and some camps hosting IDPs were targeted, triggering secondary displacements. The escalating conflict also triggered more than 616,000 cross-border movements into neighbouring Chad.

The destruction of critical infrastructure concentrated in urban centres had significant repercussions on IDPs’ access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, with most left to support themselves. Between 70 and 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas stopped working, leaving almost two-thirds of the population without health services and hindering the response to a cholera outbreak. The rainy season between May and October added a further layer of complexity to the situation, as floods hit camps sheltering people who had already fled conflict, particularly in River Nile and South Darfur states.

Food insecurity also became a major challenge as markets, food supply chains and agriculture were disrupted, leading to severe economic decline. As of the end of the year, 37 per cent of the population was acutely food insecure. West Darfur was the state with both the highest share of its population displaced and the highest rate of acutely food insecure people in the country.

Conflict and food insecurity put a significant toll on internally displaced children. As of November, the malnutrition rate among children under five was the highest in the world, and Sudan was considered the largest child displacement situation globally, with an estimated 7,600 children forced to flee daily. With many education facilities closed, 19 million children had lost access to education and were left vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, exploitation and gender-based violence.

The country’s deepening humanitarian and displacement crisis was one of the world’s most neglected in 2023. Access constraints persisted, hampering humanitarians to cover the increasing needs of IDPs. As the year concluded, international mediation to bring hostilities to an end did not yield results and violence and displacement continued unabated, leaving nearly 20 per cent of Sudan’s population internally displaced.

For references and additional information, please see the full report.