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Livestock and herders in Sudan's war

Livestock is the backbone of Sudan's rural economy, and the war since April 2023 has halted veterinary services and closed grazing and export routes.

Before the war Sudan had about 111.8 million cattle, sheep, goats and camels according to FAO data cited by Sudan Media Forum, and livestock provided income for about 40 percent of the population. From October 2025 to January 2026 FAO ran a nationwide campaign to vaccinate 9.4 million animals against diseases including peste des petits ruminants and sheep and goat pox, covering more than 3 million pastoralist households, with deliveries via Chad to Darfur and West Kordofan. In August 2026 local media reported abductions of herders and cattle theft in South Kordofan.

Numbers with sources

Species

Needs

• veterinary care
• livelihoods
• food

Who is helping

Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (1). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  FAO supports agriculture, livestock and food security in crisis-affected countries. In June 2026 it delivered veterinary vaccines into Darfur through a cross-border…

Sources

• fao.org fao.org/newsroom/detail/sudan--fao-moves-to-protect-9.4-million-livestock-in-nationwide-v…
• sudanmediaforum.org sudanmediaforum.org/en/sudan-livestock-wealth-under-fire/
• fao.org fao.org/emergencies/resources-repository/news/detail/5-things-you-should-know-about-how-c…
• darfur24.com darfur24.com/en/2026/08/07/gunmen-abduct-eight-herders-steal-cattle-near-dilling/

Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections

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