Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers
The recent surge in armed conflicts across Africa is increasing demand for humanitarian and social assistance, creating significant pressure on humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving support amid insecurity and constrained resources. The conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the S...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175477 |
| _version_ | 1855543090420383744 |
|---|---|
| author | Abay, Kibrom A. Abushama, Hala Mohamed, Shima Siddig, Khalid |
| author_browse | Abay, Kibrom A. Abushama, Hala Mohamed, Shima Siddig, Khalid |
| author_facet | Abay, Kibrom A. Abushama, Hala Mohamed, Shima Siddig, Khalid |
| author_sort | Abay, Kibrom A. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The recent surge in armed conflicts across Africa is increasing demand for humanitarian and social assistance, creating significant pressure on humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving support amid insecurity and constrained resources. The conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis, triggering an acute and multidimensional humanitarian emergency requiring urgent and substantial international support. These armed conflicts in Africa are threatening important gains in poverty reduction made in the last few decades.
While armed conflicts and associated crises increase the need for assistance, they simultaneously undermine the capacity to deliver it. In conflict-affected settings, the operational environment is often marked by damaged infrastructure, disrupted markets, weakened institutions, and limited humanitarian access. These challenges hinder the effectiveness, targeting, and coverage of social protection and humanitarian aid programs (Ghorpade, 2017; 2020; Lind et al., 2022). Moreover, the proliferation of armed groups—including both state and non-state actors—can obstruct aid delivery or divert assistance, further limiting program reach and impact. Compounding these challenges is a widening humanitarian financing gap, driven by escalating needs and declining donor contributions. In response, development and humanitarian actors are increasingly exploring cost-effective delivery mechanisms to improve efficiency, transparency, and reach of humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations. Among these, digital transfers, including mobile money, offer promising avenues for delivering assistance in fragile settings where conventional approaches may be impractical or insecure.
This brief draws on evidence from Sudan to assess the feasibility and demand for digital transfers in humanitarian response. It explores emerging practices and offers insights for policymakers, donors, and implementing agencies aiming to adapt assistance modalities to meet the challenges of protracted crises. |
| format | Brief |
| id | CGSpace175477 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1754772025-11-06T04:47:06Z Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers Abay, Kibrom A. Abushama, Hala Mohamed, Shima Siddig, Khalid conflicts aid programmes poverty capacity assessment digital technology The recent surge in armed conflicts across Africa is increasing demand for humanitarian and social assistance, creating significant pressure on humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving support amid insecurity and constrained resources. The conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in the world’s largest displacement crisis, triggering an acute and multidimensional humanitarian emergency requiring urgent and substantial international support. These armed conflicts in Africa are threatening important gains in poverty reduction made in the last few decades. While armed conflicts and associated crises increase the need for assistance, they simultaneously undermine the capacity to deliver it. In conflict-affected settings, the operational environment is often marked by damaged infrastructure, disrupted markets, weakened institutions, and limited humanitarian access. These challenges hinder the effectiveness, targeting, and coverage of social protection and humanitarian aid programs (Ghorpade, 2017; 2020; Lind et al., 2022). Moreover, the proliferation of armed groups—including both state and non-state actors—can obstruct aid delivery or divert assistance, further limiting program reach and impact. Compounding these challenges is a widening humanitarian financing gap, driven by escalating needs and declining donor contributions. In response, development and humanitarian actors are increasingly exploring cost-effective delivery mechanisms to improve efficiency, transparency, and reach of humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations. Among these, digital transfers, including mobile money, offer promising avenues for delivering assistance in fragile settings where conventional approaches may be impractical or insecure. This brief draws on evidence from Sudan to assess the feasibility and demand for digital transfers in humanitarian response. It explores emerging practices and offers insights for policymakers, donors, and implementing agencies aiming to adapt assistance modalities to meet the challenges of protracted crises. 2025-07-02 2025-07-03T13:45:48Z 2025-07-03T13:45:48Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175477 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Abay, Kibrom A.; Abushama, Hala; Mohamed, Shima; and Siddig, Khalid. 2025. Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers. FCA Policy Brief July 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175477 |
| spellingShingle | conflicts aid programmes poverty capacity assessment digital technology Abay, Kibrom A. Abushama, Hala Mohamed, Shima Siddig, Khalid Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title | Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title_full | Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title_fullStr | Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title_short | Rethinking delivery modalities in conflict-affected settings: Why beneficiaries in Sudan prefer digital transfers |
| title_sort | rethinking delivery modalities in conflict affected settings why beneficiaries in sudan prefer digital transfers |
| topic | conflicts aid programmes poverty capacity assessment digital technology |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175477 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abaykibroma rethinkingdeliverymodalitiesinconflictaffectedsettingswhybeneficiariesinsudanpreferdigitaltransfers AT abushamahala rethinkingdeliverymodalitiesinconflictaffectedsettingswhybeneficiariesinsudanpreferdigitaltransfers AT mohamedshima rethinkingdeliverymodalitiesinconflictaffectedsettingswhybeneficiariesinsudanpreferdigitaltransfers AT siddigkhalid rethinkingdeliverymodalitiesinconflictaffectedsettingswhybeneficiariesinsudanpreferdigitaltransfers |