Khartoum, Sudan
How has the destruction of digital infrastructure exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan?
Since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April 2023, the country has plunged into a dire humanitarian crisis. According to the International Rescue Committee, more than half of Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian aid, with approximately 15 million people displaced. The conflict has not only devastated communities, but also critically damaged the nation’s digital communications infrastructure. This destruction has exacerbated the challenges faced by both civilians and humanitarian organisations trying to provide relief.
Magdi Amin, Managing Partner at African Renaissance Partners, is currently working to rebuild Sudan’s digital infrastructure, in order to facilitate humanitarian aid and economic recovery. In this episode of VoxDevTalks, Amin details the origins of the conflict, current state of digital services, and urgent need for technological investment in fragile states.
The root causes of Sudan’s conflict
The war in Sudan has deep historical and political roots, stemming from the nearly 30-year rule of Omar al-Bashir. Amin explained how Bashir’s administration prioritised security spending while fostering internal divisions. Al-Bashir built parallel military forces, including the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which emerged from the Janjaweed militias active in Darfur.
Following the popular revolution that led to Bashir’s ousting, a transitional government of civilian and military leaders was formed. However, as tensions between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF grew, particularly over the integration of the RSF into the national army, conflict erupted in April 2023.
“The plan was to integrate the two, but the Rapid Support Forces were asking for a long integration period of eight to ten years, the Army wanted them to integrate within two years, so that, on the face of it, was the last remaining disagreement, but underneath there, there were just real tensions and competition for supremacy.”
The conflict has led to large-scale displacement and destruction, particularly as the RSF has taken control of key civilian areas. Atrocities have been committed on both sides, with humanitarian access severely restricted.
The impact of conflict on digital infrastructure and financial services
One of the less discussed consequences of the war has been the collapse of Sudan’s digital infrastructure, which has profoundly affected financial services. Banking services, mobile payments, and telecommunications have all suffered, making it difficult for people to access money, receive remittances, or engage in commerce.
“When the conflict broke out, a lot of them [financial service providers] weren’t able to operate initially, and then over time, only one really started to be able to move money in and out, and it became overwhelmingly the largest choice that families who are trying to provide resources, move money to remittances, to people who are affected by the conflict in Sudan.”
One of the few functioning financial services, the Bank of Khartoum’s Bankak app, has become the dominant channel for digital transactions. However, reliance on a single provider creates vulnerabilities, as not all Sudanese have access to bank accounts or smartphones.
Why Sudan’s digital infrastructure was already fragile
Even before the war, Sudan’s financial and digital systems were underdeveloped due to years of underinvestment, sanctions, and outdated technology. The lack of interoperability among banks and mobile money services further limited financial inclusion.
“There was a national switch. It was a focus on interoperability within banks. But Sudan had a long period of under investment, in part because of sanctions, so they could not make the necessary technology investments.”
The 2021 coup halted international support for Sudan’s digital economy, including a major cash transfer programme designed to provide direct financial aid to vulnerable citizens. The war has further weakened the economy, cutting off access to essential resources and worsening food insecurity.
The human cost of digital exclusion
The collapse of digital services has had severe consequences for ordinary Sudanese citizens. Many people rely on digital payments to receive money from relatives abroad, but the conflict has made these transactions expensive and unreliable. Without access to stable banking and payment systems, humanitarian organisations also struggle to distribute aid efficiently.
“If you can’t reach people in a timely basis without a lot of extra costs and middlemen involved, a lot of the resources will be consumed by this friction that a lack of infrastructure creates.”
Without digital payments, Sudanese citizens are forced to rely on cash, which is scarce due to the banking crisis. This economic paralysis has exacerbated food shortages and increased reliance on informal and often exploitative financial networks.
The role of digital public infrastructure in economic recovery
To address these challenges, Amin and his partners are advocating for the implementation of digital public infrastructure to restore and improve financial services. One promising solution is Mojaloop, an open-source payment platform designed to facilitate instant and interoperable digital transactions.
“What Mojaloop does is essentially unify and streamline the process for any financial service provider, whether it be a bank or a telco or a FinTech or others, to connect into a integrated, interoperable, seamless system.”
By creating a unified system similar to India’s Unified Payments Interface, Sudan could reduce dependency on a single provider and enable faster, cheaper, and more secure transactions for businesses and individuals alike.
Overcoming institutional weaknesses and political uncertainty
Implementing digital infrastructure in Sudan is particularly challenging due to weak institutions and ongoing conflict. However, Amin argues that establishing a reliable financial network is crucial for post-war reconstruction and economic stability.
“It's true that one of the issues around digital public infrastructure and where it's been successful, you have fairly strong governments, even within in Africa, the ones that have rolled it out, well, have had pretty good, effective civil service.”
By working with Sudan’s existing central bank authorities and international development partners, Amin hopes to create a system that can function despite political instability.
Policy implications for digital resilience
Sudan’s experience highlights the critical role of digital infrastructure in fragile states. As conflicts disrupt traditional banking and aid distribution channels, mobile and digital financial services become even more essential for survival and recovery.
“The move toward cash transfer as a part of humanitarian response is here to stay, and, the question is, how can we create the ability to provide those cash transfers in fragile environments as quickly as possible?”
Sudan’s crisis serves as a warning for other fragile nations: without resilient digital systems, economic recovery becomes far more difficult. Governments and development organisations must prioritise investments in interoperable, secure, and inclusive digital financial systems to support long-term stability.
[digital aid
digital aid](https://voxdev.org/topic/finance/can-digital-humanitarian-aid-reach-vulnerable-populations-fragile-states)