Global Fund Approves Emergency TB Funding for Conflict-affected Sudan
27 March 2026
GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has approved US$1,607,729 in emergency funding to support urgent tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Sudan through 31 December 2026. This funding will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health's National TB Programme and local organizations.
The escalation of the conflict has pushed Sudan into one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally. The number of IDPs in Sudan is currently estimated at 11.75 million, making it the country with the largest IDP population worldwide. Conflict-driven displacement has sharply worsened living conditions and access to care across the country, increasing overcrowding, malnutrition and interruptions to treatment – all of which raise TB transmission and drug-resistance risks.
TB is the deadliest infectious disease in the world. Diagnosis and treatment are essential for preventing an outbreak. One person with untreated TB can spread the disease to 15-20 additional people in a year.
“It is part of our mission to ensure rapid access to TB diagnostics and treatment for communities devastated by the conflict,” said Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund. “Working with national authorities, local organizations, and international partners, we are prioritizing continuity of care and community-centered services to prevent further transmission and protect the most vulnerable.”
This emergency response focuses on IDPs and surrounding communities in 10 currently more stable states that are receiving a large influx of people from Darfur and Kordofan states: Al Jazirah, Gedaref, Kassala, Khartoum, Northern (Addabah), North Kordofan, Red Sea, River Nile, Sennar and White Nile. Support for unstable states will continue under the existing TB grant, launched in 2023.
The response will ensure continuity of TB case detection and treatment by procuring essential diagnostics and TB-medicines (including GeneXpert cartridges and first- and second-line drugs); scaling early contact-tracing, active screening, rapid diagnosis and prompt treatment initiation; and delivering services through mobile primary healthcare units, community-based care and functioning TB management units.
Established in 2014, the Global Fund’s Emergency Fund provides quick and flexible financing in emergencies to ensure continuity of existing programs and services for HIV, TB and malaria.
Between 2014 and December 2024, the Global Fund committed more than US$149 million through the Emergency Fund to countries faced with conflict, environmental breakdown and other acute crises.