News — 15 April, 2024

HOT's statement on the one-year anniversary of the war in Sudan

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Sudan. The conflict has resulted in more than 14,000 lost lives, 8 million people displaced internally and outside of its borders, and nearly 28 million people facing acute food insecurity, as stated by senior United Nations officials. Sadly, this is not the only case, as recent conflicts around the world have impacted millions of people who face deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Haiti, Gaza, Ethiopia, Yemen, and more.

At HOT, we remain committed to creating and using OpenStreetMap (OSM) data for humanitarian decision-making and planning in support of these struggling populations, all under the guidelines of our Ethical Data and Protection Framework. We encourage interested parties to access available OSM datasets through the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) or HOT’s Export Tool, and reach out to our team to request support with mapping or datasets.

We join the global humanitarian community in a call for a peaceful resolution to these conflicts and urge all parties involved to prioritize the safe delivery of aid and the well-being of civilians.

Images on the cover:

• “Inheriting life”, by Joodahmed, CC BY-SA 4.0
• “Sudanese people going home after work (public transport)”, by Retlaw Snellac Photography, CC BY 2.0
• “A group editing session for the Sudan Wikimedia community on the Africa Wiki Challenge” by Hassan Hassoon, CC BY-SA 4.0
• “Sudan Northern State Merowe Nuri Terej Island”, by كابوالحوت, CC BY-SA 4.0
• “Simple music”, by Ebrahim Al-Hajj, CC BY-SA 4.0