Turkey has dispatched its sixth “Goodness Ship” carrying 2,600 tons of humanitarian aid from Mersin International Port to Sudan, reinforcing Ankara’s ongoing support for civilians caught in the African nation’s protracted civil war.
The vessel, coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in partnership with local authorities, civil society organisations and the Qatar Fund for Development, contains vital supplies including food, personal care items, medical materials and shelter components such as tents and blankets. The shipment addresses the dire needs of millions displaced and facing starvation amid the conflict.
AFAD President Ali Hamza Pehlivan stressed Turkey’s consistent response to the crisis. “Turkey has not been idle in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan,” he said, noting that deliveries in 2024 totalled 5,500 tons, with three vessels last month transporting 30,000 tents. “Taking into account how the shelter needs of people displaced in Sudan had reached a critical level in December, we began sending goodwill ships on 7 December,” Pehlivan added. “Sending three ships in a row, we tried to support the shelter needs of our brothers and sisters there.”
Escalating humanitarian catastrophe
Sudan’s conflict, now nearing 1,000 days since erupting in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed tens of thousands, displaced over 12 million — creating the world’s largest and fastest displacement crisis — and pushed nearly half the population into acute food insecurity.
Famine (IPC Phase 5) conditions persist in El Fasher, North Darfur, and Kadugli, South Kordofan, expected to continue through January 2026, with 20 additional areas at risk of famine, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The World Food Programme has warned of severe ration cuts from January 2026 due to funding shortfalls, while humanitarian access remains heavily obstructed by blocked convoys, looted warehouses and attacks on aid workers.
Territorial divide deepens
The RSF dominates most of the five Darfur states, having recently consolidated control over El Fasher after intense fighting, except for limited northern pockets in North Darfur still held by the SAF. The RSF also advances in Kordofan, besieging key towns and threatening an east-west partition. The SAF retains control over most of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east and centre, including the capital Khartoum, which it fully recaptured in late March 2025 following a major counteroffensive that ended the RSF’s prolonged hold on the city.
The United Nations describes Sudan as the globe’s worst humanitarian emergency, with over 30 million people in need and persistent violations exacerbating starvation, disease and sexual violence risks.
Pehlivan highlighted Turkey’s parallel efforts in Gaza, where the 20th aid ship is due to depart soon after nearly 105,000 tons delivered. The Mersin-Port Sudan maritime route, strengthened by recent cooperation, enables such deliveries despite ongoing instability.
As the latest “Goodness Ship” heads toward Port Sudan — a crucial SAF-held entry point for relief — Turkey’s sustained aid stands as a vital lifeline in a war inflicting immense suffering on civilians.
