During the past two decades, the international community has steadily increased its attention
on the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and, following traditional models of
refugee assistance, focused principally on how to provide relief to IDPs living in camp
settings. The unique needs of IDPs in urban settings have long gone neglected. Over the past
few years, however, a growing number of academics, researchers, and practitioners have
begun to think critically about how to provide assistance to displaced populations who have
settled in and around cities. Sudan’s capital Khartoum offers a good case study to examine
trends and test assumptions about these populations, particularly in a protracted situation.