Sudan is now facing what humanitarian organizations are calling the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet, as the country’s brutal civil war enters its third year. The United Nations and major NGOs have sounded the alarm over the deepening crisis, with millions displaced and widespread famine looming.
As global attention remains distracted by conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, efforts to broker peace in Sudan have faltered. On Tuesday, representatives from 20 nations gathered in London to attempt to revive diplomatic negotiations, but hopes remain dim.
The civil conflict, which began two years ago with clashes in Khartoum between Sudan’s national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has devastated the country. Tens of thousands have died, nearly 13 million people have been displaced — including 4 million who have sought refuge in neighboring countries — and hundreds of thousands face starvation.
“Sudan is now worse off than ever before,” said Elise Nalbandian, Oxfam’s regional advocacy manager. “It is the largest humanitarian, displacement, and hunger crisis worldwide, breaking devastating records across all fronts.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross also reported “massive-scale” violations of international humanitarian law, with civilians trapped in escalating violence across the country.
Despite the army’s recent success in reclaiming Khartoum’s presidential palace and much of the capital, fierce fighting continues elsewhere. In Darfur, the RSF has intensified attacks, attempting to capture El Fasher, the last major city in the region not under its control. UN sources report over 400 deaths following RSF assaults on El Fasher and surrounding displacement camps, including Zamzam and Abu Shouk.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the latest violence, stating that the attacks “highlight the grave cost of international inaction,” and warned that the humanitarian situation in Darfur, already catastrophic, has deteriorated further.
Sudan’s civilians, caught between warring factions, continue to endure unbearable suffering as the world looks on.
