Sudan is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis as conflict enters its fourth year, marked by mass displacement, famine, poverty, and the collapse of basic services.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, following months of escalating tensions between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief and head of Sudan's ruling council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF commander and al-Burhan's former deputy.
Sudan remains politically fractured, with an internationally recognized government aligned to the SAF and a rival administration declared by the RSF in alliance with political and armed groups.
Millions of civilians are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations (UN), tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 12 million have been forced to flee their homes.
In much of the country, hospitals are no longer functioning, schools remain closed, and access to clean water is increasingly limited. Humanitarian organizations are raising the alarm about a resurgence of gender-based violence, with women and children among the most vulnerable.
"We need to do much much more and what we really need from the international community are two things. One is access. We need all sides to facilitate a much larger volume of humanitarian assistance so we make sure that we can reach all people in need across the country. And second, we need money, we need much much more funding in order to scale up this operation," said Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the UN World Food Programme.
Despite the scale of the crisis, international attention seems to be waning. The lack of funding has led to a severe shortage of resources for humanitarian operations.
Analysts warn that without renewed diplomatic pressure and sustained global engagement, Sudan risks sinking into a protracted and largely forgotten conflict, where suffering continues largely unseen.
"Based on all the indicators on the ground, I don't believe there are any prospects for a solution, nor do the warring parties have a genuine desire for peace. They aren't thinking about peace, but rather about how to strengthen their means to continue the war. The world seems preoccupied with other issues, and donors no longer seem as generous as before," said Abdelmoniem Abu-Idrees, a political analyst.
Sudan faces severe humanitarian crisis as conflict enters fourth year
