Sudan War: The Abandoned Crisis Deepens in Its Fourth Year

Sudan has entered a fourth year of war, a conflict described as an “abandoned crisis” that has forced 13 million people to flee their homes and pushed the nation toward widespread famine.

The North African country currently faces the world’s largest humanitarian challenge regarding displacement and hunger. Fighting continues between the national military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has devastated large portions of the Darfur region.

Attempts by the United States and other regional powers to establish a ceasefire have failed, with efforts increasingly overshadowed by conflict in the Middle East.

A mounting humanitarian catastrophe

The scale of the violence is stark. In October, at least 6,000 people died over three days during an RSF offensive in the Darfur outpost of el-Fasher, an action U.N.-backed experts say bore the defining characteristics of genocide.

The healthcare system is nearing collapse, with the World Health Organization reporting that only 63% of health facilities remain functional amid outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.

In Port Sudan, medical staff at a center for malnourished children report that the number of severely malnourished children entering the facility has doubled since the war began, now reaching 60 children per week.

Economic pressures are compounding the crisis. Fuel prices have risen by more than 24% due to the effects of the Iran war on shipping, which has subsequently driven up the cost of food.

Political division and the Sudan war

The conflict grew from a power struggle following the 2019 ouster of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. Tensions peaked in April 2023 between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Sudan is now effectively split between two administrations. The military-backed government in Khartoum controls the north, east, and central regions, including Red Sea ports and oil refineries.

The RSF and its allies control Darfur and areas in the Kordofan region along the border with South Sudan, including several oil fields and gold mines.

International diplomacy has struggled to find traction. A recent conference in Berlin aimed at promoting a ceasefire was condemned by the government in Khartoum as “unacceptable” interference.

International involvement and war crimes

Evidence suggests regional powers are backing rival sides. While Egypt supports the military, U.N. experts and rights groups accuse the United Arab Emirates of providing arms to the RSF, an accusation the UAE denies.

Additional reports from the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab indicate the RSF has received military support from a base in Ethiopia.

The International Criminal Court is investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur. Atrocities including mass killings and rampant sexual violence have been widely documented.

While the military’s seizure of central urban areas in early 2025 allowed about 4 million people to return home, those residents continue to struggle with destroyed infrastructure and a precarious “new normal.”