Prolonged conflict deepens humanitarian crisis in Sudan

In 2024, violent conflict continued to ravage Sudan, deepening the humanitarian crisis that has affected millions of people since brutal clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.

The war, which has claimed nearly 30,000 lives, has displaced more than 14 million people – roughly a third of Sudan's population – creating what the United Nations describes as "the world's largest displacement crisis".

Despite the staggering human toll, the conflict in Sudan has not attracted the same level of global attention as other crises, such as those in Ukraine and Gaza. This relative neglect has resulted in a lack of effective political mediation and inadequate humanitarian assistance, putting the country at risk of sliding deeper into catastrophe.

The international community's response in the coming months will be crucial. It will determine whether millions of Sudanese civilians continue to suffer from displacement, hunger and violence – or whether there is a real chance for peace and stability to take root.

Escalating fighting

The armed clashes spread from the capital Khartoum through the central states of Gezira and Sinnar to North Darfur in the west. Since May, El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has become a central battleground between the two forces. The city has been under siege by the RSF for seven months, enduring relentless shelling and air strikes from both the paramilitary group and the army. These attacks have often targeted densely populated areas, including camps housing displaced civilians.

On December 20, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced in a press release that the ongoing siege and conflict in El Fasher has killed at least 782 civilians and injured more than 1,143.

"The continuing siege of El Fasher and the relentless fighting are devastating lives every day on a massive scale," said OHCHR chief Volker Turk.

The UN humanitarian agency also reported last week that hostilities had spread to more urban areas in North Darfur and South Darfur, resulting in heavy civilian casualties and the destruction of homes, markets, and medical facilities.

The five-state Darfur region is a key base for the RSF, with the majority of its recruits coming from the region. The militia is determined to take full control of the region and is seeking to capture El Fasher, the last SAF-controlled stronghold in the area.

"It is clear that both warring parties want to resolve the conflict militarily, which seems far-fetched, at least for now," Ahmed Ismail, a Sudanese military expert, told Xinhua.

Deepening humanitarian crisis

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 14 million people, or about 30 percent of the population, doubling the number from last December. This makes it the largest displacement crisis in the world, according to the UN.

"The (internal) displacement number has hit 11 million. That's up 200,000 just since September," said Amy Pope, the director-general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at a press briefing from Port Sudan in late October, adding that "another 3.1 million people have travelled across borders to flee the fighting."

Of the internally displaced, 4 million are women and 3 million children, according to Sudanese government figures.

In addition to the displacement crisis, more than 24.6 million people in Sudan are now facing high levels of acute food insecurity, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitor, confirmed in a report released on Tuesday that famine has hit at least five areas of Sudan, including Zamzam camp in North Darfur and parts of the western Nuba Mountains. The crisis is expected to spread to five more areas by May 2025.

Abdullah Ibrahim, a food security expert in Sudan, warned that the true scale of the food crisis could be even worse than reported. "The full impact of the war on the food situation remains unclear, and the number of people at risk of famine is likely higher than the current estimates from the UN and the Sudanese government," he said.

The crisis has also fuelled a public health emergency. Epidemics, particularly cholera and dengue fever, have surged during the rainy season from June to October. Sudan's war-ravaged health system is struggling to cope. The Ministry of Health has reported more than 44,000 cases of cholera and some 8,500 cases of dengue fever.

The UN and other aid agencies now face significant obstacles in reaching the most vulnerable, including security risks, restrictions on the flow of aid and movement of personnel, and a funding gap.

Humanitarian agencies face immense challenges in delivering aid. Security risks, restrictions on the movement of aid workers and a significant funding gap have hampered efforts.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) noted that only 30 percent of the $1.5 billion needed to respond to Sudan in 2024 has been secured, leaving many urgent needs unmet.

Struggling to protect themselves from the winter cold, the displaced are calling for an increased national and international response to their humanitarian needs.

"We are suffering from inadequate services and food shortages. The tents are of poor quality and cannot protect us against the cold in winter," Qismalla Awad, who relocated to a displacement camp in River Nile State, told Xinhua.

Across the border in Chad, Sudanese refugees in a camp in Adre are facing similar hardships. "We are struggling with hunger, food shortages, and a lack of clean drinking water," said Adam Ishaq, a refugee in the camp. "Located in a barren area, the camp offers little respite from either the summer heat or the winter cold."

Peace remains elusive

In 2024, regional and international efforts to mediate the ongoing crisis in Sudan continued, but with little progress.

On January 18, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) convened a summit in Kampala, Uganda, to address the crisis. But Sudan boycotted the event. Two days later, Sudan announced that it was freezing its membership of Igad, citing the bloc's communiqué as a violation of its sovereignty.

The Sudanese government also said it would not abide by any decisions or actions taken by Igad regarding Sudan's internal affairs.

This setback followed previous failed attempts by Igad to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. A summit in June 2023 collapsed after the SAF objected to the support some IGAD members were giving to the RSF.

A second attempt in December 2023 was postponed for “technical reasons”. In July, both warring sides were invited to Geneva for UN-sponsored talks on humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians. However, one side did not attend and no breakthrough was achieved. The UN did not disclose which party was absent.

In August, the United States initiated new peace talks in Geneva, in which RSF delegates participated. The SAF pre-emptively said it would not participate, citing the RSF's failure to honour previous agreements, including commitments to withdraw from civilian homes and public facilities.

"The suffering is growing by the day, with almost 25 million people now in need of humanitarian assistance," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told ambassadors at the UN Security Council in late October, stressing the dire conditions civilians are enduring.

"We've lost our homes, but we haven't lost our dream of peace," said Ismail Al-Hakim, a Sudanese journalist who has documented the conflict’s devastating impact on civilian life. "We are still holding onto the hope of an end to this conflict and the eventual homecoming of those displaced."

For Fatima Badawi, who watched her hometown south of Khartoum turn into a brutal battleground, the coming year carries a weight that goes far beyond marking the passage of time. "We don't want another year of this conflict," she said. "The war must end as soon as possible. We are placing our hope for peace in the upcoming year."