Sudan Crisis Deepens as War Nears Three-Year Mark, UN Warns

Sudan remains the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday, urging an end to the conflict between rival military factions as the war approaches its third year.

Fighting that erupted on April 15, 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and their former allies, the Rapid Support Forces, has pushed nearly 34 million people — about 65% of the population — into urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

“This grim and chastening anniversary marks another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan,” said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher in a statement issued from Berlin, where international officials are set to meet on Wednesday in renewed efforts to end the war.

The conflict has displaced around 14 million people, including roughly nine million internally and 4.4 million who have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, placing severe strain on host nations.

The UNHCR warned that countries receiving refugees are nearing “breaking point” as the influx continues.

Although nearly four million people have begun returning to their communities, conditions remain dire, according to Zoe Brennan of the International Organization for Migration. Speaking in Geneva, she said many returnees face destroyed infrastructure, limited access to clean water, and a lack of basic shelter and healthcare.

The crisis is also worsening food insecurity, with the World Food Programme warning that famine conditions persist in parts of the country.

“We are two years into a famine in parts of the country, and this is simply unacceptable in this day and age,” said Ross Smith, speaking from Rome.

He further noted that millions of Sudanese are struggling daily to secure enough food, with families exhausting all coping mechanisms. “Parents are skipping meals so their children can eat—and children are going hungry,” he said.