Sudan is facing a critical emergency. Thousands of people are in danger of violence and starvation in the Darfur region, and the situation continues to deteriorate. There is a dire need for support, the protection of civilians, and an end to the violence.
What has been happening in Sudan?
War ignited in Sudan in April 2023, when tension between military and paramilitary leaders escalated to full-scale conflict. Both sides are suspected of committing atrocities. The war has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced 12 million – the world’s largest displacement crisis – according to the UN. Several peace efforts have failed to end this war.
It has also triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. In June this year, the UN estimated that around 755,000 people are at risk of starvation. Famine was confirmed in North Darfur at the beginning of August and half of Sudan’s population is facing acute hunger. Intense flooding has worsened the impact of the conflict, further undermining the country’s collapsing health system. Violence has escalated alarmingly in recent days, as battles for control of key cities intensified.
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How has violence escalated since September 2024?
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) launched a major offensive to retake Sudan’s capital Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 September. Both groups have reportedly carried out aerial attacks, some of which targeted residential areas.
A week earlier, the city of El Fasher in North Darfur suffered consecutive days of gunfire and intense aerial bombardment in the densely populated areas of Zamzam, Abu Shouk and El Taigania. The number of civilians killed or injured is unknown, but hundreds are estimated to have died and 1500 have been displaced in a matter of days.
This marks an unprecedented escalation in the area, where warring parties have carried out heavy military operations, including airstrikes, since May 2024. El Fasher is strategically significant, as the last city in the Darfur region where the SAF is still present. For six months, the RSF has imposed a siege on the city in its attempt to wrest control from the SAF and allied armed movements. The consequences of the violence have been severe.
What is the impact on civilians right now?
Civilians, many of them women and children, are trapped in conflict zones without access to shelter or essential services. Schools in El Fasher have closed and medical facilities are overwhelmed. Outbreaks of cholera and malaria are spreading, leading to hundreds of deaths. Thousands also face acute malnutrition.
Crucial humanitarian corridors have been blocked, and access to food and water is now critically limited. However, our partner says that SAF and allies continue to receive arms inside El Fasher via parachute, which indicates “Hunger issues could be solved through parachuting aid, yet scarcity of food and drinking water is politicised”.
This desperate situation is also leading to increased violence between civilians fighting over vital resources, which has spread beyond El Fasher. There has also been a rise in misinformation and ethnic polarisation, particularly in fragile areas with a legacy of conflict. As such, even areas not currently experiencing bombardment are affected by the consequences of this conflict.
