Sudan’s war deepens
Sudan’s conflict has entered its fourth year with a growing humanitarian catastrophe, according to multiple UN and news reports. (abcnews.com) An estimated 13 million people are displaced and at least 59,000 have died, while attacks on health services have killed more than 2,000 people and left the health system in collapse, the WHO and reporting say. (who.int) Charities add that three babies are being born into the war every minute and rights groups are calling on world leaders to act and to support investigations into atrocities. (aljazeera.com) (hrw.org)
Sudan’s war entered its fourth year on Wednesday with no ceasefire in sight and millions of civilians still trapped by hunger, displacement and attacks. (abcnews.go.com) Fighting began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. United Nations officials said nearly 34 million people now need humanitarian support. (unocha.org) (ungeneva.org) The war has forced about 13 million people from their homes, according to Associated Press reporting on April 15, while United Nations officials said the displacement toll has reached about 14 million, including 4.4 million who crossed borders. Both counts describe Sudan as the world’s largest displacement crisis. (abcnews.go.com) (ungeneva.org) The health system has been hit directly. The World Health Organization said on April 14 that it had verified 217 attacks on health care since the war began, with 2,052 people killed and 810 injured. (who.int) (reliefweb.int) The World Health Organization said nearly 34 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 21 million who need health aid, and more than 4 million people are expected to be acutely malnourished in 2026. Disease outbreaks and shrinking access to clinics are worsening in areas where fighting continues. (who.int) Aid groups are also focusing on births and maternal care. Save the Children said on April 14 that at least three babies, on average, have been born into the war every minute since April 2023 as hospitals and basic services deteriorated. (savethechildren.ca) (aljazeera.com) Rights groups said the war’s third anniversary is bringing renewed calls for accountability. Human Rights Watch said on April 14 that governments meeting in London this week should back investigations into atrocities and press both sides to protect civilians. (hrw.org) United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said on April 14 that the world is “failing” Sudan, while the United Nations humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown warned two days earlier that civilians were still being killed, displaced and subjected to widespread sexual violence. (ungeneva.org) (news.un.org) Three years after the first battles in Khartoum, the war is still measured in people forced to run, clinics forced to close and aid appeals that remain short of money. (abcnews.go.com) (who.int)
