Sudan enters fourth year

Sudan’s war reached its fourth year on April 15, with the United Nations calling it the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. (news.un.org) The fighting began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces after a power struggle inside the ruling military alliance. Three years later, aid agencies say about 13 million people have been forced from their homes. (abcnews.com) United Nations officials said nearly 34 million people now need humanitarian support, and relief groups described Sudan as the largest displacement crisis in the world. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said 33 million people will need assistance in 2026. (news.un.org) (ifrc.org) The war has hardened into a de facto territorial split. The Sudanese Armed Forces have retaken much of Khartoum, while the Rapid Support Forces remain entrenched across much of Darfur and parts of western and southern Sudan. (npr.org) (apnews.com) Aid workers say the front lines are shifting again because of long-range drone attacks on Port Sudan and other areas once seen as relatively safer. Al Jazeera reported that officials and analysts have linked some of the drone technology used by the Rapid Support Forces to outside support, including alleged Iranian-made systems, though the reporting says those claims remain part of a wider regional dispute. (aljazeera.com) Rights monitors say both sides have committed serious abuses. Human Rights Watch said the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias carried out ethnic killings and sexual violence in Darfur, and also said the Sudanese Armed Forces have used indiscriminate bombing and blocked aid. (hrw.org) Hunger has spread with the war. ReliefWeb reported nearly 25 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, with famine confirmed in El Fasher in North Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan, and more than 20 other districts at risk. (reliefweb.int) Displacement is still rising even as some families return to recaptured parts of Khartoum. The International Organization for Migration said almost 8.94 million people were internally displaced inside Sudan as of April 12, while about 3.99 million returnees had gone back to areas of origin. (reliefweb.int) (npr.org) Governments met in Berlin on April 15 to push for more aid as funding fell short. Reuters reported Germany pledged an additional 20 million euros, or about $23.6 million, for Sudan this year, while Britain backed plans to move more support directly to Sudanese groups on the ground. (usnews.com) (theguardian.com) Sudan’s government rejected the Berlin conference, calling it an intrusion because neither warring side was invited. That left the anniversary marked not by ceasefire talks, but by another appeal from aid agencies warning that food, medicine and access are running out. (sg.news.yahoo.com) (ungeneva.org)