Sudan war hardens

Sudan’s war has entered its fourth year with no ceasefire in sight, while hunger, displacement and armed defections deepen the country’s collapse. (dw.com) The war began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. UN agencies said last week that about 14 million people have been forced from their homes since then, including 9 million inside Sudan and 4.4 million across borders. (ungeneva.org) Aid agencies say children are being hit especially hard as food systems, health care and schooling break down. UNICEF said at least 245 children were killed or injured in the first 90 days of 2026, and drone attacks accounted for nearly 80 percent of those reported child casualties. (unicef.org) The fighting is no longer just a contest for the capital. Large parts of Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile remain active battle zones, and UN officials say repeated displacement, blocked aid access and market collapse are pushing more communities toward famine conditions. (unhcr.org) A new sign of strain inside the Rapid Support Forces came this month when Maj. Gen. Al-Nour Ahmed Adam, a senior commander from North Darfur, defected to the army after escaping across the desert. Sudan Tribune reported that he switched sides with 136 vehicles after disputes with Rapid Support Forces leadership. (sudantribune.com) Army chief Burhan publicly welcomed the defection, presenting it as proof that the paramilitary alliance is fraying. But other reporting and field assessments suggest such defections point less to a peace track than to fragmentation inside armed factions that still control territory and weapons. (newsday.com; thenewhumanitarian.org) Hemedti, meanwhile, was reported to have been in Nairobi in early April for talks with United Nations envoy Pekka Haavisto. Kenya’s role has drawn scrutiny because Sudan’s government has accused Nairobi of giving political space to the Rapid Support Forces, while the UN says it is still trying to broker de-escalation with both sides. (sudantribune.com; un.org; nation.africa) Relief officials say the crisis is also being shaped by dwindling outside attention. The UN’s emergency relief chief said on April 14 that Sudan remains the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, even as funding falls short and access to many front-line areas remains restricted. (ungeneva.org) UNICEF’s 2026 appeal says 33.7 million people in Sudan, including 17.3 million children, need lifesaving support, and more than 21 million people face acute food insecurity. Three years into the war, the front lines are shifting, but the basic pattern has held: more civilians uprooted, more children going hungry, and no settlement yet that either side appears ready to accept. (unicef.org)