Sudan crisis deepens

Three years after Sudan’s war began, Washington imposed new sanctions and called for a humanitarian truce as the conflict spread hunger and displacement across the region. (state.gov) The U.S. State Department said on April 17 that the administration sanctioned five people and entities tied to the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Treasury said the targets were part of a recruitment network that helped fuel the fighting. (state.gov) (home.treasury.gov) State said more than 150,000 people have been killed since April 2023, more than 14 million displaced, and famine conditions are still reported in conflict-affected areas. The department called Sudan “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis” and urged both sides to pause fighting to let aid move. (state.gov) United Nations agencies describe the emergency in similar terms. The U.N. refugee agency says the war has created the world’s largest displacement, humanitarian and protection crisis, while the U.N. aid office says 33.7 million people in Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2026. (unhcr.org) (unocha.org) The fallout is now hitting South Sudan, one of Sudan’s neighbors and a major refuge route for people fleeing the war. U.N. officials told the Security Council on April 17 that rising violence, hunger, disease and political turmoil there are colliding with budget cuts that are limiting the peacekeeping mission’s ability to protect civilians. (news.un.org) Those officials said violence has intensified around Nasir and Ulang in Upper Nile State, while political tensions have sharpened after the detention of First Vice President Riek Machar. They warned that cuts are forcing the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to reduce its footprint just as protection needs rise. (news.un.org) The U.N. has been warning for months that the mission is being squeezed. In February, officials said funding cuts were already weakening patrols and civilian protection, and in April the U.N. said peacekeeping operations globally were under strain from financial shortfalls and growing security risks. (news.un.org 1) (news.un.org 2) Humanitarian conditions inside South Sudan are also worsening. OCHA said this month that nearly 300,000 people have been displaced in Jonglei State and nearby areas, and 1.35 million people lost access to healthcare after 26 health facilities were destroyed or looted. (unocha.org) Inside Sudan, the scale of need keeps climbing. OCHA says more than 9 million people are displaced inside the country, making it the world’s largest internal displacement crisis, and the World Food Programme says more than 11.5 million people have been forced from their homes overall. (unocha.org) (wfp.org) The immediate question is whether pressure from sanctions and calls for a truce can open aid routes before the war’s fourth year begins. So far, U.S. and U.N. statements show the fighting is still driving instability on both sides of the Sudan-South Sudan border. (state.gov) (news.un.org)