Sudan enters fourth year
Sudan’s civil war has entered its fourth year, with officials warning the crisis is increasingly ‘abandoned’ even as fighting produces famine and mass displacement. NBC reported at least 59,000 deaths, while aid groups say tens of millions now need assistance as agriculture and services collapse (nbcnews.com). Ground reporting and analysis describe cities under siege, spreading famine and refugees detailing repeated trauma, underscoring the scale and human cost of the protracted conflict ( ).
Sudan’s war has entered a fourth year with no ceasefire, 14 million people displaced, and nearly 34 million now needing humanitarian aid. (ungeneva.org) The conflict began on April 15, 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. NBC reported this week that at least 59,000 people have been killed. (ungeneva.org) (nbcnews.com) United Nations officials said 9 million people are displaced inside Sudan and 4.4 million have crossed into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. The International Organization for Migration said the aid system is under increasing strain as needs rise across Sudan and the wider region. (news.un.org) (iom.int) The war has also become a hunger emergency. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 33.7 million people in Sudan will need assistance in 2026, and relief agencies said famine has already been confirmed in parts of the country. (unocha.org) (reliefweb.int) The health system has broken down alongside farming and trade. The World Health Organization said 21 million people now lack health services, while repeated attacks on clinics and hospitals have crippled care in conflict zones. (emro.who.int) The front lines have shifted, but the war has not ended. Al Jazeera reported that the army recaptured Khartoum State in May 2025 and later regained ground in Gezira, White Nile, North Kordofan and South Kordofan, but said the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces remain locked in a military impasse. (aljazeera.com) Abuse allegations now span both sides. The United Nations human rights office and the African Union’s fact-finding mission said this week that the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces and allied groups were responsible for killings, torture, arbitrary detention, shelling, airstrikes and drone attacks on populated areas. (ohchr.org) Women and girls have faced widespread sexual violence during the conflict. UN officials said more than 500 victims of sexual violence were identified in 2025 alone, and Just Security published accounts from refugees who described looting, beatings, hunger and repeated displacement before fleeing to South Sudan. (ungeneva.org) (justsecurity.org) Aid officials say money is not keeping pace with the emergency. OCHA’s 2026 response plan seeks $2.87 billion, but the tracking page showed about $488 million funded, or 17%, when it was last updated. (humanitarianaction.info) United Nations relief chief Tom Fletcher said this week that “we are letting the people of Sudan down.” Three years after the war began, the fighting is still spreading faster than the response. (ungeneva.org)
