Sudan crisis worsens
The humanitarian emergency in Sudan intensified this week as NGOs report millions surviving on roughly one meal a day. One report estimates 61.7% of the population — about 28.9 million people — are acutely food insecure, and charities warn three babies are being born into the war every minute. UN officials say civilians face killing, displacement and widespread sexual violence, and former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok noted that civilian participation at Berlin talks is an important shift as donors prepare to gather there to try to revive peace talks and mobilise aid. (aljazeera.com) (jpost.com) (aljazeera.com) (news.un.org) (thenationalnews.com)
Millions of people in Sudan are now living on roughly one meal a day as the war enters its third year on April 15. (aljazeera.com) A joint report by Action Against Hunger, CARE International, the International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps and the Norwegian Refugee Council says 28.9 million people in Sudan are acutely food insecure, or 61.7 percent of the population. The report says more than 10 million of them face severe or extreme hunger. (reliefweb.int) The same report says families in North Darfur and South Kordofan are eating leaves and animal feed, while markets, farms and transport routes have been shattered by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. (actionagainsthunger.org.uk) Save the Children said on April 14 that about 5.6 million babies were born in Sudan between April 15, 2023 and April 15, 2026, which works out to more than 5,000 births a day, or at least three a minute. The charity said many mothers are giving birth in overcrowded shelters or clinics without electricity, equipment or enough trained staff. (savethechildren.org.au) United Nations officials said this month that Sudan has become the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 14 million people uprooted by war. United Nations human rights officials also said more than 500 victims of conflict-related sexual violence were identified in 2025 and 11,300 civilians were killed that year. (news.un.org) The war began on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo turned into open fighting in Khartoum. The conflict has since spread across Darfur, Kordofan and other regions, cutting aid routes and wrecking health services. (news.un.org) The Sudanese government has denied that famine exists, while the Rapid Support Forces have denied responsibility for hunger in areas they control. Aid groups and United Nations agencies say starvation, displacement and attacks on civilians are spreading as access for relief convoys remains blocked or dangerous. (newarab.com) (hrw.org) Diplomats and donors are due to meet in Berlin on April 15 for an international conference hosted by Germany with France, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union and the African Union. Former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said the inclusion of Sudanese civilians in that process marks a shift from earlier meetings in Paris and London, where civilian voices were largely absent. (thenationalnews.com) Human Rights Watch said the Berlin meeting falls on the third anniversary of the war and urged governments to pair aid pledges with concrete steps to protect civilians and press for accountability. For Sudanese families already down to one meal a day, the next test is whether the conference produces access, money and pressure fast enough to reach people still trapped by the fighting. (hrw.org)
