The deadly fighting that broke out on April 15, 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its former allies, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has left nearly 34 million people (a staggering 65 percent of the population) in urgent need of humanitarian support.
Millions forced to flee
Some 14 million have been displaced, nine million are seeking safety in other parts of the country and 4.4 million are crossing the border. to countries like Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
Nations like these are now “at breaking point,” according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Although nearly four million people have begun returning to their communities, “they are encountering broken water systems, destruction and a lack of basic shelter and health care,” said Zoe Brennan of IOM, the United Nations migration agency, speaking to reporters in Geneva.
“There is no end in sight”
The crisis in Sudan “continues to deepen with no end in sight,” a senior World Food Program (WFP) official said at the same briefing.
“Are Two years of famine in some parts of the country.and this is simply unacceptable in these times,” said Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, speaking from Rome.
“Millions of Sudanese are caught in a daily struggle to ensure food security and basic dignity. Families have exhausted all survival mechanisms. “Parents skip meals so the children can eat and the children go hungry.”
The impacts of war in the Middle East
Famine has been confirmed in Darfur and the Kordofans, where fighting is most intense, but the overall crisis in Sudan “is being dangerously aggravated by broader global instability and the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East,” he said.
Iran’s war has disrupted sea routes, driving up the costs of food, fuel and fertilizer, commodities that Sudan imports and relies heavily on.
“Fuel prices have already risen more than 24 percent on average. In some remote areas, much more than that. “This will have a domino effect on all prices of all basic and food products, pushing more people into hunger,” he warned.
war against women
Another battle is being fought within the armed conflict in Sudan, according to the UN gender equality agency, UN Women.
“As we enter the fourth year of war in Sudan, it is important that we are clear about what this means for women and girls, because ultimately this is a war against them,” said Anna Mutavati, Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, from Berlin.
UN Women has published a report estimating that 12.7 million people – mainly women and girls – need support related to sexual and gender-based violence, up from 3.1 million in 2023.
Ms. Mutavati stated that “widespread killings, mass displacement and, most clearly, the use of sexual violence… are integrated into Sudan’s war plan.”
Displaced Sudanese children in a temporary shelter.
Dark days for children
Meanwhile, “The reality for children in Sudan becomes darker hour by hour.”said Eva Hinds, head of communications for children’s rights agency UNICEF.
More than 4,300 people have been killed or maimed since the war began.and more than 5,700 serious violations against children have been registered.
Sudan’s youngest citizens bear the brunt of a war in which drone strikes are responsible for 80 percent of all child killings and injuries.
In the first three months of the year, at least 245 such victims were recorded, the majority in Darfur and Kordofan, which represents a sharp increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Drones deepen suffering
Away from the battlefield, “drones are killing and injuring children in their homes, in markets, on roads, near schools and health centers – all places that should never be targets,” he said.
UN figures show that almost 700 civilians were supposedly murdered in drone attacks during the first three months of this year.
In addition to harming civilians, drones and other new technologies are “destroying vital infrastructure, as well as disrupting humanitarian work,” added James Reynolds, deputy regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Africa.
He said that between 70 and 80 percent of health infrastructure in conflict zones is not operational or lacks resources and that many communications networks have been destroyed.
Diplomatic efforts, appeal for help
As the war continues, UN Secretary-General António Guterres continues to reiterate his long-standing call for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access and safe passage for people wishing to flee their homes.
His Personal Envoy, Pekka Haavisto, is moving forward on the diplomatic front and was in Kenya last week and had productive engagements with Sudanese armed groups, civilian political actors and others.
He will attend the Berlin conference, as will UN humanitarian chief Mr Fletcher, who ended his statement by highlighting the need for greater support to deliver life-saving aid to Sudan.
Humanitarian agencies aim to help 20 million people this year, up from 17 million in 2025, but their nearly $3 billion plan remains underfunded.
He called for action now “to stop violence, protect civilians, ensure access to communities most at risk, and fund response.”