Sudan has entered a fourth year of devastating conflict, a milestone marked not by a path toward peace, but by what United Nations officials are now calling an “abandoned crisis.” As the world’s attention shifts toward escalating tensions in the Middle East, the war between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has evolved into the world’s largest humanitarian challenge, characterized by mass displacement, systemic hunger, and reports of genocide.
The scale of the collapse is staggering. At least 59,000 people have been killed, although more than 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes. For those who remain, the war has dismantled the basic foundations of survival. Approximately 34 million people—nearly two-thirds of the population—now require urgent assistance, while the healthcare system has largely buckled, with only 63% of health facilities remaining partially or fully functional according to the World Health Organization.
The crisis is no longer just a matter of active combat but a race against starvation. Parts of the country have already slid into famine, and experts from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned in February that the number of people suffering from severe acute malnutrition is expected to climb to 800,000.
“This grim and chastening anniversary marks another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan,” U.N. Humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said, highlighting a growing sense of international indifference.
The Anatomy of an ‘Abandoned Crisis’
The term “abandoned” is a deliberate choice by those on the ground. Denise Brown, the top U.N. Official in Sudan, recently urged the international community to stop referring to the situation as a “forgotten” crisis and instead recognize it as an abandoned one, criticizing the failure to prioritize a diplomatic end to the fighting.
The human cost is most visible in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. At a local center for malnourished children, the intake of severely ill infants has doubled since the war began, now averaging 60 children per week. In a facility with only 16 beds, children are often forced to share mattresses. Dr. Osman Karrar, a physician at the center, described a desperate environment where babies are fed through nasal tubes, stating, “I don’t know what will happen in the coming days.”
Compounding this misery is a sharp economic spike. Fuel prices in Sudan have surged by more than 24%, driven by the ripple effects of the Iran war on global shipping. This has created a lethal feedback loop, driving up the cost of food at a time when the population is already facing famine.
A Nation Divided by Power and Geography
The conflict is the result of a collapsed power-sharing agreement following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir. What began as a transition toward democracy devolved into a violent struggle for supremacy between Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military and the ruling sovereign council, and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the RSF.
Today, Sudan is effectively two different states. The military maintains a grip on the north, east, and central regions, including the critical Red Sea ports and oil refineries. The RSF and its allies control much of the Darfur region and parts of Kordofan along the South Sudan border—areas rich in gold mines and oil fields.
| Controlling Entity | Primary Territories | Key Assets Controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Sudanese Military (SAF) | North, East, Central (Khartoum) | Red Sea Ports, Oil Refineries, Pipelines |
| Rapid Support Forces (RSF) | Darfur, Kordofan | Gold Mines, Western Oil Fields |
Atrocities and the Shadow of Genocide
The violence has been most acute in Darfur, a region that became a global symbol of genocide two decades ago. The current war has seen a resurgence of those horrors. In October, the RSF rampaged through the Darfur outpost of el-Fasher, where the United Nations reports at least 6,000 people died in just three days. U.N.-backed experts concluded that this specific offensive bore “the defining characteristics of genocide.”
The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed, Arab militias notorious for atrocities in the early 2000s. Current reporting indicates a pattern of mass killings and rampant sexual violence, including gang rapes. The International Criminal Court is currently investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur. The toll on the medical community has similarly been severe, with the WHO reporting that more than 2,000 people—including hospitals, ambulances, and medical workers—have been killed in targeted attacks.
Foreign Interference and Diplomatic Deadlock
While the fighting is internal, the fuel is often external. Regional powers have been accused of backing opposing sides to secure their own interests. Egypt continues to support the Sudanese military, while the United Arab Emirates has been accused by U.N. Experts and rights groups of providing arms to the RSF, though the UAE has rejected these claims.
Further complicating the landscape is evidence of logistical support from other neighbors. The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab recently reported that the RSF had received military support via a base in Ethiopia. Josef Tucker, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, warned that the conflict risks spilling over Sudan’s borders, which would make the crisis even more intractable.
Diplomatic efforts have largely stalled. A recent conference in Berlin, hosted by Germany to rally donors and promote a ceasefire, was slammed by the government in Khartoum as “unacceptable” interference, claiming the German government failed to consult Sudan before convening the meeting.
Even the “victories” are bittersweet. In early 2025, the military seized control of Khartoum and other urban centers, allowing roughly 4 million people to return home. Although, these returnees find a landscape of ruined infrastructure and ghost towns. Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of Mercy Corps, noted that What we have is not a return to normalcy, but rather a struggle to “survive amid a new normal.”
The immediate future of Sudan remains tethered to the willingness of the international community to move beyond the “abandoned” status of the crisis. The next critical checkpoint will be the outcome of the humanitarian funding appeals following the Berlin conference and whether the International Criminal Court can establish a viable mechanism for accountability in Darfur.
If you or a loved one have been affected by the conflict in Sudan, support is available through the UNHCR and international mental health resources.
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