Sudan, located in northeastern Africa, is one of the continent’s largest nations, covering approximately 1.9 million square kilometers (734,000 square miles). With a population of about 46 million people—predominantly Muslim—the country recognizes Arabic and English as its official languages.

Even before the current war erupted, Sudan was among the world’s poorest countries. In 2022, the average annual income per person stood at just $750 (approximately £600). The conflict has exacerbated this already dire situation.

The violence that broke out on April 15, 2023, is the result of long-standing disputes over security and military reforms, unresolved issues of accountability for security forces, the failure to reform the security sector, and severe restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The root of the current conflict lies in a struggle for power between Sudan’s military leaders. After the 2021 coup, a transitional council made up of generals assumed control of the country. At the forefront were two key figures:

• General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the de facto head of state.
• General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Their disagreement centered on the future of Sudan’s transition to civilian rule—particularly the proposed integration of the RSF, estimated at 100,000 troops, into the national army, and the question of who would command the newly unified forces. Observers believe that both generals were motivated by a desire to preserve their positions, power, and access to economic resources.

Tensions culminated in violence when the RSF redeployed forces throughout the country—moves that were interpreted by the army as provocative and threatening. Armed clashes began on April 15, 2023, dashing any hopes for peaceful negotiation, as no real dialogue had been established to de-escalate the crisis.

The consequences for civilians have been devastating. As Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, stated:“Civilians throughout Sudan are suffering unimaginable horror.”

These atrocities highlight not only the immense human cost of the conflict but also the urgent need for international attention, humanitarian intervention, and accountability for violations of international law.

Widespread War Crimes

Both SAF and RSF have been implicated in war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing, systematic abductions, extrajudicial killings, and mass rape. The UN has accused the RSF of using sexual violence, looting, and murder in its territories, while condemning the Sudanese Armed Forces for aerial bombardments affecting civilian areas .

Indiscriminate Attacks and Civilian Devastation

Civilians of all ages have been caught in relentless crossfire as both warring parties continue to launch attacks in heavily populated residential areas. The widespread use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects has resulted in catastrophic harm to non-combatants.

The Sudanese Armed Forces have been accused of conducting indiscriminate aerial bombardments, including a reported airstrike on a crowded marketplace in Darfur that allegedly killed more than 100 civilians. These strikes, often launched without regard for civilian safety, have devastated entire communities.

Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias have waged what has been described by rights groups as a systematic campaign of terror. This includes mass killings, widespread sexual violence, abductions, the looting of humanitarian aid, and the military occupation of hospitals and clinics, all of which constitute serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates over 61,000 deaths in Khartoum state alone, including 26,000 direct killings; elsewhere, fatalities stem mainly from starvation and preventable disease .

Mass Displacement

As of now, nearly 13 million people have been forcibly displaced within and beyond Sudan due to the ongoing conflict. Among them, approximately 4 million individuals have crossed international borders into neighboring countries such as Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Libya, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and Uganda. As the conflict enters its second year, displacement levels continue to rise, with over one million people fleeing the country during this period alone.

Newly arrived refugees report systematic human rights violations, including sexual violence and exposure to horrific massacres. Children account for nearly half of the displaced population, with thousands having been separated from their families or forced to flee alone.

Sudan has now become the largest source of refugees on the African continent, surpassing all other nations in terms of the number of people escaping violence and devastation.

Massacres and Ethnic Cleansing in the Darfur Region

Multiple reports have confirmed waves of violence against civilians in West Darfur, particularly in the city of El Geneina. In the last week of April 2023, at least 1,100 people were killed due to ethnically driven clashes. On June 20, the Dar Masalit Sultanate reported that over 5,000 people had been killed and around 8,000 injured in the city by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and affiliated Arab militias. By July 22, a Masalit tribal leader claimed that the death toll in West Darfur had exceeded 10,000, with 80% of El Geneina’s population displaced from their homes.

Massacres were also documented in towns such as Tawila and Misterei, and a mass grave containing 87 bodies was discovered in El Geneina, believed to be victims of recent clashes. The UK government, along with eyewitnesses and international observers, described the violence as amounting to ethnic cleansing, or even genocide, with non-Arab communities like the Masalit being the primary targets.

Since August 2023, mounting evidence suggests that the RSF has been conducting a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, have both issued warnings about the potential escalation into full-scale genocide.

In October, the organization Genocide Watch issued an alert on the situation in Sudan, describing the atrocities committed by the RSF against the Masalit people as genocide. This view is shared by American academic Eric Reeves, a long-time analyst of Sudanese human rights, and by The Economist magazine. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, strongly condemned the killing of over a thousand people in Ardamata, urging immediate international action to prevent further atrocities.

Mujeeb Al-Rahman Yaqoub, assistant refugee commissioner in West Darfur, described the current violence as worse than the 2003 Darfur war and even the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The Impact on Children and the Health Crisis in Sudan

The war in Sudan has had a devastating impact on children, particularly those living in refugee camps. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO), numerous children have died in nine refugee camps in Sudan’s White Nile State. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stated that these deaths were entirely preventable, emphasizing that the international community has “the means and the money” to save lives. He called urgently for an end to the fighting and for increased funding to support Sudan’s humanitarian response. As of late 2023, the UN’s Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 30% funded.

The country is also facing severe disease outbreaks. From mid-May to mid-September, UNHCR reported over 3,100 suspected measles cases and more than 500 suspected cholera cases, in addition to dengue and malaria outbreaks. UNHCR’s Chief of Public Health, Dr. Allen Maina, described the health system as being brought “to its knees.”

WHO reports that 11 million people in Sudan require health assistance, including 3.4 million acutely malnourished children under the age of five. The situation is further worsened by the collapse of medical infrastructure—up to 80% of hospitals in conflict zones are no longer functioning. WHO also confirmed 56 attacks on health facilities, personnel, and transport, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law.

The consequences for newborns are especially alarming. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that “many thousands of newborns” may die before the end of the year due to the collapse of health and nutrition services. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stressed that 333,000 children are expected to be born in Sudan between October and December, many of whom may face life-threatening conditions without proper medical support. Elder also expressed concern over reports of child recruitment into armed groups and highlighted the ongoing education crisis, with over 12 million children still unable to return to school.

Despite these dire circumstances, Sudanese public service workers continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience. Nurses, doctors, teachers, and social workers—many of whom have not been paid for months—remain committed to their work amid rampant inflation and ongoing conflict. As Elder stated, their dedication is admirable, but it cannot replace essential supplies or rebuild destroyed hospitals.

Famine and Escalating Food Insecurity

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has deepened into a catastrophic famine emergency, with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently warning that over 14 million children are in urgent need of life-saving aid. The organization also raised alarms about the growing risk of regional instability should the conflict continue to spread beyond Sudan’s borders.

Access to adequate nutrition has become nearly impossible for most Sudanese. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), fewer than one in 20 people can afford a full meal. Across the country, an estimated 18 million people are facing acute food insecurity, with five million on the brink of starvation. Ongoing violence, obstruction by warring parties, and a critical shortage of funding have severely limited the ability of humanitarian actors to respond to the crisis.

Even more troubling, 90% of those suffering from hunger are located in areas that remain largely inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. The WFP has issued an urgent appeal for a ceasefire and unimpeded access to affected communities to prevent further loss of life.

Looking ahead, WFP anticipates that an additional 2 to 2.5 million people will fall into acute hunger in the coming months if hostilities persist. The conflict, which erupted on 15 April 2023 between forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, continues to devastate livelihoods and obstruct essential relief efforts.

BBC News Arabic documented airstrikes and artillery assaults on functioning hospitals, targeting both workers and patients—clear violations under international humanitarian law  . Shockingly, 70–80% of healthcare facilities in conflict zones have been rendered inoperative, according to WHO and confirmed by satellite imagery  . A January 2025 drone strike on the Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital in El Fasher killed around 70 individuals  . The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) also reported 244 violent incidents targeting healthcare in 2024, including the deaths of 66 medical personnel .

Arbitrary Detentions & Enforced Disappearances

UN human rights investigators documented numerous arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and ill-treatment in secret detention sites run by both parties. As of mid‑2024, over 500 individuals—24 of them women—were reported missing, with most blame directed at the RSF .

By December 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) received nearly 7,700 separate requests to trace missing persons—a 66% increase over the previous year .

Sexual Violence as weapon of war

Sexual violence has become alarmingly widespread in Sudan and is systematically used as a tool to humiliate, dominate, forcibly displace, and terrorize civilian populations. It is a calculated tactic aimed at breaking communities and instilling fear. Current estimates indicate that 12.1 million women and girls—and an increasing number of men and boys—are at risk of such violence, marking a staggering 80% increase compared to 2024.

Hundreds of cases of rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriages—often racially motivated—have been documented, primarily perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias. According to reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, victims include girls as young as 12, with some detained for days under conditions resembling sexual slavery. Survivors have shared harrowing testimonies of fear of stigma and retaliation, which severely hinders their ability to access critical medical and psychosocial support.

Environmental effects

The war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15, 2023, resulting in extensive direct and indirect environmental damage that has affected both urban and rural populations. These impacts include increased deforestation, agricultural decline, pollution from damaged industrial and energy infrastructure, widespread power outages, and the deterioration of public health and sanitation systems.

The conflict has had the greatest impact on central and southwestern states. Although eastern regions such as the Red Sea State have seen limited armed clashes, the large influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has placed severe environmental pressure on these areas. Neighboring countries hosting significant numbers of Sudanese refugees have also experienced environmental strain due to the crisis.

Due to Sudan’s geographic proximity to the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea, the ongoing conflict poses a serious threat to regional stability and places additional pressure on climate-sensitive ecosystems and fragile environments in neighboring countries.

An aerial photograph captures thick plumes of smoke billowing from multiple locations across Khartoum and Omdurman, following intense clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Photo credit: Abd Almohimen Sayed

Cease the Fire, Let Reason Prevail

This conflict has unleashed a wave of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing—marked by sexual violence, forced displacement, healthcare collapse, and ethnically motivated killings. International legal obligations require collective action: urgent protection of civilians, full investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, restoration of humanitarian assistance, and support for survivors and displaced communities.

The UN has deemed this “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” with some 25 million Sudanese in need of food aid, yet humanitarian access remains dangerously constrained . Years of school closures, disease outbreaks (cholera, measles), and mass displacement compound the suffering .

As the war in Sudan rages on since April 15, 2023, the country is facing a devastating humanitarian and moral catastrophe. The suffering has surpassed the limits of endurance—affecting every home, every soul, and every corner of the nation, from Khartoum to Darfur, and from Al Gezira to the Red Sea.

Cities have turned into battlefields, farmlands into ashes, hospitals into ruins. Innocent civilians are dying in silence, millions have been forcibly displaced, and critical health and environmental systems are collapsing under the weight of relentless violence. In Al-Fashir and other cities, civilians are besieged and subjected to indiscriminate bombings, while the world watches in muted concern.

Therefore, from a place of shared humanity and moral duty, we issue this urgent appeal—to those in power, to international actors, humanitarian organizations, and to every living conscience across the globe:

Cease the fire. Let the voice of reason and compassion rise above the noise of war.

There is still time to save lives, to open safe humanitarian corridors, and to restore hope for those who have lost everything. Sudan does not need more destruction; it needs a just and lasting peace—one that restores dignity and protects every human being.

History will remember those who stood up for justice and humanity, just as it will condemn the silence of those who ignored the suffering. Let us raise the voice of conscience. Let us act for peace—now, before it is too late.