To Remember Sudan: The Human Crisis Beneath the Headlines

Displaced families gather in a temporary camp as conflict forces millions across Sudan to flee their homes. UNHCR reports that Sudan now faces the world’s largest displacement crisis, with civilians bearing the weight of a war they did not choose.

Photograph by Ala Kheir, UNHCR.

Sudan is living through one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today, yet most people only see fragments of the story: a hashtag, a short video, or a distant headline. What is missing is a clear and human explanation of why this war began, how it escalated, and what civilians are experiencing right now. The crisis did not appear suddenly. Its roots lie in years of political upheaval, economic decline, and violent competition for power.

In 2018, after decades of corruption and repression under Omar al-Bashir, young Sudanese people led nationwide demonstrations that brought down a 30-year dictatorship. A transitional government that combined civilian leaders with the military promised a path toward democracy. Beneath this fragile arrangement, two armed institutions — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — operated amid growing rivalry. The RSF, formed initially from the Janjaweed militias responsible for atrocities in Darfur, had grown into a powerful paramilitary and economic empire with foreign backers and control over gold mines. Attempts to integrate the RSF into the military created deep hostility. After the SAF staged a coup in 2021, the transition collapsed, and by early 2023, Sudan was being run by two competing armies, each seeking dominance over political and economic life.

On April 15, 2023, their rivalry erupted into a full-scale war. Fighting swept through Khartoum, a city of five million people. Tanks and artillery fire tore through neighbourhoods where people had lived ordinary lives. Hospitals shut down, banks closed, and thousands fled on foot. Within days, nearly 70 percent of Sudan’s health facilities stopped functioning¹. Markets and factories were looted or destroyed. Entire families crossed to safer states such as the River Nile, Kassala, and White Nile, or fled toward South Sudan, Chad, and Egypt. It was the first time in Sudan’s history that a war unfolded directly in its capital, and the consequences were immediate and devastating.

Newly arrived Sudanese refugees near the border in Adre, Chad. More than 2 million people have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since April 2023.

Photograph by Ying Hu, UNHCR.

The humanitarian fallout has grown into a global-scale catastrophe. More than 64 percent of Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian assistance², making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in terms of the number of people in need. Over 14.6 million people are displaced³, creating the largest displacement crisis anywhere in the world. Hunger has reached staggering levels. More than 750,000 people face catastrophic food insecurity⁴, and millions more are at risk of famine. Children make up a large portion of those affected. Seventeen million are out of school⁵, leaving an entire generation without education, stability, or safety. Humanitarian workers describe convoys being attacked, medical warehouses being looted, and aid deliveries being blocked by armed groups⁶. Funding has sharply declined as global attention shifts elsewhere, even though Sudan’s needs continue to rise.

Behind the violence is a struggle for wealth and political power. Analysts describe Sudan’s system as a form of military kleptocracy⁷ in which armed actors compete for control over profitable industries, foreign alliances, and state resources. The RSF built a private financial empire and developed links with Gulf states. The SAF controls state institutions and major military-owned companies. The war is not senseless chaos. It is a calculated contest over economic dominance, territory, and political survival.

Objects consistent with human bodies near el-Fasher on Monday, October 27th, 2025

Photograph by Airbus DS - HRL

The scale of Sudan’s collapse is visible even from space. A 2024 study using satellite data showed that nitrogen dioxide emissions, which act as a proxy for economic activity, fell by up to 40 percent in Khartoum during the first week of the war⁸. Nighttime satellite imagery revealed entire regions of the capital and major industrial zones going dark as factories closed, electricity failed, and movement ceased. Food prices surged by 40 to 60 percent⁹, trade routes were disrupted, and supply chains broke down across the country. Farmers could not plant, traders could not transport goods, and markets ran out of basic items. The economy, already weakened by years of mismanagement, entered near-total paralysis.

Sudan’s children and young people have been hit particularly hard. Even before the war, the education system was struggling due to years of political instability. Since April 2023, the collapse has been overwhelming. Schools have been bombed, looted, or turned into bases¹⁰. Teachers have gone unpaid for long periods. Millions of children now spend their days in displacement camps or are pushed into work, early marriage, or recruitment by armed groups. Researchers warn of a profound generational trauma that will shape Sudan’s future long after the war ends¹¹.

Despite the enormity of the crisis, Sudan remains absent mainly from global news cycles. Restricted media access, competing global conflicts, donor fatigue, and logistical barriers have pushed Sudan out of the international spotlight. The suffering is no less real simply because fewer cameras are present. Civilians continue to endure ethnic cleansing in Darfur¹², starvation in areas under siege, widespread sexual violence, and mass displacement across deserts and borders³.

The world cannot allow Sudan’s catastrophe to be forgotten. Bearing witness is not passive. It is an act of solidarity. Sharing verified information, amplifying Sudanese voices, supporting credible humanitarian organizations, and refusing to let this crisis fade into silence all matter. Sudanese civilians are fighting not only for survival but also for dignity, memory, and the possibility of a future. The least we can do is ensure that their suffering is seen, understood, and not ignored.

Footnotes

¹ UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (2023–2025). Sudan: Situation reports. https://reports.unocha.org

² International Rescue Committee. (2024). Crisis in Sudan: What is happening and how to help. https://www.rescue.org

³ UNHCR. (2024). Sudan situation data portal. https://data.unhcr.org

⁴ Bruck, T., Chiwara, R., & Mwisongo, A. (2025). The humanitarian crisis in Sudan: The devastating effects of decreased aid. Medicine, Conflict and Survival.

⁵ Muna, M., Abbas, R., & Ibrahim, A. (2024). Navigating Sudan’s education system through turmoil and conflict. International Journal of Educational Development.

⁶ Amnesty International. (2024). Sudan 2024 country report: Human rights violations. https://www.amnesty.org

⁷ Human Rights Watch. (2025). Sudan. In World report 2025. https://www.hrw.org

⁸ Abushama, H., Siddig, K., Kirui, O. K., Abay, K., & You, L. (2024). Monitoring indicators of economic activities in Sudan amidst ongoing conflict using satellite data. Defence and Peace Economics, 35(8), 992–1008.

⁹ World Food Programme data summarized in Abushama et al., 2024.

¹⁰ Operation Broken Silence. (2024). Sudan crisis guide. https://operationbrokensilence.org

¹¹ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2024). Sudan: Country profile. https://www.ohchr.org

¹² Human Rights Foundation. (2024). Sudan human rights violations database. https://hrf.org