“This solemn and stark anniversary marks another year when the world has failed to hold Sudan to its test“United Nations emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said a statement from Berlin, where the international community will meet on Wednesday amid continuing efforts to end the war.
Nearly 34 million people were killed in the deadly fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and former ally Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April 2023 – A staggering 65 percent of the population – There is an urgent need for humanitarian aid.
Millions of people were forced to flee
Some? 14 million have been displaced, with 9 million seeking safety elsewhere in the country and 4.4 million crossing the border. In countries like Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
such nations are now “At breaking point,” According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, unhcr.
Zoe Brennan of the UN migration agency said even as nearly four million people have begun to return to their communities, “they are left with broken water systems, destruction and a lack of basic shelter and health care.” IOMSpeaking to journalists in Geneva.
‘There is no end in sight’
A senior official of the World Food Program (wfp) said in the same briefing.
“we are There was a two-year famine in some parts of the countryAnd that is absolutely unacceptable in this day and age,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s director of emergency preparedness and response, speaking from Rome.
“There are millions of Sudanese Caught in a daily struggle to secure food security, basic dignity. Families have exhausted all coping mechanisms. “Parents are skipping meals so kids can eat—and kids are going hungry.”
effects of middle east war
Famine has been confirmed in Darfur and Kordofans, where the fighting is most severe, but the overall crisis in Sudan is “dangerously escalating due to broader global instability and the recent increase in conflict in the Middle East,” he said.
The Iran war has disrupted shipping routes, increasing the cost of food, fuel and fertilizer – the main commodities that Sudan imports and heavily depends on.
“Fuel prices have already increased by an average of more than 24 percent. Even more so in some remote areas. “This will have a deep impact on the prices of all major commodities and food items, pushing more people towards hunger,” he warned.
war on women
Another battle has broken out within the armed conflict in Sudan, according to the UN gender equality agency. un women.
“As we enter the fourth year of the war in Sudan, it is important that we make clear what this means for women and girls, because ultimately, this is a war on them,” Anna Mutawati, regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, said from Berlin.
UN Women has issued a report Which estimates that 12.7 million people – mainly women and girls – will need assistance related to sexual and gender-based violence, rising to more than 3.1 million in 2023.
Ms. Mutawati said that “widespread killings, mass displacement, and most certainly the use of sexual violence…are embedded in Sudan’s war framework.”
Displaced Sudanese children in a temporary shelter..
dark days for children
During this time, “The reality for children in Sudan is getting darker by the hour“Eva Hinds, head of communications at the Children’s Rights Agency, said UNICEF.
More than 4,300 people have been killed or maimed since the war beganAnd more than 5,700 serious violations have been recorded against children.
Sudan’s youngest civilians are bearing the brunt of the war, with drone strikes responsible for 80 percent of child deaths and injuries.
At least 245 such deaths were recorded in the first three months of the year, mostly in Darfur and Kordofan, representing a sharp increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Drones are deepening the suffering
Far from the battlefield, “drones are killing and injuring girls and boys in their homes, in markets, on the streets, near schools and health facilities – all places that should never be targeted,” he said.
UN figures show that about 700 citizens were reportedly killed Drone attacks during the first three months of this year.
In addition to harming civilians, drones and other new technologies are “destroying critical infrastructure, as well as disrupting humanitarian operations,” said James Reynolds, deputy regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Africa.
He said about 70 to 80 percent of health infrastructure in conflict areas is non-operational or severely under-resourced and many communications networks have been destroyed.
Diplomatic efforts, appeal for help
As the war escalates, the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres They reiterated their long-standing calls for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access and safe passage for people seeking to flee their homes.
His personal envoy Pekka Haavisto is leading the way on the diplomatic front and was in Kenya last week and productive engagement with Sudanese armed groups, civilian political actors, and others.
He will attend the Berlin conference, along with Mr Fletcher, the UN humanitarian chief, who concluded his remarks by highlighting the need for more support to deliver life-saving assistance in Sudan.
Humanitarians aim to increase aid to 20 million people this year, up from 17 million in 2025, but their nearly $3 billion plan is seriously underfunded.
He called for action now Stop violence, protect civilians, ensure access to communities most at risk, and finance the response”
