Experts claim that the conflict is becoming more intense due to both domestic and foreign actors, endangering the nation’s youth demographic as a whole.
With nearly 20,000 people killed in the civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since last April, Sudan is currently experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory.
The battle has received minimal coverage from mainstream media despite the startling death toll and displacement statistics, prompting many to refer to it as the world’s “forgotten war.”
According to Dr. Ensar Kucukaltan, General Coordinator of the Africa Coordination and Training Center (AKEM), 16 million people were already in dire need of humanitarian aid before to the conflict starting to increase in 2023, and the civil war has only made matters worse.
Speaking to TRT World, Kucukaltan said “12 million have been displaced, with 10 million still within the country, which according to United Nations data represents the largest internal displacement rate in the world.”
“Of the remainder, between 600,000 and 700,000 have been forcibly relocated to Chad. These are all extremely important people,” he continued.
“The worst hunger crisis in history”
Sudan’s food security has reached a critical tipping point more than 16 months into the war, with over 26.6 million people—roughly 54% of the country’s population—facing severe hunger.
Food shortages have gotten worse as a result of the violence, which has destroyed essential food infrastructure and damaged agricultural output, wrecking local economies.
The humanitarian response has received far less funding than anticipated; barely 5% of the $2.7 billion required by 2024 has been raised.
Before an entire generation is decimated, senior UN officials have already forewarned the Security Council and demanded an immediate end to hostilities.
“We are here today to warn you of a far-reaching and fast-deteriorating situation of food insecurity in Sudan,” stated Edem Wosornu, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Director of Operations and Advocacy.
In March, she reported on “many more horrors,” including claims of mass graves, gang rapes, remarkably indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issuing a warning that some of the acts may be considered war crimes.
Sudan is among the nations most impacted by the climate crisis, which exacerbates the situation since 80 percent of working-age Sudanese people depend on pastoralism and agriculture for a living.
The UN Security Council was informed by Wosornu that “Sudan is on course to become the world’s worst hunger crisis.”
destroying the healthcare system
Seventy percent of Sudan’s healthcare system is now dysfunctional due to the extreme pressure caused by the war. Because of this collapse, even treatable illnesses could spread rapidly and become lethal epidemics, particularly in susceptible populations like children.
Meanwhile, the steady influx of casualties has swamped the few functioning facilities in the country, depriving many of access to critical medical care.
“This crisis has caused a surge in additional health issues,” Kucukaltan stated, citing the measles outbreak that has afflicted over 1,000 children and the 12,000 documented cases of cholera that have killed about 300 people.
Over 10,000 schools are still closed, depriving millions of youngsters of an education. This is a catastrophic blow to the nation’s future, one that might set back an entire generation and severely impair the chances of recovery and growth for the nation in the years to follow.
As Kucukaltan puts it,”unfortunately, since Sudan does not receive much media attention, despite having experienced a similar situation to Gaza and Libya, these needs remain unaddressed on the international stage.”
How it began
Tensions between General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s Sudanese army and General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (Hemeti) caused the most recent conflict in Sudan to break out in April 2023.
After Omar al Bashir was overthrown in a coup in 2019, both leaders—who had previously been allies—became divided over power-sharing, specifically on the RSF’s integration into the army as part of Sudan’s shift to civilian rule.
There was a great deal of fighting after attempts to mediate a settlement failed, particularly in the Darfur region and the capital city of Khartoum.
“As a result of this power struggle, a severe humanitarian crisis is currently unfolding, particularly in Darfur, and many of Sudan’s previously secure regions are now experiencing conditions akin to civil war, revealing that the once-safe areas are no longer secure havens,” Kucukaltan added.
He also mentioned the multiple worldwide links that both of these groups have.
According to Sudanese and regional diplomatic sources, Sudan’s RSF Rapid has been receiving missiles from the Russian mercenary outfit Wagner to help them in their conflict with the nation’s army.
There are rumors that Wagner, which has operated in a number of countries, including Mali and Libya, is also present in Sudan. Kucukaltan stated, “There are rumors that these organizations are impacted by numerous infrastructural and mining agreements with various foreign businesses.
The sources stated that in their power battle against al Burhan, Sudan’s military dictator and head of the armed forces, Daglo and the RSF paramilitary fighters had benefited immensely from surface-to-air missiles.
Kucukaltan stated that as a result, it is clear that the larger region of Upper East Africa—which includes Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and even Somalia—is dealing with a web of interconnected internal conflicts.
He makes the argument that when nations are competing, internal conflict in one can provide competitors an advantage.
“Consequently, both regional and global external forces are exacerbating Sudan’s civil war.”
