In brief
Sudan's civil war has led to widespread humanitarian crises, leaving millions displaced and on the edge of starvation, warns emergency relief leaders.
War-torn Sudan is facing a looming risk of becoming a failed state as civil society crumbles under the weight of increasing violence and factional clashes, according to Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In a recent BBC interview, Egeland highlighted the dire situation, pointing to the ongoing power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), alongside the emergence of various smaller militant groups wreaking havoc on civilians. "The parties are tearing down their own houses, they are massacring their own people," Egeland stated, underscoring the extensive misery endured by the population over the past 19 months of conflict. Estimates reveal that approximately 10 million individuals have been forced to abandon their homes as a result of the violence, pushing Sudan toward an overwhelming famine. The World Health Organization has recently reported that starvation is rampant throughout Sudan, with soup kitchens ceasing operations due to inadequate funding. Egeland emphasized that current aid efforts merely prolong suffering rather than provide genuine relief. “Most of Sudan is starving,” he asserted, adding that starvation is being weaponized within this civil conflict.As many as 2.5 million people could face death from hunger by the year's end if corrective measures are not implemented soon. Egeland criticized the international community for falling short in supporting Sudan, urging Europe to invest more heavily in humanitarian efforts to prevent an impending refugee crisis. Despite ongoing discussions, peace talks between the RSF and the army have yielded little progress. Egeland pointed out that the conflict would only cease if the warlords felt greater risks from continuing their assault than from pursuing peace. The humanitarian landscape is further complicated by concerns of ethnic cleansing and genocide, raising alarms among rights groups as the number of fatalities continues to rise. With this complex scenario, Sudan remains squarely in the spotlight, as experts warn that neglecting this crisis could yield devastating consequences for both the nation and the region at large.
