CAIRO — As Sudan marks the beginning of its fourth year of devastating civil war on Wednesday, United Nations officials are condemning what they describe as an “abandoned crisis” that has received diminishing international attention while other Middle East conflicts dominate headlines.
The ongoing battle between Sudan’s military forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has created what experts call the world’s most severe humanitarian disaster, forcing 13 million citizens from their homes and leaving entire regions of the expansive Darfur area in ruins.
Intelligence reports indicate that regional powers, particularly the United Arab Emirates, are secretly providing support to various fighting factions. Diplomatic efforts led by the United States and other regional authorities have repeatedly failed to broker any meaningful ceasefire, with many now distracted by the broader Iran conflict.
“This grim and chastening anniversary marks another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan,” declared Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official.
The death toll has reached at least 59,000 people, including approximately 6,000 who perished during a brutal three-day assault by RSF forces on the Darfur town of el-Fasher last October. UN-supported investigators determined that this particular attack displayed “the defining characteristics of genocide.”
Widespread starvation has gripped multiple areas of Sudan due to the prolonged conflict. Food security specialists from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned in February that severe acute malnutrition cases could surge to 800,000 individuals.
According to UN statistics, roughly 34 million Sudanese citizens—nearly two-thirds of the entire population—require immediate humanitarian aid. The World Health Organization reports that only 63% of medical facilities continue operating at full or partial capacity while disease outbreaks, including cholera, spread throughout affected areas.
Recent developments have worsened the situation as fuel costs have jumped more than 24% due to the Iran war’s impact on international shipping routes, subsequently driving food prices even higher.
“A plea from me: Please don’t call this the forgotten crisis. I’m referring to this as an abandoned crisis,” stated Denise Brown, the UN’s senior representative in Sudan, during Monday remarks criticizing the global community’s failure to prioritize ending the violence.
The current warfare stems from a power dispute that developed during Sudan’s attempted democratic transition following mass protests that led to the military removal of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
Conflict erupted between military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, who heads the ruling sovereign council, and RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who previously served as Burhan’s second-in-command.
The nation now exists as two separate entities: a military-supported, internationally recognized government based in the capital city of Khartoum, and a competing RSF-controlled administration operating from Darfur.
“Neither side can achieve a decisive victory,” observed Shamel Elnoor, a Sudanese journalist and researcher, noting that citizens “have become powerless and are subjected to foreign dictates.”
Military forces maintain authority over northern, eastern, and central territories, including Sudan’s Red Sea shipping facilities and its petroleum processing plants and distribution networks. The RSF and their allies dominate Darfur and sections of the Kordofan region bordering South Sudan, areas containing significant oil deposits and gold mining operations.
Egypt provides backing to Sudan’s military leadership, while UN investigators and human rights organizations accuse the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF. UAE officials have denied these allegations.
Researchers from Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, who monitor the conflict using satellite technology, reported this month that RSF forces had received military assistance from an Ethiopian base. RSF representatives declined to address this claim.
Josef Tucker, a senior analyst specializing in Horn of Africa affairs at the International Crisis Group, warned The Associated Press that the war might expand beyond Sudan’s borders, potentially making the situation “even more intractable.”
Three years of combat have produced widespread human rights violations, including mass executions and extensive sexual violence such as gang assaults.
Medical facilities, emergency vehicles, and healthcare personnel have faced targeted attacks throughout Sudan, resulting in over 2,000 deaths according to WHO documentation.
The International Criminal Court has announced investigations into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly focusing on Darfur, a region that gained international notoriety two decades ago for genocide and systematic atrocities.
Most recent violations have been attributed to RSF forces and their Janjaweed partners, Arab militia groups infamous for committing atrocities against East and Central African populations in Darfur during the early 2000s. The RSF organization evolved from these Janjaweed militias.
“We have … no reason at all to believe it will stop the mass atrocities that we saw in el-Fasher,” Brown warned.
Military control of Khartoum and other urban centers in central Sudan during early 2025 enabled approximately 4 million displaced persons to return home, according to the UN migration agency’s March report. However, these returnees face significant challenges including damaged infrastructure and other obstacles.
“It’s not really a return to normal. It is trying to survive amidst a new normal,” explained Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, chief executive of humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.
