Two years of war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have created a humanitarian disaster. The country is coping with mass displacement, famine, and war crimes against its civilians.
The war in Sudan has forced 13 million people to leave their homes. Out of these, 8.6 million are still inside Sudan, and 3.8 million have become refugees, said Abdourahouf Gnon-Konde from the UN refugee agency in an interview with AFP. According to conservative estimates, at least 150,000 people have been killed.
The war started on April 15, 2023. Since then, tens of thousands have died. Some parts of Sudan are facing famine, and the country is now divided between armed groups.
Even though the Sudan war is very deadly, the world is paying more attention to other wars like Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas.
As the war’s second anniversary comes, the situation in Darfur has become worse. Last week, RSF fighters attacked El-Fasher, the last major city in the region still under army control.
The attack started on Thursday and went on until Sunday morning. RSF also attacked nearby camps for displaced people, including Zamzam and Abou Shouk. Both camps are already suffering from famine.
The UN said, based on “credible sources,” that more than 400 people died in this new wave of violence.
RSF claimed it captured the Zamzam camp on Sunday. After that, about 400,000 people had to leave the camp, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
Doctors Without Borders said 10,000 people ran to Tawila, a place 70 km west of El-Fasher, in just 48 hours to escape the attack. The people, mostly women and children, were weak, dehydrated, and shared stories of terrible violence.
The RSF increased its attacks on El-Fasher after the army took back control of Khartoum, which is 1,000 km away in the east.
Now the war has split Sudan in two: the army controls the north and east, while the RSF controls most of Darfur and parts of the south.
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, called the war “the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time.” She spoke about the destruction, hunger, and sexual violence happening in the country.
She said whole areas are destroyed, families are running for their lives, and women and children are facing terrible violence.
Her statement came before an international conference in London on Tuesday to discuss Sudan’s crisis.
Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said Sudanese people are “trapped in a nightmare of death and destruction” after two years of fighting.
The UN Fact-Finding Mission warned that “the darkest chapters of this conflict have yet to unfold” as ethnic violence is increasing.
As the war enters its third year, Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the UN mission, said the world must think about Sudan’s tragedy and remember the people who have died or lost everything. Countries such as the US and Saudi Arabia are regularly asking to reach to a peace deal by negotiating.
