The war in Sudan has entered its fourth year with no ceasefire in sight. Roughly 14 million people have been displaced and 29 million face acute hunger, making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Why it matters
While global attention focuses on the Middle East, Sudan’s civilian population is starving. The UN’s top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, called it an “abandoned crisis.” Children are being sent to work. Families survive on one meal a day or less. The international community’s response has been minimal.
The scale of suffering
More than 80% of displaced families are skipping meals to survive. In Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad, 74% of households report no income whatsoever. An estimated 18% of families have been forced to send their children to work.
Four million people have fled to neighbouring countries since the war began in April 2023. Chad has become the primary host, sheltering more than 1.3 million refugees. South Sudan has absorbed over one million, despite its own severe humanitarian crisis.
A funding failure
The UN’s $2.8 billion appeal for 2026 is just 16% funded. As needs grow, funding is declining. Aid agencies warn they are being forced to cut rations and close feeding centres at the worst possible time.
The Norwegian Refugee Council reported that livelihoods have collapsed across the region. Farmers cannot plant. Markets have shut. The economic destruction means that even if fighting stopped tomorrow, recovery would take years.
No accountability
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces stand accused of targeting civilians, blocking aid convoys, and using starvation as a weapon of war. Neither side has faced meaningful international consequences. The UN Security Council has failed to agree on substantive action.
This is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made catastrophe driven by two military factions fighting for control of a country while its people die. The world’s silence is a choice.