Sudan: World Failing Sudan As War Enters a Fourth Year, UN Relief Chief Warns

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As Sudan enters the fourth year of a war that has shattered its economy and displaced millions, the UN's emergency relief chief has issued a stark warning: the world is failing the country. In a statement from Berlin, where international donors are set to gather, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said the upcoming anniversary "marks another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan," according to UN reports.

The conflict, which erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has created what UN agencies describe as the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from UN agencies and their partners paint a consistent picture of a humanitarian catastrophe on an unprecedented scale, though figures vary slightly across sources. The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) says nearly 34 million people – almost two out of every three Sudanese – require humanitarian support, as reported in multiple UN statements carried by African media outlets.

Displacement figures appear in several reports: some 14 million people have been forced from their homes, with roughly 9 million displaced within Sudan and 4.4 million crossing borders into neighbouring countries such as Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warns these host nations are "at breaking point," as quoted in one account.

The crisis has also triggered a poverty surge. A senior UN Development Programme (UNDP) official, Luca Renda, said poverty has nearly doubled since the war began – from about 38 percent before the conflict to an estimated 70 percent today, based on a poverty line of roughly four dollars a day. At least a quarter of the population is surviving on less than half that amount, Renda added.

Key Claims

• Humanitarian need: Nearly 34 million people need humanitarian support, as stated by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher and reported by OCHA.
• Displacement: 14 million people have been displaced – 9 million internally and 4.4 million as refugees in Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and elsewhere, according to UNHCR and IOM figures cited in multiple reports.
• Poverty: Poverty has surged from about 38 percent to 70 percent, per UNDP's Luca Renda, with extreme conditions in South Kordofan and North Darfur.
• Food insecurity: 21 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity, including 6.3 million in emergency conditions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• Sexual violence: Over 500 victims of conflict-related sexual violence were identified in 2025 alone, according to the UN human rights office (OHCHR), and UN Women reports the number of women and girls needing support after gender-based violence has nearly doubled in two years.
• Civilian deaths: A record 11,300 civilians were killed in 2025, with many thousands more missing or unidentified, OHCHR reported.
• Underfunding: The UN humanitarian response is "critically underfunded," Fletcher said, despite reaching 17 million people last year.

Perspectives

UN officials, including OCHA's Tom Fletcher, emphasize that the crisis is compounded by wider global instability, including recent escalation in the Middle East, which diverts attention and resources. The risk of broader regional instability is high, they warn.

Humanitarians on the ground describe a situation of "no end in sight." Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said: "We are two years into a famine in parts of the country, and this is simply unacceptable in this day and age." He described families skipping meals so children can eat, and children going hungry.

UNHCR's representative in Sudan, Marie-Helene Verney, said she sees "no clear progress towards any resolution," with fighting ongoing in the Kordofans, Darfur and Blue Nile State, and increased use of aerial bombardments and drone attacks targeting civilian infrastructure.

The international community is expected to gather in Berlin on the eve of the anniversary to revive stalled peace efforts and mobilize humanitarian aid. But as the UN's Fletcher noted, the coming days will be a test of whether the world can meet the scale of the suffering.

This article is based on UN agency reports and statements as covered by African media outlets. Figures may vary slightly depending on the source and date of reporting.