Cairo

Sudan on Wednesday entered the fourth year of its devastating civil war, with UN officials warning the conflict has become an “abandoned crisis” as global attention shifts to newer wars in the Middle East.

The fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has displaced around 13 million people, triggered famine in parts of the country, and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.

Tom Fletcher said the anniversary marked “another year when the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan.”

At least 59,000 people have reportedly been killed since the war began in April 2023.

The United Nations said more than 6,000 people died over three days during an RSF assault on el-Fasher in October, with UN-backed experts saying the attack had “the defining characteristics of genocide.”

Around 34 million people — nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population — now require humanitarian assistance.

The World Health Organization says only 63 per cent of health facilities remain fully or partially functional, while disease outbreaks including cholera continue.

Food insecurity is worsening. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimated in February that 800,000 people could face severe acute malnutrition.

Fuel prices have also surged by more than 24 per cent, partly due to disruptions linked to the Iran war, increasing food costs further.

Denise Brown urged the world not to describe Sudan as a “forgotten crisis,” saying it was instead an “abandoned crisis.”

The war began after a power struggle following Sudan’s failed democratic transition after the 2019 ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.

The conflict pits military chief Abdel-Fattah Burhan against RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Sudan is now effectively split between a military-backed government in Khartoum and RSF-controlled areas in Darfur and parts of Kordofan.

Analysts say neither side appears capable of achieving a decisive victory.

Egypt is seen as backing Sudan’s military, while the United Arab Emirates has been accused by UN experts and rights groups of supplying arms to the RSF. The UAE denies the allegations.

The Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab recently alleged the RSF also received military support from a base in Ethiopia.

Josef Tucker warned the conflict could spill across borders and become even more difficult to resolve.

The war has been marked by allegations of mass killings, sexual violence, gang rapes and attacks on hospitals and ambulances.

The International Criminal Court says it is investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur.

Most recent atrocities have been blamed on the RSF and allied Janjaweed groups.

Although the military regained control of Khartoum and parts of central Sudan in early 2025, allowing around 4 million people to return home, aid agencies say many are returning only to damaged cities and shattered services.

READ MORE: Ayesha Tabassum’s journey from breaking news to building narratives

As Mercy Corps chief Tjada D'Oyen McKenna put it, it is not a return to normal, but an attempt to survive amid “a new normal.”