In brief
With over 10 million displaced and starvation rampant, Sudan risks becoming a failed state due to intensified violence among various groups. Experts stress the dire need for global intervention.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has spiraled into a catastrophic situation, with warnings from Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), indicating the nation is on the verge of collapse. The civil society fabric is unraveling rapidly, amidst a growing number of armed groups, including ethnic militias engaging in looting and violence against civilians.The situation has escalated due to the power struggle between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has lasted for 19 months, resulting in over 10 million people being uprooted from their homes and inching the country closer to famine. Egeland described this crisis as unprecedented, noting it is the biggest humanitarian emergency he has witnessed, affecting both food security and displacement.The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently painted a grim picture of widespread starvation across Sudan. Many soup kitchens, essential for survival, have shut down due to a critical lack of funding. Egeland lamented that the scant humanitarian aid is merely postponing inevitable deaths instead of making a substantial difference. He added, "Most of Sudan is starving; it's starving," stating that starvation tactics are being employed by warring factions.Concerns are mounting that up to 2.5 million people could succumb to hunger by year-end if the situation remains unaddressed. Egeland emphasized that the global community is insufficiently responding to Sudan's plight, urging countries, particularly in Europe, to invest in humanitarian aid to fend off an imminent refugee crisis that could affect their borders.With thousands reported killed amidst the chaos, there are rising fears about potential ethnic cleansing and genocide. Despite ongoing tensions, peace negotiations between the RSF and Sudan’s army have yielded no results. Egeland stated that the conflict will continue until those in power realize they stand to lose more from the war than they gain.
