What's happened
Fighting in Sudan has led to the fall of al-Fashir, causing a humanitarian crisis with nearly 100,000 fleeing. Civilians face violence, starvation, and displacement, with aid efforts hampered by funding shortages and insecurity. The conflict has shifted to Kordofan, raising fears of further displacement.
What's behind the headline?
The Sudanese conflict exposes the fragility of regional stability and international aid systems. The fall of El-Fasher marks a critical turning point, with aid agencies unable to meet soaring needs due to security and funding constraints. The shifting frontlines to Kordofan threaten to prolong displacement and violence, risking a broader humanitarian catastrophe. The international community's underfunding, with less than 10% of appeals met, hampers effective response, allowing suffering to deepen. The RSF's claims of aid provision are contradicted by reports of atrocities, including drone strikes and mass killings, suggesting a complex and brutal conflict that will likely escalate unless political solutions are prioritized. The crisis underscores the urgent need for renewed diplomatic efforts and increased humanitarian funding to prevent further regional destabilization and mass suffering.
What the papers say
Reuters reports the fall of al-Fashir and the ongoing violence, highlighting civilians being shot and attacked in drone strikes, with nearly 100,000 fleeing since the city’s fall. All Africa emphasizes the strain on Chad’s resources and the underfunded humanitarian response, with only 17% of aid plans funded. The New Arab details the scale of displacement, atrocities, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation, with over 16,200 fleeing to camps and malnutrition reaching staggering levels. The Independent underscores the collapse of humanitarian operations, with aid warehouses nearly empty and access restricted, while UN officials warn of atrocity crimes and escalating violence in Kordofan. These reports collectively paint a picture of a rapidly worsening crisis driven by conflict, insecurity, and insufficient international support, with regional implications that threaten to deepen the humanitarian disaster.
How we got here
Since April 2023, Sudan's conflict between the army and RSF has escalated, leading to widespread violence, displacement, and famine. The fall of key cities like El-Fasher has intensified the crisis, with aid agencies struggling amid shrinking international support and ongoing hostilities. The conflict's regional spillover into Chad and Kordofan heightens instability.
Go deeper
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Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in North-East Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southe
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The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration