Sudan civil war displaces 13 million people as third year of fighting begins

UN reports massive humanitarian crisis in Sudan as violence escalates in Darfur.

Displaced people from the Zamzam camp, which came under RSF control, rest in a makeshift encampment in an open field near Tawila, in Sudan’s war-torn western Darfur region, on April 13, 2025. Photo by AFP/Getty Images

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

The Sudan civil war displaces 13 million people, according to a grim new report from the United Nations released Monday, highlighting the scale of a conflict that has now entered its third year. The brutal struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.

The UN’s refugee agency, represented by Abdourahouf Gnon-Konde, confirmed in an interview with AFP that the war has displaced 13 million people — including 8.6 million internally and 3.8 million refugees who have fled across borders. As the war passed its second anniversary on April 15, 2025, the human cost continues to rise at an alarming rate.

A conflict with no end in sight

The Sudan conflict displacement crisis began on April 15, 2023, and has since morphed into a drawn-out war between factions, each vying for control over a fractured country. The RSF, originally formed from the notorious Janjaweed militias involved in earlier atrocities in Darfur, has steadily expanded its territory, while the Sudanese military struggles to hold key cities.

The war has left tens of thousands dead and pushed millions toward famine. It has also created regions that function like warlord-led fiefdoms, erasing central authority in much of Sudan. One of the most volatile areas remains Darfur, where the RSF has launched an offensive aimed at capturing El-Fasher — the last major city in the region still held by the army.

This offensive, which began on Thursday and continued into Sunday, focused not only on El-Fasher but also on nearby camps for displaced persons, including Zamzam and Abou Shouk. Both camps were already experiencing famine conditions before coming under attack. The United Nations, citing "credible sources," estimated that more than 400 people were killed during the weekend offensive.

Humanitarian disaster in Darfur

By Sunday, the RSF announced its control over the Zamzam displacement camp. The consequences were immediate and devastating. The UN's International Organization for Migration reported that approximately 400,000 people fled Zamzam in just a few days, adding to the already overwhelming Sudan refugee crisis.

Doctors Without Borders confirmed that around 10,000 people fled to Tawila, a town about 70 kilometers west of El-Fasher, within just 48 hours. Those arriving described harrowing conditions — extreme dehydration, exhaustion, and accounts of horrific violence, especially against women and children.

This surge of violence followed closely after government forces recaptured parts of Khartoum in March. With RSF now seeking to consolidate control in the west, El-Fasher has become the focal point of a new battlefront.

A country torn in two

After two years of relentless fighting, Sudan has effectively been divided. The army maintains control over the north and east, while the RSF dominates the Darfur region and parts of the south with the support of allied militias. This geographic division has made national unity nearly impossible and stalled any attempts at peace negotiations.

Germany’s Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, emphasized the magnitude of the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan during remarks ahead of an international conference in London. “Entire regions have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands of families are fleeing, millions of people are starving, and women and children are being subjected to the most horrific sexual violence,” she said.

Her comments reflect the growing consensus among international observers: the Sudan humanitarian crisis is the worst the world is currently facing.

Calls for international action

The international community is under increasing pressure to respond more effectively. On Tuesday, diplomats, aid agencies, and humanitarian leaders are expected to convene in London to discuss ways to support Sudanese civilians and mediate the conflict. But with little political will or leverage over either side, hopes remain slim.

Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, echoed global frustration and sorrow. “Civilians in Sudan are trapped in a relentless nightmare of death and destruction,” she said, pointing to the daily realities of starvation, displacement, and violence that millions endure.

The UN Fact-Finding Mission warned that “the darkest chapters of this conflict have yet to unfold,” a chilling statement that speaks to the potential for even greater ethnic violence and retaliatory killings as militias gain power and state control disintegrates.

Ethnic cleansing fears grow

Reports from the ground also suggest that the current wave of violence in Darfur may carry echoes of the 2003-2005 genocide, during which Janjaweed militias slaughtered hundreds of thousands. Many fear the RSF, composed of those same fighters, is repeating history.

In towns across western Sudan, entire communities are being erased — not just by warfare, but by hunger, disease, and systematic displacement. The conflict has weaponized starvation, with food aid blocked, markets destroyed, and humanitarian corridors made impassable by armed groups.

Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, marked the anniversary of the war by urging the world to act. “As Sudan enters into its third year of conflict, we must reflect on the catastrophic situation in Sudan and honour the lives of all Sudanese who have been lost or changed forever.”

A lost generation

Sudan’s crisis has also deprived millions of children of their future. With schools shuttered, healthcare systems collapsed, and families torn apart, the young generation is growing up in an environment marked by trauma and instability. Many young Sudanese now live in camps without access to basic needs or education, let alone hope for peace.

As the Sudan conflict displacement crisis expands, neighbouring countries are feeling the strain. Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia have received large influxes of refugees, stretching their already fragile infrastructure and prompting fears of a broader regional destabilization.

The world watches, but action is lacking

Despite the gravity of the situation, global attention remains limited. Other conflicts dominate headlines, and Sudan often slips under the radar. Aid agencies face funding shortages, while governments issue condemnations with little follow-up.

The Sudan civil war displaces 13 million people, yet meaningful diplomatic interventions are rare. With each passing week, the chance for peace becomes slimmer, and the possibility of long-term partition — or total state collapse — grows more real.

Until the international community decides to treat Sudan’s conflict as more than a distant tragedy, the suffering of its people will continue, largely unnoticed and unabated. And for the millions who have fled their homes, survival has become a daily act of courage in the face of despair.