Situation escalates
The forgotten suffering: The violence in Sudan shows no end
Sudanese refugees from the Tandelti region who reached Chad. According to the UN, more than seven million people in the country are on the run
© Gueipeur Denis Sassou / AFP
Between the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the conflict in Sudan is hardly receiving any attention in Germany. The situation there is escalating. The impact on the region is great.
An escalating conflict, escape, expulsions and violence against the civilian population have resulted in this Sudan a sad top spot for 2024: The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which draws up a list of humanitarian crises at the end of each year that should be paid attention to in the following year, puts the country in northeast Africa in first place. Nevertheless, the IRC fears that Sudan is slipping out of focus in view of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. As Sudanese analyst Kholod Khair emphasizes, the conflict in Sudan has an impact on a whole range of regions from the Red Sea to the Sahel region to the Mediterranean due to its geographical location.
Conflict in Sudan – a fight between two former allies
Under the leadership of de facto head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the armed forces have been fighting since mid-April against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a quasi-army formed from militias and led by former deputy ruler Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The two men were once allies who took power together in a coup after the overthrow of long-time Sudanese ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
The conflict for power in Sudan is having a severe impact on the civilian population, particularly in the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur. According to the UN, more than seven million people in the country are on the run. Both parties to the conflict are accused of war crimes, especially the RSF. “Both have destroyed their country. They must finally hear: enough is enough,” emphasized Mike Hammer, the US special ambassador for the region.
Today’s RSF – then still Arab cavalry militias – gained notoriety in connection with the genocide in Darfur against a predominantly black population. According to observers, the militia is supported by the United Arab Emirates.
Confusion surrounding conflict leader Daglo
Various initiatives for a ceasefire failed. Now a new attempt is to be made in Djibouti, through the mediation of the IGAD international community, to achieve direct talks between al-Burhan and Daglo and to bring about an end to the fighting. At times there was even a lot of guesswork about whether Daglo was still alive because he hadn’t been seen in public for so long.
However, Daglo has been on a diplomatic visit for a few days – last Wednesday a photo was published that showed him with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. During a visit to Nairobi, the militia leader was treated almost like a hope for peace: Kenya appreciates the efforts of the RSF and its leader to “resolve the conflict in Sudan through dialogue,” wrote Kenyan President William Ruto on Platform X (formerly Twitter) . There was no mention of the serious crimes that the RSF was accused of.
Refuge becomes a trap
The RSF fighters have meanwhile advanced into the state of Yetzira, southeast of Khartoum, in recent weeks. There was panic in the regional capital Wad Madani, where around half a million people had fled at the time. Bus fares from the city skyrocketed. Many people tried to escape on foot – without always knowing where to go.
“We fear that Wad Madani, once considered a safe haven for people fleeing extreme violence in Khartoum, is turning into another death trap,” recently warned Pierre Dorbes, head of the delegation of the International Red Cross Committee ( ICRC) in Sudan.
Helpless helpers – the supply situation is becoming increasingly critical
With the advance of the RSF, what the IRC had warned of in 2024 has already happened. The Jezira region is considered the breadbasket of Sudan, and the grain grown there is important for supplying the population. Because of the consequences of climate change, the food situation was already very strained. Helpers from the UN Food Program (WFP), for example, can no longer reach the people in Wad Madani. In Darfur, only a small part of the population can be supplied with food via convoys from neighboring Chad. Most of those in need are cut off from the aid system.
Escape worldwide
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“Eight months since the start of the conflict, it is becoming harder and harder to find a safe place in Sudan,” warns Arif Noor, country director of the aid organization Save the Children. In Wad Madani alone, around 350,000 children lived in fear of being kidnapped by armed men or of being exposed to sexual violence. Thousands of schools in the country have been closed for months because refugees have been accommodated there. “There is chaos and mass death in Sudan,” says Noor. “They see things no child should see.”
New atrocities in Darfur
This is particularly true for the situation in Darfur. Aid organizations report arbitrary shootings of civilians, looting that also affects hospitals, and systematic sexual violence, particularly against women and girls. The African Center for Peace Studies (ACJPS) speaks of a “war on women”, especially on the part of the RSF and allied militias. In a report on the situation in Darfur, Mohammed Osman from the human rights organization Human Rights Watch also speaks of atrocities and mass murders against the Massalit ethnic group.