2024: Sudan Bid Farewell to Another Year of Misery Amid Fighting, Displacement, and Hunger
Moatinoon – Sites
As 2024 comes to a close, Sudan continues to be engulfed in a bloody conflict that has expanded its reach, resulting in increasing waves of internal and external displacement, widespread hunger, and epidemics. This has happened in the absence of peace prospects, with regional and international initiatives failing to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.
Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has endured a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving, according to international estimates, more than 28,000 dead. Research centers report up to 160,000 fatalities, with tens of thousands more succumbing to epidemics and diseases amid the collapse of the healthcare system. Millions have been displaced within the country and abroad.
Throughout 2024, the fighting has intensified, extending to areas previously untouched by the conflict. This has altered the map of control and influence between the warring factions.
Expansion of the Fighting
In 2024, military operations continued between the SAF and RSF in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and Al-Jazira State in central Sudan. Sennar State became a new battleground, while El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, emerged as a major confrontation hub.
Sudans descent into chaos, triggered by the outbreak of war, has led to one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 21st century. Despite the scale of the crisis, international attention remained limited due to competing global events in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, leaving millions of Sudanese to face unimaginable hardships with little international support.
The conflict between SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has plunged the nation into a vortex of violence, hunger, displacement, and suffering.
Catastrophic Humanitarian Situation
In 2024, tens of thousands were killed, and millions were forced to flee their homes. Famine now devastates vast areas of the country, while mass atrocities have occurred in Darfur and other regions.
Basic services, including hospitals, have collapsed, leaving the population reliant on meager and underfunded humanitarian aid. Observers have described the crisis as a "living nightmare," highlighting the international communitys failure to provide adequate support or enforce meaningful accountability.
Hunger and Famine as Tools of War
Hunger has become a daily reality for millions of Sudanese, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, and surrounding areas. The conflict has destroyed agricultural production and severed supply chains.
In August, the Global Famine Review Committee officially declared famine in some parts of Sudan, confirming Phase 5 Integrated Food Security Classification conditions in camps near El Fasher, Darfur. Over 25.6 million people face severe food insecurity, with 1.5 million on the brink of famine.
Humanitarian agencies have accused both SAF and RSF of weaponizing hunger by blocking aid, looting food supplies, and destroying farmland.
Displacement Crisis
The conflict has caused one of the largest displacement crises in modern history, forcing over 14 million people from their homes, including 11 million internally displaced persons and 3 million refugees who fled to neighboring countries.
Khartoum, once a vibrant capital, has become a hub for displacement, with entire neighborhoods destroyed. Millions now live in temporary shelters under dire conditions.
Ongoing Violence
Armed attacks on displacement camps continue to exacerbate the suffering of those fleeing the violence. Humanitarian organizations face immense challenges in reaching those in need.
Over 70% of medical facilities have been destroyed, looted, or rendered nonfunctional, leaving millions without healthcare.
Use of Sexual Violence and Genocide
The conflict has been marked by widespread and systematic use of sexual violence. Reports document horrifying instances of rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriages. In July, Human Rights Watch documented rampant sexual violence in Khartoum, particularly by RSF forces.
In Darfur, reports concluded that atrocities amount to genocide, with communities, especially the Masalit, targeted in a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
International Response
Despite international condemnation and diplomatic efforts, the response to the crisis has been fragmented and insufficient.
The European Union imposed sanctions, and the United States and African Union called for a ceasefire, but peace talks have failed.
As the conflict continues into another year, Sudan stands as a stark reminder of the human cost of indifference and the urgent need for unified global action.
