In brief
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council cautions that Sudan's ongoing civil war and the rise of armed factions are leading to widespread displacement and profound humanitarian crises, with millions on the brink of starvation.
War-torn Sudan is on the verge of collapse as civil society rapidly deteriorates due to escalating violence and an increase in armed groups. Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), voiced his concerns in a recent interview with the BBC, emphasizing the alarming state of affairs in the country. The conflict, which has persisted for over 19 months, features a brutal struggle for power between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In addition to these main factions, various smaller ethnic armies are contributing to chaos, committing acts of looting and violence against civilians. "The parties are tearing down their own houses, they are massacring their own people," Egeland lamented.As the conflict grinds on, more than 10 million individuals have been displaced, inching towards starvation. Egeland described the situation as "the biggest humanitarian emergency on our watch," with evidence from his recent trip confirming widespread suffering and dire food shortages. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported instances of famine across Sudan, where soup kitchens struggle to remain operational due to insufficient funding. Egeland insisted that humanitarian efforts are merely postponing deaths rather than preventing them. He warned that if urgent measures are not taken, approximately 2.5 million could perish from hunger by the year's end.Egeland asserted that the international community, particularly Europe, is neglecting its responsibilities, warning that a failure to invest in aid and protection could lead to a larger refugee crisis. He portrayed the current crisis as the world's biggest, highlighting its chronic underfunding. The toll of the civil war has been devastating, resulting in thousands of deaths and raising alarms over possible ethnic cleansing and genocide. Despite calls for peace talks, negotiations between the RSF and the army have stalled. Egeland believes the conflict will only cease once these warlords perceive that continuing fighting carries greater risks than striking a peace deal.
