More than half of Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian assistance as the conflict between the army and RSF intensifies.
More than half of Sudan’s population is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as the country’s civil war escalates, according to a report from GULF TIMES. The warning came from Danish Refugee Council Secretary General Charlotte Slente, who said “more than 30mn people are in need of humanitarian assistance,” describing the suffering as “unimaginable.”
Slente spoke to AFP by phone after visiting a border region in Chad, where thousands fleeing Sudan’s western Darfur region continue to arrive. Sudan, which had a population of around 50mn in 2024, has faced relentless fighting since war broke out in April 2023 between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12mn, and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Violence in Darfur has escalated sharply, with the RSF recently seizing El-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold, after an 18-month siege. Slente said the NGO had documented mass killings, sexual violence, detentions, abductions, torture, and forced displacement. “There are violations that cross all international humanitarian laws,” she added.
She criticised the international community for failing to act decisively, saying statements had “very limited impact.” She warned that other besieged cities — including Babanusa, El-Obeid, Kadugli and Dilling — remain dangerously cut off.
“The international community must stop managing the consequences of this conflict and must start preventing the atrocities,” Slente said.