The Human Cost of the Sudan Civil War

Sudan, gripped by one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century, stands at the nexus of profound human rights violations and humanitarian despair. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, the country has plunged into chaos, with devastating impacts on civilians. The conflict, rooted in a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has unleashed a cascade of atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and mass displacement.

Over 27,000 lives have been lost, and millions have been forced to flee their homes. The scale of displacement is staggering: 5.4 million individuals have been internally displaced, and over 3 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, Libya and Egypt. Refugee camps, already overwhelmed by resource shortages, face further strain from climate-induced disasters like flooding and extreme heat, creating a dual crisis of war and environmental collapse. This grim scenario underscores the precarious reality of millions caught in the crossfire of conflict and climate change.

The war has turned regions like El Geneina in West Darfur and Al Jazirah into epicenters of violence, where ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities have become tragically commonplace. In El Geneina, entire communities have been decimated, with men and boys executed and women subjected to systemic sexual violence. In Al Jazirah, retaliatory RSF campaigns have killed hundreds, displaced tens of thousands, and devastated the local Shukriya ethnic group. Siege tactics, poisoning of food supplies, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians reflect a calculated effort to obliterate resistance and exert dominance.

Click here to read the November Monitor on Sudan.