Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Amidst Sudan’s Civil War

As Sudan’s relentless civil war surpasses its sixth month, the country faces a growing and overwhelming humanitarian crisis.

This crisis has been exacerbated by diminishing relief funding and stringent restrictions imposed by the army on its delivery.

Activists and aid organizations have voiced their concerns about the plight of civilians in the midst of this protracted conflict.

Duaa Tariq, a Sudanese activist based in the capital, Khartoum, paints a grim picture of the situation, describing how the scarcity of food has forced many people to limit themselves to just one meal a day.

She highlighted the critical absence of aid and the dwindling support from international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), leading to a significant loss of morale among local volunteers.

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This has grave implications for the community’s ability to respond to the ongoing crisis.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has also sounded the alarm, warning that Sudan’s medical sector is on the verge of total collapse.

MSF has been providing support to five hospitals in Khartoum, either by supplying medical essentials or deploying international specialists.

The civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left an estimated 24 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, in dire need of assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Nearly six million individuals have been displaced from their homes, either as internally displaced persons or as refugees in neighboring countries.

At the onset of hostilities in April, Sudan’s resistance committees, a network of community groups central to the pro-democracy movement, established makeshift clinics staffed by volunteers.

These “emergency rooms” provided crucial first aid and facilitated the transportation of the injured to operational hospitals in Khartoum. These volunteers initially relied on funds from friends and family abroad, as well as contributions from international relief organizations.

However, as international aid wanes, some local activists have lost hope in the support of these aid groups, leading to their departure from Khartoum.

A lack of aid funding is a pressing issue, with only a third of the overall humanitarian appeal funded, and the year’s end is approaching. Resources are dwindling, leaving frontline responders and operational organizations with limited means to sustain their efforts.

Sudan’s displaced population has found relative refuge in army-controlled cities in the eastern regions, where some aid is accessible.

However, those living in RSF-controlled areas face dire conditions and limited assistance. The army’s consolidation of control over the aid response and its increasingly restrictive access to RSF territories further exacerbates the crisis, endangering countless lives.

For instance, MSF had to suspend support for surgical operations at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum after the army blocked the delivery of surgical equipment.

Hundreds of patients in need of trauma surgery and pregnant women requiring c-sections are now left without critical medical care. This grim situation underscores the immense challenges posed by the war’s impact on medical facilities and the denial of essential supplies.

The restrictions on aid deliveries into RSF-controlled areas have forced civilians to rely on the group for assistance, despite its central role in creating the very humanitarian crisis it claims to address.

This strategic shift of depending on the RSF for aid could potentially help the group rebuild its credibility, even though it has faced widespread condemnation for its indiscriminate killing of civilians, looting, and conversion of hospitals into military outposts.