The Forgotten War: Displacement Crisis in Sudan

"The case of Sudan is not an isolated case of global apathy, displacement, and conflict, but rather, a manifestation of the interdependent relationship of geography, space, and media in aiding violated rights."

Sudan is currently facing the world’s largest and fastest growing displacement crisis due to a civil war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Over 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes amidst widespread violence, famine, and the lack of basic services; these included around 7.7 million internally displaced persons and more than 3 million international refugees. In total, more than two-thirds of the population are affected, enduring rampant food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and targeted violence, especially women, young children, and  some prejudiced ethnic groups.

In its persistence, the war has triggered a severe economic collapse: food prices inflated by 73% within a year, agricultural and industrial sectors shrank by 60% in a five-year span, 4.6 million individuals were forced to unemployment, and more than seven million were shoved below the poverty line. In effect, the pre-war food crisis has over half the population experiencing acute hunger, with famine confirmed in parts of North Darfur and the eastern Nuba mountains. This is particularly dire for children, with 3.2 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition. In response, UN humanitarian agencies maintain connections to susceptible areas by providing the UN’s emergency food aid agency. The World Food Programme and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) efficiently supplied over half a million households in Sudan with a total of 15.6 million Sudanese individuals receiving assistance from the UN back in 2024. Apart from the economy, Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure remains critically compromised due to the destruction and theft of medical supplies and transportation disruptions, contributing to a pervasive scarcity of healthcare personnel available to deliver essential services.

Entering its third year, the conflict does not only devastate Sudan internally but also poses serious regional and global problems. Neighboring countries such as Chad and South Sudan are grappling with massive refugee inflows, straining already fragile systems and plaguing both countries with economic instability and hyperinflation. Yet, despite these regional and global threats, many concerned individuals refer to the Sudanese war as a “Forgotten War,” with its events gaining low traction in media and public discourse, platforms which are primarily responsible for cultivating awareness about the crisis in Sudan. This reality challenges how global aid and attention are directed, especially in areas stigmatized as “common zones” for humanitarian crises.

Overall, Sudan’s displacement crisis underlines the human cost of civil conflict with famine, disease, and forced migration as issues eroding the reality of the citizens of the nation. Humanitarian neglect in underrepresented, and oftentimes stigmatized, areas like Sudan makes inequality silent and more deeply-rooted, continuously adding more dimensions to the problem. Without an adequate international commitment in advocating for the rights of the people of Sudan, the nation risks falling down the hole of collapsing. The case of Sudan is not an isolated case of global apathy, displacement, and conflict, but rather, a manifestation of the interdependent relationship of geography, space, and media in aiding violated rights.

This article was written by the MUN-UPD applicants under the Africa Continent Family.