GNV News, November 3, 2024

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s announcement on October 29, 2024, more than 14.1 million people have been displaced in Sudan since the conflict that began in April 2023. This figure amounts to about 30% of Sudan’s population, of whom 11 million are internally displaced and 3.1 million have fled to neighboring countries, and the number continues to rise. According to the UN Secretary-General, more than half of the displaced are women and more than a quarter are children under five.

The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—a former paramilitary group that had cooperated in the 2019 military coup to oust former President Omar al-Bashir—escalated into armed confrontation in the capital, Khartoum. As a result of the conflict, disease, hunger, and sexual violence are rampant across Sudan. Severe shortages of shelter, clean drinking water, and access to medical care are driving the rapid spread of disease. The UN Secretary-General has warned that about 25 million people—roughly half the population—need humanitarian assistance, with more than 750,000 suffering from “catastrophic” food insecurity. Since 2023, there have been unceasing reports of rape and torture, and indiscriminate attacks have killed civilians, including young children. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), atrocities and war crimes—including gang rape and ethnic cleansing—have been perpetrated, and more than 24,850 people have been killed to date.

Learn more about the conflict in Sudan → “Where the Sudan conflict is headed”

Learn more about conflict and the media → “Determinants of conflict reporting”

A camp for internally displaced people in Sudan (Photo: Global Partnership for Education / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])