Displaying items by tag: Sudan

Over 18,500 Sudanese refugees have fled into eastern Chad in the past two weeks, following devastating attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp and the city of al-Fasher in Darfur. The 11 April assault by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) left at least 400 dead in Zamzam after months of starvation and siege. Eyewitnesses report widespread atrocities including executions, torture, and sexual violence. The RSF destroyed the camp’s only medical centre, killing nine aid workers, and burned large sections of the camp. Once home to 500,000 people, Zamzam is now nearly abandoned. Many fleeing refugees, including children and pregnant women, are severely malnourished and traumatised. Chad, already hosting 1.3 million refugees - nearly 800,000 from Sudan - is overwhelmed and struggling to provide adequate shelter, food, and medical care. UNHCR officials, fearing more suffering ahead as the humanitarian situation deteriorates rapidly, are calling for urgent international assistance and intervention.

Khartoum, once Sudan’s bustling capital, now lies gutted after months of brutal conflict. The army’s recent victory over the paramilitary RSF is a turning point in a two-year civil war that has claimed at least 150,000 lives. Though the RSF’s grip on Khartoum has ended, uncertainty remains about what lies ahead. The city bears deep scars: the presidential palace, once a powerful symbol, has been looted and bombed, its grandeur reduced to rubble. Banks, ministries, and the airport are charred remnants. Yet amid the destruction, remnants of faith endure. At St Matthew’s Cathedral, damaged by nearby shelling and desecrated by RSF forces, the beautiful painted ceiling has survived. One soldier cleaning inside said his son was born on the first day of the war, but he still hasn’t met him. Despite atrocities committed by both sides and ongoing violence elsewhere, people in Khartoum rejoiced during Eid, briefly reclaiming hope in a city that has seen the heart of Sudan torn open.

Satellite images have revealed drone activity at Sudan’s Nyala airport, an RSF stronghold in South Darfur. These developments highlight the continued influx of advanced weaponry fuelling Sudan’s brutal conflict. The RSF, engaged in a power struggle with Sudan’s army since April 2023, has used Nyala as a base for its offensive on al-Fashir and attacks on civilians in the famine-stricken Zamzam camp. Analysis suggests the RSF is using Chinese-made CH-95 drones; the Sudanese army has accused the UAE of supplying them. Both factions have used drones in airstrikes, causing widespread destruction. Despite a UN arms embargo, foreign weapons continue to flow into the region, worsening the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, many relief organisations are withdrawing from the country, and up to 80% of the emergency food kitchens are closing. See

On 13 January at least 120 people were killed by indiscriminate shelling in Omdurman, with the death toll expected to rise. Sudan's civil war, between the army and the paramilitary RSF, began 21 months ago. It has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over twelve million, and left the country on the brink of famine, described by the UN as a humanitarian disaster. Both sides have been accused of indiscriminately targeting civilians, including health workers, as fighting devastates Omdurman and neighbouring areas. Volunteers face severe challenges in accessing affected regions, and medical supplies are critically low. Recent weeks have seen the army intensify efforts to reclaim territory, seizing areas and confiscating weapons, while the RSF counterattacks. The recent skirmishes have forced emergency response rooms, which support local communities, to shut several health centres, affecting provision of medical services to thousands of residents.

The UN’s political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo has condemned the continuing flow of weapons to the conflict in Sudan, urging an immediate halt to external military support. Both the army and the paramilitary RSF are escalating their operations and recruiting new fighters, fuelled by substantial foreign backing. She said that this external support is prolonging the conflict and worsening the humanitarian crisis, which has so far claimed over 24,000 lives and displaced 11 million people. The civil war, ignited in April 2023 by a power struggle between two rival leaders, has led to widespread atrocities, with both sides accused of war crimes, including ethnic cleansing. Despite calls for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations, both sides remain entrenched, partly due to the continued influx of arms. The UN Security Council is discussing a resolution which urges the warring parties to allow unhindered humanitarian aid deliveries, as more than half of the country’s population of 50 million faces severe food shortages.

A military airstrike on a mosque in Wad Madani, in the centre of Sudan, has killed 31 people, according to local activists. The attack occurred after evening prayers and was reportedly carried out using barrel bombs. Many victims have not yet been identified, as rescue teams are still working through the remains of dozens of charred and mutilated bodies. Since April 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by conflict between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in widespread death and displacement. The two sides are battling for control of Al-Jazira state, a key agricultural area, currently controlled by the RSF. Both groups have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and looting.

The USA is launching new peace talks to end Sudan’s 16-month civil war, driven by fears that the conflict is plunging the country into potentially the worst famine in decades. Sudan’s military, one of the two warring factions, had originally agreed to attend the negotiations in Switzerland, but changed their minds after a drone attack on the army chief, dashing hopes for a quick ceasefire. The talks aim to broker a ceasefire and secure humanitarian access for over ten million displaced people. Famine has been declared in Sudan’s Darfur region, with estimates suggesting up to 2.5 million people could die of hunger by September. Only one-third of the $2.7 billion requested by the UN for Sudan has been received so far: the UN fears that as many as 26 million face acute hunger. See

Sudan's military commander, Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has survived a drone attack at a military graduation ceremony which killed five people. The attack occurred as the conflict continues between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with military leaders now operating mainly in the east of the country. The drone strike followed the RSF announcement of upcoming ceasefire talks in Switzerland, hosted by the USA and Saudi Arabia. The foreign ministry expressed readiness to participate but emphasised the need to protect civilians and accused the RSF of being the only party attacking cities, villages and civilians. The UN reports that over 4.6 million people have been displaced by the conflict, with many fleeing to safer areas within Sudan or neighbouring countries.

Sudan's army has reclaimed the state broadcaster's headquarters in Omdurman, marking a symbolic victory in its eleven-month civil war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF had held the building since the conflict began but had not been able to transmit from it; state television has continued to show pro-army content, broadcast from elsewhere in the country. Despite UN calls for a ceasefire during Ramadan, intense fighting has continued in several parts of Khartoum. This recapture signifies a major setback for the RSF, which had used the headquarters as a stronghold. The conflict, stemming from disagreements between military and RSF leaders over a political transition to civilian rule, has displaced millions, devastated Khartoum, and triggered ethnic violence in Darfur. International efforts to broker peace have faltered, and the humanitarian toll remains dire, with warnings of growing hunger and continued displacement.

Paramilitary leader Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo, known as ‘Hemedti’, recently visited the Rwandan genocide memorial in Kigali, sparking controversy; his paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been accused of similar atrocities in Sudan's civil war. His tour in January to leaders in six African countries raised concerns because despite allegations of widespread atrocities by RSF fighters, he was received like a head of state. In West Darfur, a UN report has revealed that RSF fighters and allied militias have killed up to 15,000 non-Arabs from the Masalit tribe, with thirteen mass graves identified since the war began. Approximately 550,000 Masalit refugees have been displaced to camps in Chad, and their land has been forcibly taken over by new settlers. On 1 January Hemedti signed an agreement with a civilian coalition called Taqaddum, supposedly aiming to end hostilities and provide security to civilians. However, so far the RSF has failed to govern or demonstrate a genuine commitment to govern.