The United Nations has issued a stark warning as Sudan’s civil war reaches a catastrophic milestone, with over 4 million people forced to flee the country since fighting erupted in April 2023. The conflict, which began with clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has plunged the nation into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 800,000 Sudanese refugees have fled into neighboring Chad, joining around 400,000 others who had previously escaped violence during earlier waves of conflict in Darfur.
The latest surge began in April 2025, following brutal attacks by armed groups in North Darfur. In just over a month, over 68,000 new refugees—mainly women and children—have crossed into Chad’s Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces. An estimated 1,400 people are crossing the border every day, many arriving in desperate condition with no possessions or shelter. The UNHCR has appealed for more than $550 million USD (483 million euros) to respond to the growing needs, but says that only 14% of the required funding has been received. Refugees are currently surviving on 5 liters of water per day, far below the 15–20 liters required to meet minimum international humanitarian standards. Hundreds of thousands remain stranded along the border, exposed to disease, hunger, and violence.
The broader conflict has resulted in over 24,000 confirmed deaths, though the true toll is believed to be far higher. More than 14 million people have been displaced internally and across borders. The UN, along with human rights organizations, has documented widespread war crimes, including mass rapes, ethnic cleansing, and the deliberate targeting of civilians, particularly in Darfur. Famine has been declared in at least five locations, with the Darfur region identified as the epicenter of starvation and human suffering. The ongoing violence and humanitarian collapse have also hindered aid delivery, leaving millions without access to food, water, or medical care.
As international pressure mounts, humanitarian agencies are urging swift action and increased funding to avert a total collapse of the refugee support system and to bring attention to the escalating atrocities being committed in Sudan.
