Sudan Conflict Worsening despite UN Warnings on this being “the most extreme hunger crisis globally”

On April 14, 2025 United Nations experts warned that Sudan is experiencing “the most extreme hunger crisis globally”. This statement added that “without immediate humanitarian intervention, hundreds of thousands could perish”. Famine already exists in five areas of Sudan, the UN statement said, and can spread to more areas. Those suffering from catastrophic hunger have reached a record high at 638,000 while about half the population, or about 24.6 million people, suffers from acute food insecurity. Ability to recover from extreme hunger is severely hampered by breakdown of the most important livelihood of farming over vast areas as nearly 12.6 million people have been displaced internally and externally, the highest number in the world, and supply lines have broken down.

Despite the prevalence of such a severe humanitarian crisis, the conflict situation is not getting reduced and in fact it is widening further.

The involvement of UAE on the side of the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) has been widely discussed. The US Secretary of State also mentioned this at a recent senate hearing. In 2023 the USA had accused the RSF of genocidal actions. The Sudan government (with support of Sudanese Armed Forces or SAF) accused the UAE of violating the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of the help the UAE is alleged to have provided to RSF. However this case was dismissed largely on jurisdictional issues.

The anger of the Sudan government against the UAE has continued to increase, particularly after a recent big drone attack on war-time de facto capital city of Port Sudan.

Chad has also been drawn into the controversy as a senior Sudan general stated that airports in Chad are being used to provide weapons arranged by the UAE to the RSF. Chad authorities have denied this, and stated additionally that any hostile action against Chad will get a very strong response.

At the same time the growing divide in South Sudan, a separate country, has not only threatened to re-ignite the earlier civil war in this country, but in addition raised other frightening prospects that rival factions of South Sudan may be drawn also into the bigger conflict of Sudan on rival sides, willingly or unwillingly.

In yet another worrying development the Sudan government has been accused by the USA of using chemical weapons, leading to sanctions, although the Sudan government has denied these allegations in very strong terms.

All this adds up to very threatening prospects of the war becoming wider and being fueled by more money becoming available from resourceful countries to make available more destructive weapons. At the same time reports of gender violence have also been received from time to time, adding to the distress of women and children in particular.

All this is extremely worrying at a time when there is already a shortage of resources for meeting the most essential food and shelter needs. When it is known that an area has become the place of most extreme hunger in the world and famine is spreading from five to more areas, how can a very violent conflict be allowed to not just continue but also widen further, knowing fully well, as the UN experts have warned only a few days back, that ‘hundreds of thousands can perish’?

This draws attention also to the wider tragedy of the fast diminishing prospects of stopping even the most devastating and dangerous conflicts at an early stage, as UN and related agencies appear to be increasingly helpless in resolving conflicts. People also wonder why in the middle of such extreme distress forces of peace cannot emerge from within the country to bring the warring sides closer to conflict resolution. Any such effort can become a very inspiring beginning for peace. However on the other side, following the kind of involvement of foreign forces which increases internal hostilities, one also notices that some local leaders become less amenable to negotiate for peace with each other as the battle lines are hardened.

Whatever the emerging local realities, some big initiative for peace in Sudan and nearby areas (where a lot of the displaced persons lead a very precarious existence) is certainly needed, both to bring very badly needed relief to suffering people and to prevent the further worsening of what is already one of the most worrying conflict and humanitarian crisis situations in the world.

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Save Earth for Children, A Day in 2071 and Man over Machine—A Path to Peace.