Food aid for Sudanese refugees in Chad. Sudan: Three years after the start of the war, millions of people continue to flee violence Peace and Security
Nearly three years after the war began in Sudan, millions of people continue to move from place to place to escape violence. This was stated by the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Sudan, Marie-Hélène Verneuil, speaking at a briefing in Geneva on Friday.
As UNHCR notes, the conflict, which began in April 2023, has grown into the largest displacement crisis in the world. Since the start of the war, some 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes: 9 million remain displaced within the country and another 4.4 million outside the country. Today, one in four Sudanese people is displaced.
A vicious circle
For many, displacement has become a grueling cycle: people find relative safety – and are soon displaced again.
Fighting continues in the Darfur, Kordofan regions and Blue Nile. Increased airstrikes and the use of drones are leading to new waves of flight. There have been serious violations of human rights, including sexual violence, forced conscription, arbitrary detention and massacres.
Women and girls face increased risks of sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, especially when moving through insecure areas. Victims face serious barriers to medical, psychological and legal assistance.
Meanwhile, millions of children have already spent three years in displacement. Most of them have virtually no access to education. More than 58 thousand children arrived in neighboring countries unaccompanied, separated from their families, often traumatized and wounded.
Neighboring countries at their limits
Neighboring countries Chad, Egypt and South Sudan bear the brunt of the refugee intake burden. Their resources are almost exhausted.
The flow of refugees from Darfur into Chad continues while South Sudan simultaneously hosts Sudanese and nearly a million of its citizens returning from Sudan.
Returns to devastated areas
At the same time, there is an increase in the number of returns to areas of Sudan where fighting weakened. However, conditions there remain extremely difficult: infrastructure has been destroyed, basic services are missing, the economy has been undermined.
UNHCR emphasizes that support for returnees is critical to preventing new waves of displacement.
Dangerous routes in Europe
A growing number of Sudanese are taking the dangerous route through Libya to Europe. In 2024-2025, more than 14 thousand people arrived there – a 232 percent increase compared to the beginning of the conflict. crisis
Despite the scale of the crisis, funding for humanitarian efforts remains woefully inadequate.
To date, UN agencies have received only 16 percent of the $2.8 billion needed for assistance inside Sudan and 8 percent of the $1.6 billion needed to support refugees in region.
UNHCR warns that without an urgent increase in international support, the suffering of millions of people will only worsen, and the crisis itself will become even more destabilizing and costly for the entire region.