It is a grim milestone for Sudan, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But with insufficient funding, lack of access to key regions and intensifying violence, milestones like this have become the grim norm.
“This is not hypothetical. It is a looming catastrophe,” said Sheldon Yett, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan.
And it is a catastrophe that is unduly affecting women and children, many of whom have been displaced multiple times and lack access to even the most basic of services such as clean water, food and protection.
“Every day the conflict continues in Sudan, innocent lives are lost, communities are torn apart and trauma continues to haunt generations,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the UN’s designated expert on human rights in Sudan.
Emotional scar tissue
Children in Sudan are among those most affected by the crisis – 3.2 million children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next year.
On a recent trip to Jebel Aulia, a locality in Khartoum state which is at extreme risk of famine, Mr. Yett was horrified by what he saw.
“Many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones,” Mr. Yett said.
However, these children are not only contending with malnutrition – some of them have also been displaced four or five times, and over three-quarters of Sudanese children are out of school.
“The emotional scar tissue is massive – children don’t know where they are going next … often feeling like aliens in their own land,” Mr. Yett said.
He spoke with one mother in Jebel Aulia whose daughter may be forever changed by the violence.
“Since the war started, my daughter has fallen into a state of silence, and I can feel her heart racing with fear,” one mother said.
A gendered crisis
Around Sudan, as the food insecurity crisis spirals, women and girls are the “hungriest face of the crisis,” according to Salvator Nkurunziza, the UN Women representative in Sudan.
“With conditions now at near famine thresholds in several regions in the country, it is not just a food crisis but a gender emergency caused by a failure of gender-responsive action,” said Mr. Nkurunziza at a Tuesday press briefing in Geneva.
A recent report further drove home the gendered nature of the crisis, revealing that women-led households in Sudan are three times more likely to experience severe insecurity than households led by men.
This is especially concerning as the death, displacement or forced disappearance of men has left more and more women the sole bread winners. In total 75 per cent of women-led households cannot meet basic food needs.
“The data is unequivocal: female-headed households are slipping deeper into starvation, with fewer coping mechanisms, less access to income, and even more systemic barriers than last year,” the report said.
Nevertheless, Mr. Nkurunziza reminded the international community that women are not just victims but also agents of change in crisis settings.
Women-led organizations are on the frontlines, providing food through soup kitchens and supporting displaced families. And yet, they remain excluded from many of the decision-making processes and exposed to undue risks.
An unchanged human rights landscape
Food security and displacement are not the only challenges that the Sudanese face. Rather, the human rights situation is also deteriorating, according to Mr. Nouicer who visited Sudan to meet key government officials in July.
“I remain gravely concerned that civilians in Sudan continue to suffer widespread violations and abuses, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced displacement and arbitrary detention,” he said.
He specifically highlighted the unique challenges that women, children and people with disabilities face when confronting displacement and violence.
“The ongoing war has devastated civilian lives and turned daily survival into a constant struggle.”
‘Irreversible damage’
Mr Yett said that in his most recent trip, he saw the best and worst of humanity – the devastating impact of violence and inaction coupled with the hopeful possibilities that peace and action could provide.
“We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children, not because we lack the knowledge or the tools to save them but because we are collectively failing to act with the urgency and at the scale this crisis demands,” he said.
The first step is ensuring access to regions of Sudan like Zamzam which have been cut off from aid. With the rainy season approaching – and some roads already impassable – this is only becoming more difficult.
Mr. Nouicer highlighted that even if a ceasefire between the warring rival militaries happened, the level of devastation and abuse is so extreme that the future will require more than just peace.
“The path forward demands more than ceasefires and peace talks. It requires a sustained commitment to justice, accountability, and inclusive governance.”
