Sudan – After a thousand days, civilians are paying the price for a war they did not choose

The latest United Nations data indicates that 9.3 million people have been displaced by the conflict across the country, and more than 4.3 million people have fled across borders, putting enormous pressure on neighboring countries. It is also believed that more than 21 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity across the country.

Although many displaced people have returned to the capital, Khartoum, serious challenges and risks continue to face civilians there, including the threat of unexploded ordnance.

Clashes continue “on multiple fronts in Kordofan,” Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

He pointed out that the siege cut off roads leading to the cities of Kadugli – the capital of South Kordofan State – and Dilling – a city located north of Kadugli – restricting access to food, health care, and access to farms and markets.

Daily attacks with marches and missiles

In Darfur, “clashes on the ground and drone attacks from the air continue,” while long-range strikes on civilian infrastructure far from the front lines were also recorded, according to Larkeh.

Children continue to be killed and injured amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with eight children reportedly killed in an attack in the city of El Obeid, North Kordofan State, earlier this week.

According to UNICEF, nearly 5,000 children have been displaced every day since the conflict began in April 2023. UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Perez said: “Many of them have been displaced not once but repeatedly, as violence pursues them wherever they flee.”

He warned that millions of children were also at risk of rape, including infants. Peres added: “Behind each of these numbers is a child who is frightened, hungry and sick, wondering why the world has not come to help.”

The scourge of sexual assault

Women are also exposed to violence and sexual assaults “Rampant”, The number of people at risk of gender-based violence is estimated at about 12 million people, most of whom are women and girls, according to OCHA.

Larke said: “Female-headed households are three times more likely to be food insecure, and three-quarters of these households report not having enough to eat.”

The global crisis in humanitarian funding has affected the work of the United Nations and its partners in Sudan, as only 36% of the $4.2 billion requested last year was funded by donors.

Urgent call

In light of this lack of financial support, OCHA has been forced to set more stringent priorities in its 2026 response plan, as it aims to assist 20 million people out of nearly 34 million people believed to be in need of humanitarian support in Sudan. The cost of this plan was estimated at $2.9 billion.

An OCHA spokesman confirmed that this decrease in demand “It reflects the reality of the funding environment, not the level of needs on the ground.”

Larquet said that a thousand days represented nearly half the duration of World War II, so he launched an urgent appeal in which he demanded:

• First: “An immediate cessation of hostilities and real steps towards lasting peace.”
• Second: “Adherence to international humanitarian law, facilitating the arrival of aid across conflict lines, and protecting civilians, including relief workers, and civilian infrastructure.”
• Third: “Renewed mobilization of funding efforts, with a particular focus on supporting local networks, women-led organizations, and national partners who remain at the forefront of response efforts.”

An unprecedented displacement crisis

For its part, the International Organization for Migration said that nearly a third of the Sudanese people were displaced during the conflict, meaning more than 15 million people, including 11.58 million displaced inside Sudan and about 4 million who fled across the border at the height of the crisis.

The organization said in a statement that, on average, five displacement-causing events occurred per week during this period, as a result of conflicts and natural disasters, leading to large-scale displacement.

In this context, the organization’s Director-General, Amy Pope, said that the conflict “He inflicted heavy losses on the Sudanese people.” added: “Behind every displacement statistic stands a family doing its best to protect its children, preserve its dignity, and survive with the bare minimum. The courage of the Sudanese people must be matched by sustained international action that protects civilians, supports displaced families, and creates conditions for peace so that people can return safely, recover, and rebuild their lives.”

Today, after a thousand days of conflict, about 9.33 million people remain internally displaced, more than half of them children, while about 3 million people have returned to their areas of origin, more than a million of them to Khartoum alone. However, the organization said returns remain fragile and often occur in areas with damaged infrastructure, limited services and persistent insecurity.

She stressed that without tangible progress towards peace and stability, “Millions of Sudanese will remain trapped in a cycle of displacement, loss and uncertainty.”