Sudan’s brutal civil war has reached a harrowing milestone, with more than four million people forced to flee their homes since violence erupted in April 2023. The United Nations is raising alarm over the deepening humanitarian crisis, as daily waves of refugees continue pouring into neighboring Chad, where resources are stretched to the brink.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 800,000 Sudanese nationals have now sought refuge in Chad, including some 400,000 who had previously fled earlier conflicts in the Darfur region. The latest mass exodus began in April 2025, following a surge in ethnically targeted attacks in North Darfur by heavily armed groups.
“In just a little over a month, more than 68,000 people have crossed into Chad’s Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces,” the UNHCR confirmed in a statement. “This equates to an average of 1,400 individuals arriving each day, many of whom arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs.”
Conditions for the displaced remain dire. The UNHCR has warned that water access is critically below emergency thresholds, with refugees receiving only five liters per person per day—far below the international minimum standard of 15 to 20 liters necessary for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.
“Hundreds of thousands of people are now stranded at the border, surviving in extreme conditions,” said UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado. “We’re witnessing unimaginable suffering. Entire families have walked for days through the desert to reach safety, only to find there is barely enough water or shelter to sustain them.”
To address the escalating humanitarian emergency, the UNHCR is urgently appealing for $556 million (approximately €483 million) to support Sudanese refugees in Chad and other host countries. However, the agency has so far received only 14% of the funding needed, leaving a wide gap in life-saving aid.
A Nation Engulfed in War
Sudan was thrust into civil war on April 15, 2023, when a bitter power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ignited widespread violence in the capital, Khartoum, and across multiple states.
More than 24,000 people have been confirmed dead in the fighting, although humanitarian agencies believe the actual toll is significantly higher due to unreported deaths in inaccessible conflict zones. An additional 14 million people have been internally displaced or forced to flee the country.
The war has been characterized by egregious human rights violations. The United Nations and several international watchdogs have documented large-scale atrocities, including mass rape, the deliberate targeting of ethnic communities, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
“Evidence strongly suggests that ethnic cleansing is being carried out in Darfur,” said a recent report by Human Rights Watch. “Civilians are being slaughtered based on their ethnicity, and survivors are often forced to flee under threat of death.”
Darfur on the Brink
Nowhere is the devastation more pronounced than in Darfur, the western region long scarred by previous waves of violence. The current war has exacerbated existing tensions, triggering another cycle of ethnically driven massacres.
The situation has grown so severe that famine has been officially declared in at least five locations, with the epicenter in Darfur. The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that hundreds of thousands are facing starvation due to disrupted supply chains, insecurity, and the collapse of basic services.
“Food insecurity is reaching catastrophic levels,” said WFP Sudan Country Director Eddie Rowe. “People are trapped in conflict zones without access to aid, and our convoys are frequently targeted by armed groups.”
Chad Buckling Under Pressure
The influx of Sudanese refugees is putting immense strain on Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries, which was already hosting over half a million refugees from previous conflicts. Despite the generosity of local communities, the sheer scale of the crisis is overwhelming.
Chadian officials have appealed to the international community for urgent assistance to prevent the collapse of basic services in refugee-hosting areas. “We are doing all we can, but the needs are growing by the hour,” said Mahamat Mahadi Ali, a local governor in Wadi Fira. “We need more shelters, more water, and more food. Without immediate support, this crisis will spiral even further out of control.”
Aid groups have echoed these concerns, noting that overcrowded camps are becoming breeding grounds for disease. Sanitation facilities are nearly non-existent, and many children are showing signs of malnutrition and trauma.
Call for Global Solidarity
As the civil war in Sudan rages on, the UN is calling on donor countries and international partners to step up with both financial and diplomatic support.
“The world must not turn its back on Sudan,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “We are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory. Millions of lives are at stake, and urgent global action is needed now.”
He added, “Sudanese civilians are the victims of a power struggle they did not choose. They need peace, protection, and the chance to rebuild their lives in dignity.”
A Path Forward
Efforts to mediate a ceasefire have thus far failed, with both the SAF and RSF continuing to trade blame for civilian deaths and obstructing humanitarian access. Regional leaders and the African Union have called for renewed peace talks, but progress remains elusive amid ongoing violence and mistrust.
For the millions of Sudanese who have lost everything, the road to recovery will be long and fraught with challenges. But humanitarian agencies insist that with the right support, it is not too late to prevent further catastrophe.
As the UNHCR and other partners rally to scale up operations, the world watches with growing concern, hoping that Sudan’s suffering does not go ignored. Without a swift and coordinated international response, the war’s ripple effects will continue to destabilize the region—and shatter countless more lives.
