Tens of thousands killed, over 13 million displaced: Why Sudan is facing 'world’s worst humanitarian crisis'

Displaced Sudanese sit at a shelter after they were evacuated by the Sudanese army to a safer area in Omdurman, on May 13, 2025, amid the ongoing war in Sudan.

More than a year into Sudan’s brutal civil war, the situation has reached a critical tipping point. With tens of thousands dead and over 13 million displaced, including four million refugees, the conflict has become what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And now, international alarm is rising over the risk of genocide, particularly in the country's western and southern regions.

The war began in April 2023, when a bitter power struggle erupted between Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti. What started as a political rivalry quickly devolved into widespread violence, ethnic cleansing, and systematic human rights abuses.

On Monday, Virginia Gamba, UN under secretary-general and acting special advisor on the prevention of genocide, warned the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the situation remains dire: "The risk of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan remains very high."

She emphasized that both sides have committed atrocities but drew particular attention to the RSF and its allied Arab militias, saying:

"Of specific concern to my mandate is the continued and targeted attacks against certain ethnic groups, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions."

"The RSF and allied armed Arab militias continue to conduct ethnically motivated attacks against the Zaghawa, Masalit and Fur groups."

These three ethnic communities, historically marginalised and concentrated in Darfur, a region already scarred by previous genocidal campaigns, have faced massacres, sexual violence, and forced displacement. The RSF, originally formed from the Janjaweed militias that spearheaded the 2003–2004 Darfur genocide, is once again at the center of the crisis.

Adding to the geopolitical complexity, Sudan recently attempted to drag the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into the conflict legally, accusing it of aiding the RSF and thus being complicit in genocide. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed the case last month, saying it “manifestly lacked jurisdiction.”

Despite the legal setback, UN officials are ringing the alarm. Gamba’s stark warning underscores fears that ethnic violence in Sudan is escalating unchecked, as global attention remains fragmented and humanitarian access is severely restricted. With no political resolution in sight, Sudan stands on the edge of a catastrophe that could become even more deadly and destabilizing if left unaddressed.