International support for Sudan is rapidly drying up even as the humanitarian emergency deepens, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned. Following a visit to the war-torn country, IFRC Special Envoy for Sudan Derk Segaar addressed reporters in Geneva, highlighting the stark imbalance between mounting local needs and dwindling global assistance.
“Sudan is one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, yet it is also one of its most overlooked” Segaar told reporters.
The conflict erupted in April 2023 when fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data estimates that at least 59,000 people have died, though aid organizations caution that the real death toll is likely vastly higher.
Segaar noted that while limited aid reaches areas in Kordofan and Darfur, devastation is widespread across the nation. In Khartoum, millions of residents remain without access to steady power, clean drinking water, or medical care, while simultaneously facing compounding threats from cholera outbreaks, severe malnutrition, and seasonal flooding. According to relief agencies, 35 million people now need humanitarian aid, over 9 million are internally displaced, and 4.5 million have fled the country entirely.
On the military front, Sudanese Army Lieutenant-General Yasser al-Atta addressed a gathering of troops on Monday, declaring that the military is pushing forward across every sector to defeat the RSF by year’s end.
“We are implementing the theory of advancing in all directions, with all fronts moving simultaneously, as happened during the recapture of Khartoum state,” al-Atta said.
“Before the end of this year, there will not be a single Janjaweed fighter,” he said, using a term for the RSF, “or a foreign fighter, and we are determined to achieve that”.
His statements follow recent strategic gains by the army and its allies, who captured Bara, Jabra al-Sheikh, Um Sayala, and critical positions along the supply route connecting Omdurman to el-Obeid in North Kordofan. Clashes have escalated across North, West, and South Kordofan since October 2025.
Amid the intensifying combat, international diplomatic efforts are attempting to revive peace discussions. Representatives from the African Union, IGAD, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the UN recently met with Sudanese political leaders.
“Building on exploratory consultations held in Addis Ababa in June, the Quintet engaged Sudanese civilian political leaders in recent days. Discussions continued on proposals and perspectives for advancing the political process, including through the establishment of confidence-building measures,” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Additionally, Pekka Haavisto, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, is holding direct talks with RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to explore avenues for de-escalation.
