9 January marked 1,000 days since the outbreak of the war in Sudan. After nearly three years of conflict, the country is facing one of the gravest humanitarian crises in the world. The prolonged violence has pushed Sudan to the brink: more than 30 million people – almost two-thirds of the population – are now in need of humanitarian assistance to survive. Hunger, insecurity, and mass displacement continue unabated, with devastating consequences for civilians, especially women and children. Gender-based violence has been systematically used as a weapon of war, reaching unprecedented levels across Sudan, with women and girls disproportionately targeted and left without access to adequate protection and support.

The situation in Darfur remains dramatic, particularly in North Darfur. Following the fall of El-Fasher last October and the violent attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a new wave of displacement has occurred, with tens of thousands of people fleeing towards Tawila. Many reported experiencing violence and abuse along the way. Living conditions for displaced families are dire, with extremely limited access to food, healthcare, and protection. 

INTERSOS is present in Darfur, providing life-saving health services and psychosocial support, with a strong focus on women and girls who have survived violence, as well as in Kassala, Red Sea, and River Nile. We are also intervening in remote areas that have only recently become accessible, where malnutrition rates are alarmingly high and entire communities are facing famine.

After 1,000 days of war, the suffering of the Sudanese population cannot continue to be ignored. INTERSOS calls on the international community to:

  • ensure safe, sustained, and unhindered humanitarian access across Sudan;
  • urgently increase funding for the Sudan response, which remains critically under-resourced;
  • intensify coordinated diplomatic engagement to press all parties to the conflict towards an immediate, nationwid,e and durable ceasefire;
  • ensure full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of the civilian population and humanitarian workers.

Without immediate and decisive action, the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan will continue to deepen, with irreversible consequences for millions of lives.