The World Health Organisation (WHO) just marked 1000 days of the genocidal war in Sudan. The conflict, which involves a real rogue’s gallery of outside actors, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

WHO summed up the sheer levels of destruction bluntly:

Nearly three years of continuous violence, severe access constraints, and reduced funding have turned Sudan into the worst humanitarian crisis globally. An estimated 33.7 million people will need humanitarian aid this year.

Attacks on medical facilities and workers have been a regular feature in the grinding war:

The health system has been severely damaged by ongoing fighting, increasingly deadly attacks on health care, mass displacement, lack of essential medical supplies, and shortages of health personnel and funding.

Unprecedented displacement

The organisation described the levels of displacement as “unprecedented”:

An estimated 13.6 million people are currently displaced, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.

Fueled by poor living conditions, overcrowding in displacement sites, disrupted health and water, sanitation and hygiene services, and a breakdown of routine immunization, disease outbreaks are spreading, compounding the crisis.

WHO reported outbreaks of disease as a result of the war with cholera, dengue, malaria, and measles are running riot:

Access to preventive and curative care, including for the management of chronic conditions and severe malnutrition, remains limited.

But this is no act of God. From the Gulf states to Israel, the UK to Russia, foreign powers have fueled and deepened the war through direct intervention and arms sales. Ultimately, the Sudanese people are caught in the middle of a competing neo-colonial projects.

UN chief to visit Sudan

Anadolu Agency reported that UN human rights chief  Volker Turk will visit Sudan on 13 January:

Turk is scheduled to meet authorities, civil society representatives and the UN country team in Port Sudan, according to a statement.

He will visit people displaced from El-Fasher, a southern city which was subject to a massacre of mind-boggling proportions in late 2025.

Turk’s arrival coincides with the Sudanese government’s return to the capital Khartoum after three years away. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia had overrun Khartoum early in the war in 2023.

Sudanese prime minister Kamil Idris told reporters:

Today, we return, and the Government of Hope returns to the national capital.

We promise you better services, better healthcare and the reconstruction of hospitals, the development of educational services … and to improve electricity, water and sanitation services.

They’re promising big things. But Sudan’s “unprecedented” crisis looks set to continue. The various states involved – particularly US and UK ally UAE – need to be brought to heel. But with many, multifaceted crises underway globally and a clear sense of international indifference to Sudanese life, it’s hard to see a way out of the morass.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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