The North African country of Sudan marks a grim anniversary this week: the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting a civil war for three years, creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. About 14 million people have been forced to flee the fighting, often multiple times, and 4.4 million have fled to other countries, mostly to Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt, but also some to Europe. Today, one in four Sudanese is displaced. The U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization says 21 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity, including 6.3 million in the most dire state of food emergency.

Quscondy Abdulshafi joins host Viola Gienger to discuss how Sudan got to this point, how the international community has responded, and where to go next.

Show Notes:

Quscondy Abdulshafi's April 2025 article for Just Security, "Two Years of War in Sudan: From Revolution to Ruin and the Fight to Rise Again."
Rachel George’s recent article for Just Security, “Amid Shaky Cea sefire, War in Iran Is Starving Sudan.”
Just Security Podcast episode “Assessing the Origins, Dynamics, and Future of Conflict in Sudan” with Executive Editor Matiangai Sirleaf, and three experts, Laura Nyantung Beny, Nisrin Elamin, Hamid Khalafallah, on Oct. 11, 2024.
Just Security’s Sudan Archive

Sudan Enters Its Fourth Year of Civil War