A senior United Nations official urged for increased global focus on Sudan’s ongoing crisis on Friday.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy head, described the situation as “the forgotten crisis” during an interview.
Over a year and a half of warfare has pushed Sudan to the brink of famine.
Chaiban’s appeal coincided with reports of violence in Gezira province.
Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, over 14 million people have fled their homes.
The ongoing war between Burhan’s army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the country, leading to widespread displacement, destruction of infrastructure, and a humanitarian catastrophe.
This makes Sudan the world’s largest displacement crisis, according to Chaiban.
He highlighted that 8.5 million individuals face emergency food insecurity, with another 775,000 experiencing famine-like conditions.
Chaiban noted that this crisis is unprecedented in recent memory.
He emphasized that despite the scale of suffering, international attention remains limited. “The whole country has been dislocated,” he stated.
The violence follows a pro-democracy uprising that ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
So far, the conflict has resulted in over 24,000 deaths, according to monitoring groups.
Chaiban, alongside UNHCR’s Raouf Mazou, visited eastern Sudan to meet local authorities and displaced persons.
They called for unhindered access to humanitarian aid across the nation.
As global attention shifts to the Middle East, Chaiban stressed Sudan’s urgent need for support.
He compared the response to the Israel-Hamas conflict with the lack of focus on Sudan’s humanitarian disaster.
According to global experts, over 25 million Sudanese are expected to face acute hunger this year.
The situation is dire, with famine already confirmed in several areas, including the Zamzam camp for displaced persons.
