Conflict has turned parts of Sudan ‘into a hellscape,’ Security Council hears

“Now more than ever, two years on, the people of Sudan need your action,” Edem Wosornu of the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said in a briefing to ambassadors on Wednesday.

“Nearly two years of relentless conflict in Sudan have inflicted immense suffering and turned parts of the country into a hellscape,” she added, listing some of the impacts.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left more than half the country, 24.6 million people, experiencing acute hunger.

Additionally, more than 12 million are now displaced, including 3.4 million who have fled across the border. Health services have collapsed, millions of children are out of school and relentless patterns of sexual violence have occurred.

Recent alarming developments

Ms. Wosornu focused on the latest alarming developments in North Darfur state, including the Zamzam displacement camp, and in Khartoum as well as the south of the country.

She said eight months after the Council adopted Resolution 2739 (2024), civilians in North Darfur remain under attack. The resolution demanded the RSF stop besieging the state capital, El Fasher.

Meanwhile, violence in and around Zamzam camp has further intensified. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of civilians are living there, where famine conditions have been confirmed. 

She said satellite imagery confirms the use of heavy weaponry in and around Zamzam in recent weeks, and the destruction of the main market facilities there. 

“Terrified civilians, including humanitarian workers, were unable to leave the area when the fighting was most intense. Many were killed, including at least two humanitarian workers,” she added.

Fierce fighting elsewhere

Civilians also continue to be directly impacted by ongoing fierce fighting in parts of Khartoum, where the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified reports of summary executions of civilians in areas that have changed hands.

“We remain deeply concerned about the very serious risks faced by local responders and community volunteers, in Khartoum and elsewhere,” she said.

Ms. Wosornu noted that in southern Sudan, there are reports of fighting spreading into new areas in North Kordofan and South Kordofan states, increasing risks for civilians and further complicating movements of humanitarian personnel and supplies.

Shocking reports of further atrocities in White Nile state have also emerged, including a wave of attacks earlier this month reported to have killed scores of civilians.

Support humanitarian response

She recalled that last week saw the launch of the 2025 humanitarian response plans for Sudan and the region. Together they call for $6 billion to support nearly 25 million people in Sudan and up to five million others, mainly refugees, in neighbouring countries.

She said the international community, particularly Security Council members, must spare no effort to mitigate the crisis.

Ms. Wosornu concluded her remarks by presenting three “key asks”. 

“We call on the Security Council – and all Member States with influence – to take immediate action to ensure all actors comply with international humanitarian law and protect civilians and the infrastructure and services they rely on,” she said. 

Her second request highlighted the importance of access, as “we need real implementation of the repeated commitments to facilitate and enable unhindered, unfettered humanitarian access to civilians in need.”

Finally, she highlighted the funding shortfall. 

“The scale of Sudan’s needs is unprecedented and requires an equally unprecedented mobilization of international support, including flexible funding,” she said.