Millions of Sudanese are on the run.Image: Getty Images Europe
Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the civil war in Sudan. A conference in Berlin aims to prevent the world’s largest humanitarian crisis from being forgotten in the face of other wars.
April 15, 2026, 6:34 p.mApril 15, 2026, 6:34 p.m
After three years of war in Sudan Around 34 million people rely on humanitarian aid. Around 21 million people suffer from acute hunger, around 14 million are on the run, living in temporary accommodation or in neighboring countries. Estimates put the number at well over 150,000 dead, although the true number of victims could only be determined after the end of the war. In short: Sudan is currently the scene of the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
On the third anniversary of the civil war, on April 15th, an international Sudan conference will take place in Berlin. There is little hope for an end to the war because the warring parties are not invited. Instead, the main aim of the meeting is to prevent suffering and increase humanitarian assistance.
A ceasefire is therefore not in sight for the time being. Attempts at mediation are being driven by the USA – but have so far failed. Internationally, other conflicts are currently in greater focus. However, the deputy head of the World Food Program (WFP), Carl Skau, expressed the hope that the Sudan conference in Berlin would put the country back on the international agenda.
Sudan remains the country with the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. An overview of the civil war and its consequences.
Who is fighting against whom?
The civil war in Africa’s third largest country began on April 15, 2023. For three years, the Sudanese government army SAF under de facto ruler Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF militia under Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been fighting bitterly for dominance in the country. The two once seized power together – Daglo was al-Burhan’s deputy.
Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (second from right, front) waves to citizens gathered in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan.Image: IMAGO/Xinhua
The country is now largely divided into spheres of control: Since last year, the army has again controlled the largely destroyed capital Khartoum and the east of Sudan. With the capture of the city of Al-Fashir, the RSF has the large Darfur region in the west under control. There it not only has access to supply routes from Chad, Libya and the Central African Republic, but with control over important gold deposits it can also finance arms purchases.
There is currently heavy fighting, especially in the Kordofan region further south. Experts like Alan Boswell from the International Crisis Group see the danger of a permanent division of the country.
What are the consequences of war crimes?
Human rights organizations accuse both the SAF and the RSF militia of human rights and war crimes. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), up to 80 percent of health facilities have been destroyed or are unable to function. Millions of Sudanese people are suffering from hunger and many are fleeing.
The SAF is accused of indiscriminate bombing, including in residential areas. The RSF, on the other hand, uses sexual violence as a weapon of war, particularly against the non-Arab populations in Darfur.
Sexual violence has become a defining and pervasive feature of the conflict, according to a report by Doctors Without Borders presented at the end of March. “In many ways, this war was fought on the backs and bodies of women and girls.” There are also reports of massacres, torture and mass shootings, particularly in Darfur. UN investigators see signs of genocide.
Who else is involved in the country?
The civil war is also about spheres of influence: it is undisputed that the RSF receives support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In early 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on a network of companies in the Emirates owned or controlled by Daglo and his family. The government, in turn, is supported by neighboring Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
These four states form the so-called Quad group, which is supposed to mediate in Sudan, but at the same time pursues its own interests in the conflict.
This is the quad group
The Quad group consists of the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In mid-September 2025, the four states publicly committed to shared principles to contain the war in Sudan and advance a political solution. A concrete peace plan is not yet available.
What role does the Iran war play?
As a result of the Iran war, the supply situation for people in the civil war-torn country of Sudan has further deteriorated. The Secretary General of Welthungerhilfe, Matthias Mogge, pointed this out to the DPA news agency. Supply chains have been interrupted and transport costs have increased.
“Our teams in Sudan are reporting massive price jumps: fuel has become more expensive locally by up to 80 percent, and staple foods such as wheat by around 70 percent,” said Mogge. “For many families, even the simplest basic foods have become unaffordable.” At the same time, the costs of aid deliveries have also risen sharply, meaning that significantly fewer people can be reached.
Helpers distribute food to Sudanese families.Image: keystone
WFP deputy head Skau also sees clear effects from the Iran war. All of the diesel used in Sudan comes from the Gulf region. “But I’m also worried about the long-term consequences, because all the fertilizer in this country comes from the Persian Gulf,” Skau told the DPA news agency. Prices have already risen and there are shortages in the availability of this fertilizer. Since agriculture in Sudan depends heavily on irrigation and most of the water comes from the Nile, it has to be pumped up.
«This war in the Middle East affects us all. But in countries like Sudan it has particularly dramatic effects,” said Skau.
What are the goals of the Sudan Conference?
On Wednesday, three years after the start of the war, leading politicians from Europe and Africa as well as representatives of civil groups made a new attempt to find a peace solution. The international Sudan conference in Berlin is also intended to ensure that what the UN says is currently the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, given the wars in Iran and Ukraine, does not fall out of the public eye.
The third Sudan conference to date, following meetings in Paris and London, is being organized by the German federal government together with Great Britain, France, the USA and the European and African Union. The event consists of a meeting of foreign ministers, a humanitarian conference with funding commitments and a meeting of civil actors to negotiate a peace roadmap.
A total of 120 delegations have been invited to the Foreign Office in Berlin, around 60 of them from civil society. Much is expected in Berlin from the deliberations between civilian representatives from Sudan and exile. There is a great danger that military forces would ultimately take power again.
A breakthrough towards a ceasefire is not expected at the conference.
With material from the news agencies SDA and DPA.