The UN’s refugee chief, Filippo Grandi, expressed deep concern on Sunday about the future of the Sudanese people as the civil war continues to escalate, forcing many to flee to countries like Uganda and to maritime borders in Europe. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, over 10 million people have been displaced, with around two million having left Sudan.
“What’s the future for a country like Sudan, devastated by war?” Grandi questioned in an interview with AFP ahead of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week. His role at the UNHCR, which employs 20,000 staff, is crucial as the number of global refugees continues to rise; the agency has also received the Nobel Peace Prize twice.
Grandi highlighted the troubling trend of Sudanese fleeing beyond neighboring countries, noting that approximately 40,000 have arrived in Uganda and at least 100,000 in Libya. He warned that many might attempt to reach Europe via traffickers and dangerous boat journeys to Italy and other countries.
“We have been warning the Europeans,” he stated, emphasizing that humanitarian aid for Sudan is insufficient and that the outflow of refugees is likely to increase. “This crisis is really beginning to impact the whole region in very, very risky ways,” he added.
Refugees are also finding shelter in Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic, while millions of Sudanese migrants are already residing in Egypt. The civil war has pitted the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary RSF forces of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and plunging 26 million people into severe food insecurity.
Grandi pointed out that famine has been declared in Zamzam camp in Darfur, near El-Fasher, where the RSF has launched a large-scale offensive after months of siege.
“We have very patchy information about the situation inside,” Grandi stated. “(But) we know that there are certain patterns”—specifically, that militias, sometimes linked to one of the warring parties or the RSF itself, are targeting and pressuring civilians. According to UN experts, the RSF, supported by Arab militias, has killed between 10,000 and 15,000 people in the West-Darfur town of El-Geneina alone.
“This most grave crisis—a crisis of human rights and humanitarian needs—passes largely unobserved by our international community,” Grandi lamented. “Every new crisis pushes the other crisis away,” referencing situations in Ukraine and Gaza. He emphasized that even before the escalation in Gaza, the conflict in Sudan had been “marginalized” despite its significant impact, criticizing the “frightening and shocking” lack of interest in crises in Africa, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sahel.
Grandi questioned the future of Sudan even if peace were to be achieved, noting that the middle class, which had previously held the country together, has been completely destroyed. “They know that it’s over. They’ve lost their jobs, their homes have been destroyed,” he said. “Many times, relatives have been killed. It’s atrocious.”
