Before April 2023, life in Sudan was hard but it still had a sense of normality. People went to work, children went to school and families made plans for the future.
Since April 2023, Sudan has descended into a devastating humanitarian crisis. More than 13 million people, around half of them children, have been forced to flee their homes within the country, creating the largest internal displacement crisis in the world.
Sudan’s crisis did not appear overnight. Decades of conflict, political struggles, disputes over land and competition for resources laid the groundwork. The latest war, which began in April 2023 has pushed these tensions to a breaking point, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Today, the scale of need is overwhelming. At least 150,000 people have been killed, with indiscriminate attacks and mass killings on people being reported. The country’s healthcare system has collapsed and hospitals and clinics have been targeted, attacks on aid workers have made it difficult for organisations to deliver lifesaving aid and famine has been confirmed in some areas. More than 33 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance.
The impact on children is especially severe: around 14 million are out of school and 4.2 million young children and mothers need urgent treatment for malnutrition.
Over 2,041 grave child rights violations have been verified by the United Nations in the last year, including rape, abduction, and forced recruitment but the full scale is likely far greater with many cases never reported. In March 2024, Unicef, gave harrowing accounts of armed men raping and sexually assaulting children as young as one. Some children have tried to end their own lives as a result.
The crisis has also forced millions to flee beyond Sudan’s borders. More than 4.5 million people have escaped to neighbouring countries, including over 1.3 million to South Sudan, most of them children.
A young boy named Yasir, told War Child “Before the war we had a garden. I used to watch the animals and play there. Now there is no garden, no animals, and nothing for kids to play with.”
Outside Sudan, the conflict receives sporadic attention. The world moves quickly from one crisis to another. While organisations like the United Nations continue to call for peace and increased support, 2025 marked a major shift in humanitarian funding.
Key donor countries, including the US, the UK and European Union, reduced the support they provide, forcing aid organisations to scale back essential services, particularly for refugees and non-Sudanese fleeing Sudan in neighbouring countries like South Sudan and Uganda.
Yet, even after the desperation of the last three years, people continue to endure. Families support one another. Children still hope to return to school. Communities find ways to survive, even in the hardest conditions.
Ashan Abeywardena, War Child’s Emergency Response Manager, speaking from a camp for those fleeing the violence in Sudan told us in February:
“Just yesterday, 72 families, around 500 people, arrived here after travelling vast distances. One family walked nearly 1,000 kilometres through dangerous conditions.
Resources are under extreme strain and water is a major issue, a single water point serves up to 20,000 people. Life here is incredibly tough. The heat is unbearable, and sandstorms regularly sweep through these exposed camps.
Local authorities are trying to organise emergency food with the few NGOs still operating. The scale is overwhelming, but it’s also inspiring to see communities supporting each other despite having so little themselves.
We saw children playing in the sun, and women singing. My colleagues told me it was a wedding procession. What struck me is that life seems to go on and there seems to be a sense of permanency in these temporary camps despite all the tough conditions.”
Three years after the war began, the future of Sudan remains uncertain. There is no clear path to peace. April 15 is not just about remembering when the war started. It is about asking what happens next.
