Sudan’s cries go unheard as millions suffer in a war without witness

By Daisy Okiring

The silence of the dead weighs heavier than the roar of gunfire.

In Sudan, where bombs fall faster than aid, the cries of mothers’ echo over empty cradles and bloodied streets. Cities have become graveyards, and time is now measured in explosions.

Since April 15, 2023, over 14,000 people have been killed, with 33,000 injured, and more than 8.5 million displaced—the world’s largest internal displacement crisis today. Among the displaced are 260,000 pregnant women, thousands of children, and countless people with disabilities—each fighting a different kind of war.

A legacy of bloodshed

To understand Sudan’s present, one must first confront its past.

In 2003, the western region of Darfur descended into hell when rebels took up arms against the government, accusing it of marginalization. In response, the regime of President Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militias, Arab fighters mounted on horses and camels. What followed was a campaign of mass killings, systematic rape, and village burnings that claimed an estimated 300,000 lives and displaced over 2.5 million people.

A burned-out village in Darfur stands as a haunting reminder of the 2003 genocide. Two decades later, the same soil is soaked with fresh blood, and the same people face extermination once more. Photo/AFP

The International Criminal Court indicted Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Yet he remained in power until 2019, when a popular revolution ousted him, raising hopes for justice and democracy.

But the very forces that committed these atrocities were never dismantled. They were rebranded—first as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—and integrated into the state. The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, would later become one of the main belligerents in Sudan’s current conflict.

From revolution to ruin

Following Bashir’s ouster, a transitional government attempted to steer Sudan toward civilian rule. But in 2021, that dream unraveled when the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF staged a coup. What began as an uneasy alliance collapsed into all-out war in April 2023, when negotiations over integrating the RSF into the regular army broke down.

Now, Khartoum lies in ruins. Hospitals have become battlegrounds. Markets have been turned to ash. Entire neighborhoods are deserted.

In Darfur, the genocide resumes.

Smoke rises from the ruins of El Geneina, where entire Masalit communities have been wiped out. Photo/CNN.

In West Darfur, especially El Geneina, the RSF has been accused of targeting the Masalit ethnic group, a Black African community that was also victimized in the early 2000s. Mass graves, public executions, and sexual violence are widespread.

According to the UN, up to 15,000 people may have been killed in West Darfur alone since mid-2023.

“This is the same genocide, continued under a new name,” says a human rights monitor. “And once again, the world is watching in silence.”

Collateral children and women caught in war

Children in Sudan are not just dying from bullets—they are perishing from starvation, disease, and neglect. Over 4 million children are displaced, and 10 million are out of school.

UNICEF warns of a humanitarian disaster, with 19,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition already reported. Many children are now orphans, wandering through camps or working for food.

Women and Children fleeing from the war. Photo/AFP

War has always had a gender, and in Sudan, it is often a woman’s scream. Over 260,000 pregnant women are displaced, many delivering babies without anesthesia or medical care. Some are raped during labor. Others die in childbirth—forgotten and unnamed.

Rape is being used systematically by armed groups. Survivors tell of assaults by multiple men, often in front of family members. Midwives work by flashlight, stitching torn flesh with used thread and no painkillers.

“Every night I fear dying in silence,” says Asha, eight months pregnant and alone.

Healthcare in collapse

Sudan’s health system is collapsing. The World Health Organization reports that 80% of health facilities in conflict zones are no longer functional. Doctors operate in darkness, using mobile phones as torches. Blood is scarce. Antibiotics are nearly nonexistent.

Without access to dialysis, cancer care, or insulin, thousands are dying preventable deaths. Cholera and measles outbreaks now spread through camps.

A forgotten war

Despite the staggering scale of the crisis, global attention has been minimal. Sudan’s war is not trending. Headlines rarely mention it. Aid is dwindling.

Doctors in Port Sudan perform surgery using flashlights. Supplies are low, but the will to save lives remains unbroken. Photo/The France 24.

The UN’s $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal remains less than 5% funded. Aid convoys are looted. Humanitarian corridors collapse before they’re opened.

“This is the most neglected crisis on earth,” says Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “If this were happening elsewhere, the world would scream.”

Hope amid horror

Still, hope survives.

Sudanese volunteers are doing the work of governments—feeding, housing, and healing. Teachers run makeshift schools under trees. Youth groups organize food drives using crowdfunding platforms.

Sudanese diaspora communities in the U.S., Europe, and the Gulf are raising awareness, lobbying, and donating whatever they can.