Sudan, a nation that has always been in the eye of the storm and MCSA that has been in its turbulent waters continues to face endless cycles of conflict and conflict-related hardships than bear in another year of pain and grief. The Sudanese people, who have gone through so many deprived and impoverished years of war, forced displacement, and economic and political crises, are now experiencing one of the worst eras of their lives.

Current strife accompanied by political breakdown, famine calamity, and economic devastation brings a desolate vision of Sudan in 2024. While the nation struggles internally, the rest of the world is again left to ask when the nation’s long period of grief will come to an end.

Over 4.5 million Sudanese are internally displaced, with millions seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

Sudan’s current crisis started in April of this year when the Sudanese Armed Forces SAF started fighting with the RSF, a paramilitary organization. These two groups earlier formed a critical part of the military-dominated government that emerged after the removal of Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and resorted to warfare putting the country in more mess.

Originally it was a conflict between army chiefs that escalated into a war in a very short space of time; many cities in Sudan including the capital, Khartoum, were affected. The conflict has displaced millions of people, meaning peoples’ homes, towns, and cities have been taken over by violence. Civilians die, families are torn apart, children are left without parents, and cities are destroyed as both ‘combs’ the nation for dominance.

The cost of human lives in this war has been catastrophic. UN reports that over 4.5 million people have been relocated within the country, while millions are seeking asylum in countries such as Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said Sudan is amongst the world’s rapidly expanding displacement concerns.

It has also burnt down many important structures for instance hospitals, schools as well as markets which in the current situation has greatly reduced the chances of Sudanese citizens accessing important basic needs such as health, education, and food. Hai organizations are finding it hard to get to the targeted groups since the conflict has greatly hindered humanitarian efforts.

Since the country’s southern region lacks security and there are continual clashes between two opposing groups, it is very risky to deliver aid to the poor Sudanese citizens and therefore they starve and suffer from diseases.

Conflict has destroyed key infrastructure, worsening access to food, healthcare, and education.

Apart from the violence, Sudan has been facing very sharp economic problems. The country has been in an economic crisis for several years now having lost source of its revenue from oil after the secession of South Sudan in 2011. Currently, inflation rates have risen significantly, and the Sudanese Pound continues to significantly devalue.

There are high rates of unemployment, and the poverty indices are off the roof. In 2017, a situation that has been made worse by the conflict is agriculture whose production has been interfered, and infrastructure and industries have been destroyed.

As for basic food products essential needs cannot be met, there are very few stocks of food products and many families in Sudan cannot even provide themselves with the minimum necessities of life. The emerging challenges are complicated by the exit of formal sources of credit, fuel and food crises culminating into economic havoc.

The political paradigm in Sudan is still as bleak as the economic one. The uprising of 2019, which led to the overthrow of al-Bashir after popular protests for several months, by providing a chance to transition to democracy. The Transitional Government that was supposed to pave the way for civilian leadership failed to provide order due to more interference from the military and the factions.

The dual bureaucracy system remained a destabilizing factor between the civilian and military officials as they could not find common ground. A large representation of the military in government and the lack of negotiations between the country’s political parties strengthened conflict-making factors. This means that as conflict deepens between the SAF and RSF, chances of qualifying political change become remote.

Inflation and poverty in Sudan are at unprecedented levels due to prolonged economic instability and conflict.

Hence, there have been varying international responses to the crisis. As for the attempts to moderate and broker truces, both have been consistently unfaithful to their word and have persisted in carrying out a violent struggle. The African Union (AU) and the United Nations are trying to urge both parties to cease fire, but they have no leverage to make parties listen. Other countries close to Sudan have also not received the calamity of war, with thousands of refugees fleeing to Chad, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

Some humanitarian assistance was provided by the international community, but they have not been enough to offer solutions to the crisis. Several measures including sanctions, diplomatic pressure, as well as peace-making missions have not come to any conclusion; instead, the Sudan situation is getting worse.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.