This week in al-Afad camp in Sudan, where hundreds of families have arrived after fleeing the fall of el-Fasher, I sat with a mother who had travelled thousands of kilometres with her five-year-old daughter and elderly mother. Her little girl had undergone brain surgery in a military hospital before they were displaced. Now she sits quietly beside her mother – docile, detached, no longer playing as children should. The mother spoke of being beaten, of bodies left along the road, of people too weak to go on, crawling and building makeshift trenches to escape detection by drones. Most of the men were killed or prevented from leaving. Somehow she made it to al-Afad, but tears fell from her eyes as she traced her daughter’s scar and spoke of December – of whether she could reach a hospital in time for her daughter’s next appointment.
Her story is not unique. Since April 2023, nearly 10 million people have been displaced within Sudan in the largest displacement crisis in the world while more than four million have fled across borders. Across Darfur and the Kordofans, entire communities are being uprooted, civilians targeted and essential services destroyed.
After an 18-month siege, the fall of el-Fasher has unleashed new atrocities: ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians. These are not just tragedies. According to a United Nations fact-finding mission, they are human rights violations and international crimes. Civilians are not bargaining chips. They must be protected, and humanitarian access must be guaranteed.
Sudan was once a crossroads of opportunity. Migrants from across Africa and the Middle East came to study, work and build businesses. Its cities were vibrant and cosmopolitan, its universities among the best in the region. Today, those same roads are filled with people fleeing in the opposite direction. Increasing numbers of Sudanese are now appearing in Libya and beyond, risking their lives in search of safety and work. A country that once offered refuge is now a source of flight.
Yet even in the midst of devastation, many Sudanese are trying to return. In Khartoum, Sennar and Gezira, families are coming back to shattered neighbourhoods and looted homes. Their return is not a gesture of endurance but a statement of intent: People want to rebuild. They want peace.
But determination alone cannot rebuild a nation. Sudan urgently needs two things: peace and access. Humanitarian organisations must be allowed to reach civilians cut off by fighting to deliver food, medicine and protection. Famine and disease are looming, and the longer access is denied, the higher the cost in lives.
At the International Organization for Migration, we are working alongside our partners to meet urgent needs, providing shelter materials, hygiene kits, food and mobile healthcare while tracking displacement across the country to guide the wider response. But without secure corridors, without safety guarantees, even the best-resourced aid operation will fall short.
Humanitarian aid can only hold the line; it cannot end the war. The widening global funding gap is not just about money. The only sustainable path forward is a negotiated ceasefire and an inclusive political process that brings Sudan’s warring parties to the table. Regional and international actors must use every tool available – diplomatic, economic and legal – to push for peace and accountability.
If peace takes root, Sudan can recover. Its land is fertile, its people capable, its potential immense. Within a decade, Sudan could again feed itself and contribute to the prosperity of the region. But recovery will demand sustained international engagement – not just emergency aid but investment in governance, education and livelihoods that allow people to live with dignity.
The mother I met in al-Afad camp still hopes her daughter will reach her next hospital appointment. Her hope, like Sudan’s, hangs on one thing only: that the world does not look away. That hope is fragile but not lost. It is the world’s responsibility to keep it alive – by opening access, mobilising resources and insisting on peace.
The people of Sudan have carried this burden long enough. It is time for the world to act.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.
