Sudan War
Where Is Sudan and What Sparked the Sudan War?
Sudan, situated in northeast Africa and bordered by Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Libya, has been mired in the catastrophic Sudan War since April 2023. The conflict arose between two opposing military factions — the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Their adversary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). What commenced as a struggle for power between two military leaders has transformed into one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, where starvation has become a tool of warfare.
Although international news occasionally reports on the Sudan War, few comprehend the extent of the suffering caused by hunger, displacement, and targeted persecution. The nation—already fragile after years of turmoil—has now turned into a battleground where food is withheld, aid is obstructed, and civilians are deliberately starved into submission.
Starvation as a Tool of Warfare in the Sudan Conflict
In the ongoing conflict in Sudan, starvation has been systematically utilized as a weapon. Reports from the World Food Programme (WFP) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) indicate that both factions involved in the war have impeded humanitarian corridors, plundered aid warehouses, and assaulted food convoys.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that over 18 million individuals are currently experiencing severe food insecurity, with approximately 5 million teetering on the edge of famine.
Starvation is not an unintended consequence of the Sudanese conflict; it is a calculated strategy. The Rapid Support Forces have allegedly taken control of essential grain silos in Darfur and Kordofan, while the Sudanese Armed Forces have limited the distribution of humanitarian aid to areas controlled by the RSF.
The consequences have been devastating: children succumbing to malnutrition, mothers resorting to boiling leaves for sustenance, and entire communities isolated from external assistance.
This situation is not simply a matter of oversight; it constitutes a deliberate war crime as defined by Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which categorizes "intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare" as a prosecutable offense.
The Siege of Cities: Cutting Off Life Lines
Across Sudan, cities such as El Fasher, Nyala, and Geneina have been transformed into siege zones. During these blockades, both sides of the Sudan War have cut off trade routes, prevented humanitarian aid deliveries, and controlled food supplies to manipulate populations. Witnesses told Amnesty International that armed men deliberately burned granaries and agricultural fields to deny food to communities believed to support the rival side.
Satellite imagery released by the Conflict Observatory in late 2024 showed vast areas of scorched farmland across Darfur—once Sudan’s breadbasket—destroyed. Farmers who tried to plant were threatened or killed, creating a man-made famine that now grips the region.
Health Crisis Amid Famine
Starvation in the Sudan War has unleashed a secondary humanitarian catastrophe: a full-scale health collapse. Malnourishment weakens immunity, making communities vulnerable to cholera, measles, and malaria outbreaks. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 70% of Sudan’s hospitals in conflict areas are nonfunctional.
In displacement camps, especially around Port Sudan and Kassala, children are dying from treatable diseases simply because food and medicine cannot reach them. Health workers recount stories of infants with distended bellies and skeletal frames—a haunting echo of the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s.
Religious and Ethnic Dimensions of Hunger
The Sudan War has revealed a grim pattern: starvation is not used randomly but selectively. In Darfur, Masalit and Fur Muslim communities—already survivors of the 2003 genocide—are once again being starved into extinction.
In Khartoum, residents of working-class Muslim neighborhoods who opposed both factions face deliberate economic blockades.
This targeted deprivation amounts to collective punishment, a grave breach of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Experts from the UN Human Rights Council have warned that the use of starvation against particular ethnic and religious groups could qualify as genocide under international law.
International Law and the Crime of Starvation
Under international humanitarian law, intentionally starving civilians is unequivocally illegal. The Rome Statute, Geneva Conventions, and Additional Protocols I and II classify it as a war crime and, in certain cases, as a crime against humanity.
Despite this, accountability in the Sudan War remains elusive. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over Darfur crimes but has yet to open new investigations into starvation tactics used since 2023. The UN Security Council has failed to pass binding resolutions, blocked by geopolitical divides.
The absence of justice emboldens perpetrators and perpetuates impunity—turning hunger into a legitimate military tool in modern conflicts.
A Humanitarian Response Strangled by Politics
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly appealed for funding, yet the response remains grossly inadequate. The 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan was only 27% funded as of September. Aid agencies, already stretched thin, face enormous risks on the ground.
In a tragic irony, even as the Sudan War rages, tons of food aid lie stuck in Port Sudan warehouses due to bureaucratic blockages and military restrictions. Relief trucks cannot move without security clearances from both sides, effectively transforming aid into another weapon of negotiation.
FAQs on the Sudan War and Starvation as a Weapon
1. Why is the international community silent on the Sudan War?
The global silence surrounding the Sudan War reflects political fatigue and competing international crises. Despite clear evidence that starvation and civilian deaths amount to war crimes, the Sudan War receives limited media coverage and diplomatic urgency. The lack of accountability allows famine, disease, and religious persecution to worsen with every passing month.
2. Is starvation in the Sudan War considered a war crime?
Yes. Under international humanitarian law, deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime. In the Sudan War, evidence shows that factions intentionally prevent food and medicine from reaching besieged populations. The International Criminal Court has noted that starvation in the Sudan War qualifies as a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions.
3. How many people are affected by hunger in the Sudan War?
More than 20 million people are facing severe food insecurity due to the Sudan War. According to humanitarian agencies, nearly half the population of Sudan requires urgent food aid, and many are on the brink of famine. The Sudan War has disrupted agriculture, destroyed markets, and displaced millions, making starvation a defining feature of this brutal conflict.
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