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While the world reels from a series of concurrent global emergencies — wars in Ukraine and Gaza, rising geopolitical tensions in Asia and record-breaking climate catastrophes — the devastating humanitarian crisis emanating from Sudan risks slipping through the cracks of international attention. This brutal internal conflict has already more than 20,000 lives and displaced some 13 million people. Of these, more than 3 million have fled the country, seeking refuge in already-vulnerable neighboring nations like Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya and Uganda.
Chad alone, one of the poorest and least-resourced countries in the world, has more than 1.2 million Sudanese civilians and returning Chadians since the onset of the conflict. The scope of the suffering is staggering, yet the silence from global powers and international organizations is deafening.
The pressure on host countries has reached intolerable levels. Chad, which has historically struggled with internal displacement, food insecurity and weak public infrastructure, now finds its overstretched systems buckling under the weight of more than a million new arrivals.
Entire towns have been overwhelmed. Local hospitals are at capacity and lack critical medicine and equipment. Water sources — already scarce due to desertification and poor infrastructure — are drying up or becoming polluted. Schools that once served a few hundred children now have to accommodate thousands, often without adequate classrooms, teachers or supplies.
The result is a mounting crisis in health, education and basic public services that not only threatens the well-being of the refugees but also risks sparking instability in host communities already suffering from chronic poverty and underdevelopment.
The scope of the suffering is staggering, yet the silence from global powers and international organizations is deafening
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Egypt, which has long been a destination for Sudanese fleeing earlier waves of conflict, is now experiencing the most intense pressure in recent history. More than are currently in Egypt, many of them having arrived in recent months. The country’s schools and hospitals — especially in border areas and poorer regions — are incapable of absorbing such numbers.
More than half of children are out of school and many face discrimination and legal ambiguity that bars them from enrolling in public education. Access to healthcare is likewise limited: refugees often rely on expensive private clinics or overstretched nongovernmental organizations for care.
Though the Egyptian government has kept its borders open, its economic situation, rising inflation and political constraints limit its capacity to absorb and care for so many vulnerable people. Meanwhile, Ethiopia, which is grappling with its own internal conflicts and political instability, has in more than 70,000 Sudanese refugees.
The situation for the refugees themselves is increasingly desperate. In every host country, they are experiencing unbearable conditions. Most arrived with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Shelter is often little more than plastic sheets stretched over sticks. Clean water is in short supply and cholera, typhoid and malaria outbreaks are common. Food rations are insufficient and many go entire days without eating. In Chad, some families have been forced to leaves or wild roots just to survive. Malnutrition rates among children are spiking.
Women and girls an additional burden. Sexual and gender-based violence is rampant, both during flight and in camps. In some areas, women report being to exchange sex for food, water or protection. Girls are being pulled from school to help their families survive or to avoid the risk of assault while walking long distances to crowded and under-resourced schools.
The psychological toll is immense. Most refugees have witnessed killings, torture or the destruction of their homes. They now face the daily trauma of insecurity, hunger and hopelessness in exile. Mental health support is practically nonexistent in most camps, even though the need is overwhelming.
The cost of inaction is too high. Ignoring the Sudanese refugee crisis will fuel greater instability in an already volatile region
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
This crisis demands an immediate and scaled-up response from the international community. Global agencies and governments cannot afford to turn their backs. The priority must be delivering emergency humanitarian aid — shelter, food, clean water, medical care and mental health services. These are not luxuries, they are the bare minimum for survival and dignity. Refugees must be granted full legal status under the UN Refugee Convention, ensuring their protection and their right to access services. Without legal status, they live in limbo, unable to work, study or move freely.
Beyond immediate relief, the world must implement longer-term solutions. Resettlement corridors must be expanded, offering safe pathways to countries outside the region that can provide permanent sanctuary. Wealthier nations, especially those in the West, have a moral obligation to share responsibility for resettlement and not simply outsource the crisis to Africa’s poorest states.
Integrated refugee-host community programs must be funded and supported — programs that allow for shared schools, joint agricultural projects and mutual economic development. These not only reduce tensions between refugees and host communities but also foster social cohesion and resilience.
Mental health and psychosocial support must be elevated in humanitarian planning. Trauma is not invisible — it cripples individuals and communities. Investments in community-based counseling, support groups and trauma-informed education can help rebuild lives shattered by war.
The cost of inaction is too high. Ignoring the Sudanese refugee crisis will fuel greater instability in an already volatile region. Host countries may face unrest or economic collapse under the weight of population pressures.
Refugees, denied dignity and opportunity, may be pushed onto dangerous migration routes, fall prey to traffickers or be recruited by armed groups. Public health emergencies — from cholera outbreaks to mental health epidemics — may spread across borders. And an entire generation of Sudanese children may grow up without education, nutrition or hope, sowing the seeds for long-term regional instability and global security risks.
In conclusion, we must not allow the suffering of Sudanese refugees to be forgotten. This crisis is not just a regional concern — it is a global test of conscience, solidarity and responsibility. As we confront multiple global challenges, we must not abandon the millions of men, women and children from Sudan who, through no fault of their own, have lost everything. The international community still has the power to change the trajectory of this crisis. But that power means nothing if it is not used.
- Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh