KHARTOUM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- As Sudan's brutal civil war enters its third year, the country remains gripped by a deepening humanitarian, political, and economic catastrophe.

International organizations have described the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- erupted on April 15, 2023 -- as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today, which is marked by widespread hunger, disease, displacement, and loss of life.

With fierce clashes persisting on the ground and peace efforts stalled, experts said the country is at a political crossroads as the conflict showed no sign of abating.

"UNPRECEDENTED" HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the situation in Sudan as a tragedy of "staggering scale and brutality." In February, Tom Fletcher, UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called it "unprecedented in its scale and gravity."

Al-Rashid Ali Awouda, a Sudanese political analyst, said that international organizations' estimates of the humanitarian impacts of the war may be lower than the actual reality.

"The Sudan crisis seems to have been forgotten. Certainly, all the figures related to the humanitarian impact are merely estimates, and the reality is likely far worse," Awouda told Xinhua.

According to the International Organization for Migration, over 15 million people have been displaced, both internally and across borders. Meanwhile, Sudan's agricultural sector lies in ruins, compounding the suffering.

Cindy McCain, executive director of the UN World Food Program, noted that "millions of civilians had lost their livelihoods while humanitarians struggled to reach those in need because of access restrictions."

The war has also raised fear of widespread famine.

Nearly 25 million people -- half of Sudan's population -- now depend on international aid, with vast regions teetering on the brink of famine, according to relief agencies.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report released in December 2024 warned that famine is already spreading in at least five regions, with five more at risk. The country faces an escalating hunger emergency as war and displacement disrupt food production and humanitarian access.

STALLED PEACE EFFORTS

Despite numerous regional and international attempts, no peace agreement has been reached since the war began.

In May 2023, Saudi Arabia and the United States put forward a peace initiative in Jeddah as the first serious attempt to end fighting in Sudan, which was later known as the Jeddah Platform. It led to a temporary ceasefire through the Jeddah Declaration -- but failed to lead to lasting peace.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) proposed a roadmap in June 2023 during talks in Djibouti. However, the Sudanese army boycotted the dialogue, accusing some IGAD members of favoring the RSF.

In July 2024, the UN hosted indirect talks in Geneva centered on humanitarian issues but ended without concrete results. A follow-up round in the following month also collapsed after the army declined to participate.

Analysts cited three main reasons for the stalled ceasefire talks: the deep-rooted differences and unwillingness to compromise between the warring parties; a strategic preference by both sides to make military gains before returning to negotiations; and a shared perception of bias among international mediators.

POLITICAL IMPACT

Sudan is facing a political crossroads as the conflict deepens. While the army moves to establish a "war government" to oversee the country's affairs, the RSF is reportedly preparing to form a parallel government in alliance with various military and political factions.

Analysts warn that this escalating power struggle could prolong the conflict and mirror other regional crises marked by rival administrations, ultimately risking the division of Sudan.

"This conflict threatens the unity of the country. If both sides continue with their plans, the division of Sudan will become inevitable," Abdul-Khaliq Mahjoub, a Sudanese political analyst, told Xinhua.

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023, with the death toll estimated at tens of thousands. Enditem

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