Sudan’s civil war has crossed into its fourth year with no ceasefire in sight. Donors at an emergency conference in Berlin pledged over $1.5 billion in new humanitarian assistance — but the UN says the 2026 humanitarian appeal for Sudan remains only 16 percent funded. The gap between what is promised and what is disbursed is itself a crisis.
The scale of the catastrophe
34 million Sudanese people — roughly two-thirds of the population — require humanitarian assistance. 14 million have been displaced, making Sudan’s displacement crisis the largest on earth, surpassing Ukraine, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed or injured at least 245 children, according to UNICEF field reports.
The Berlin pledging conference
The conference, co-hosted by Germany and the European Union, convened diplomats, aid agencies, and Gulf state representatives. The $1.5 billion in pledges represents an increase over the previous year’s conference total but falls well short of the $4.8 billion the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) says is required to prevent famine. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States were the largest individual pledgers.
The regional spillover
Chad is now hosting over 1.3 million Sudanese refugees — more than any country except Egypt. The influx has strained Chad’s fragile economy, overwhelmed refugee camps, and created a secondary food insecurity crisis in the Sahel. UNHCR says it requires $600 million for Chad operations alone in 2026 and has received less than 8 percent of that figure.
The military situation
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF remain locked in a war of attrition. Khartoum is partially controlled by each side. The RSF continues to hold most of Darfur. Both factions have systematically blocked humanitarian convoys. No peace talks are currently scheduled, and the African Union mediation process — which produced a framework agreement in late 2024 — has stalled. There is no pathway to an end that either side currently accepts.
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