In the first quarter of 2025, more than 1,000 Sudanese refugees have reached or attempted to reach Europe, the United Nations refugee agency reports, marking a grim milestone in a conflict that has devastated Sudan since April 2023. The war, now in its second year, pits the Sudanese Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.) in a brutal struggle for power. Fighting, particularly intense in urban centers like Khartoum, has displaced over 12 million people and killed more than 61,000. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire, with both sides accused of targeting non-combatants, looting, and using starvation as a weapon of war. As violence intensifies and humanitarian conditions collapse, many Sudanese see no alternative but to flee across the Mediterranean and into Europe.

During a press briefing at Palais des Nations in Geneva, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesperson Olga Sarrado confirmed that 484 Sudanese refugees arrived in Europe during January and February 2025, a 38% increase compared to the same period last year. A further 937 people were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, which is more than double the number from early 2024. Sarrado stated that the situation has been compounded by severe aid cuts and a lack of coordinated international response. Humanitarian organizations on the ground are operating with dwindling resources, and many Sudanese refugees are left with no choice but to seek help elsewhere, even if it means risking death at sea.​ 

Global media coverage regarding the crisis in Sudan remains scant, especially compared to those of similar scale in other parts of the world, leading to a dangerous lack of awareness and urgency. This silence has allowed the unchecked militarization of the conflict, where both the army and R.S.F. continue to prioritize control over lives. The use of siege tactics and blockades—cutting off food, water, and medical aid to civilian populations—cannot be ignored or excused. Without an immediate end to hostilities and a shift toward inclusive peacebuilding, any political outcome will come at the cost of enormous human suffering. Superficial peace talks or top-down power-sharing deals will not address the trauma inflicted by such indiscriminate violence.​

Sudan’s current crisis is rooted in a long history of instability, authoritarian rule, and military coups. Since the ousting of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, hopes for a democratic transition have repeatedly been dashed. The 2023 outbreak of full-scale war between the Armed Forces and the R.S.F. followed months of tension and a failed power-sharing arrangement. Both sides have sought legitimacy through force rather than public mandate, pulling the country deeper into chaos. Past international interventions have been inconsistent, and critical diplomatic opportunities have often been missed.​

If this trajectory continues, the implications will be dire, not only for Sudan but for regional and global stability. Continued neglect risks not only humanitarian collapse but also a long-term refugee crisis that Europe and neighboring African countries are ill-prepared to absorb. To prevent this, the international community must move beyond expressions of concern and take tangible steps: restore and expand humanitarian aid, impose accountability on those committing atrocities, and prioritize a bottom-up peace process that centers the needs of civilians. Sudanese lives cannot remain invisible, nor should they be sacrificed to a proxy war between elites.​