Sudan 2024: The Year in Review

As with 2023, 2024 was another catastrophic year in Sudan and across the world.

War and conflict continues to ravage the world. The reignited Israel-Hamas war has left more than 43,000 people killed, in addition to 103,258 wounded, most of whom are children and women, and more than 1.9 million people internally displaced. In Sudan, war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which according to the UN, is the ‘worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history‘, killing tens of thousands of people, with estimates ranging from 20,000 to 150,000 killed, and 11 million people displaced. In 2024, Sudan has resulted in world’s largest displacement crisis.  

Here are some of the most significant events that took place in Sudan in 2024:

War in Sudan

Fighting between the SAF and the RSF continues to cause destruction and instability in Sudan. The RSF has controlled most of Khartoum and other major states ever since the war erupted in April 2023, and has been accused of committing violence against civilians, such as looting markets and hospitals, uprooting residents and confiscating their homes, and subjecting women and girls to extreme forms of sexual violence. However, in 2024, the SAF has been regaining or recapturing areas under RSF seige, making significant progress in Sinnar, Al Gezira and North Kordofan. 

In September 2024, the SAF launched a major offensive in Khartoum to regain ground held by the RSF, including control of three main bridges or crossings, including two that connect the city of Omdurman with Khartoum. This includes Souq Al Araby, a central market in the heart of Khartoum, and Halfaya, which allowed it to break an RSF siege on its military facilities in Kadroo, a nearby neighbourhood.

In November 2024, the SAF announced that it had regained control of Sinja, the capital of the State of Sennar in southeast Sudan near the border with Ethiopia. It had been under the control of the RSF for five months. In addition, the SAF recaptured Sinnar Sugar Factory and nearby villages. This opened up a supply route from eastern Sudan into the south.

Recently, the SAF regained control over Om Al Gora area in the eastern part of Al Gezira State and achieved significant progress in Om Rowaba City in North Kordofan State.

In October 2024, the SAF announced that commander Abuagla Keikal, a former army officer who became the RSF’s top commander in the southeastern state of El Gezira, had defected from the RSF in what would be the first such move by a senior figure since the two forces started fighting in April 2023. However, there has been no official statement, in print or on video, from Keikal. According to the SAF, Keikal decided to make the move because of his former force’s ‘destructive agenda’.

The numbers

The death toll: There has been discrepancies in the reporting on the death toll of the ongoing war in Sudan. Many media sources have previously reported that the number stood around 20,000. However, it has been recently reported that the death toll is far higher than previously reported. In November 2024, a report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Sudan Research Group stated that more than 61,000 people have died in Khartoum alone. Of these, 26,000 people were killed as a direct result of the violence, noting that the leading cause of death across the Sudan was preventable disease and starvation. Many more people have died elsewhere in the country, especially in Darfur, where there have been numerous reports of atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Most of the dead unaccounted for. However, others such as The New York Times and Genocide Watch put the number at 150,000.

Displaced: In October 2024, IOM released new figures on the displacement crisis in Sudan. The displacement number has hit 11 million. That’s up 200,000 since September 2023.  Another 3.1 million people have traveled across borders to flee the fighting. In total, nearly 30% of Sudan’s population has been displaced. More than half of those displaced are women, and more than a quarter of them are children under the age of five. According to the UN, almost 24 million Sudanese children are in jeopardy, with 14 million requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, 19 million deprived of education and four million displaced from their homes.

Deaths

Thousands continue to die in Sudan due to ongoing fighting between the SAF and the RSF. In addition to direct deaths from gunfire or airstrikes, main causes of death are disease, malnutrition and starvation, including children. The World Food Programme (WFP) recently declared a hunger emergency after famine was declared in North Darfur and is threatened in 14 other areas.

How can you help? Donations are urgently needed. Donating as little as USD10 can make a difference. Local and international NGOs are working to help provide food and shelter to as many people as possible in Sudan, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

How to Help the People of Sudan?

Famine in Sudan: Here is How You Can Help

Sudanese TV cameraman Hatim Mamon, passed away on 3 September 2024 in Cairo, Egypt after succumbing to his wounds as a result of a drone attack that targeted the Jebeit Military Institute and camp in July 2023.

Sudan Mourns the Death of TV Cameraman Hatim Mamon

The good news

Although Sudan is in the midst of war, there was some positive news this year with successful strides made by Sudanese individuals in various fields such as sports, filmmaking, philanthropy and more.

A 2024 Nobel Peace Prize nomination

Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) were nominated by Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize their critical role in providing lifesaving aid amidst one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. 

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Sudan’s Nobel Prize Nominated Emergency Response Rooms

Sudan at the Paris 2024 Olympics 

Sudanese athletes participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, officially branded as the Paris 2024 Olympics, from 26 July to 11 August 2024, representing the country in various sports.

It was Sudan’s 13th appearance at the Summer Olympics. Three Sudanese athletes will represent Sudan at the Paris 2024 Olympics  – Rana Saadeldin will be competing in the Women’s 100 m freestyle; Ziyad Saleem will be competing in the Men’s 100 m backstroke, and Yaseen Abdalla will be competing in the Men’s marathon.

Sudan and South Sudan at the Paris 2024 Olympics 

‘Sudan, Remember Us’ receives Audience Award at Ajyal Film Festival 2024

‘Sudan, Remember Us’, a powerful documentary, which captures a jubilant moment of defiance among young Sudanese activists after the overthrow of a long dictatorship, and then chronicles the military crackdown that followed, by French-Tunisian journalist Hind Meddeb received the Ajyal Audience Award at the Ajyal Film Festival 2024, Qatar’s much-anticipated annual gathering of global cinema, creativity, and cultural storytelling.

‘Sudan, Remember Us’ Receives Audience Award at Ajyal Film Festival 2024

Sudan qualifies for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2025

Sudan has qualified for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025. The 35th edition of AFCON will take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

Sudan Qualifies for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2025

Photos from Sudan in TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2024

Time magazine has selected the top 100 photos of 2024, including two photos from Sudan. One of a crowd cheering for the Sudanese military during a demonstration in Omdurman; another of Sudanese women and children registering as refugees in Chad.

TIME Features Photos from Sudan in TIME’s Top 100 Photos of 2024

The recognition of inspiring and influential Sudanese women

Sudanese women were recognised for their being some of the world’s most inspiring and influential women by the CNN, the BBC and Time magazine.

CNN Names Women’s Rights Activist Hala Al Karib Among World’s 30 Gender Equality Defenders

BBC Recognises Two Sudanese Women Among World’s 100 Most Inspiring and Influential Women

Sudanese-American Dr Iman Abuzeid is on the Time100 Next 2024 List

For more information on the events that took place in Sudan in 2024, visit reporting.unhcr.org/sudan-situation-global-appeal-2024