At least 50,000 injured in Sudan war: ICRC

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
15 Apr 2025 21:29

The head of the ICRC in Sudan highlights that at least 50,000 people have sustained injuries since the breakout of war in the country, noting that this is a severe understatement.

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Soldiers arrive to the Allafah market, in an area recently recaptured by Sudan's army from the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, in the Al Kalalah district, south of Khartoum, Sudan, March 27, 2025 (AP)

At least 50,000 people have been wounded since the outbreak of war in Sudan, according to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in the country, Daniel O'Malley.

Speaking on Tuesday to China’s Xinhua news agency, O'Malley noted that the figure is likely an underestimation.

“This number reflects only a small part of the real loss,” O’Malley told Xinhua, adding that the ICRC has also documented around 8,000 cases of missing civilians in Sudan.

The devastating toll comes amid a deepening humanitarian crisis. Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that the number of children in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan has nearly doubled, from 7.8 million at the start of 2023 to more than 15 million in 2025.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also raised alarm over the scale of food insecurity in the country, noting that nearly 25 million Sudanese are facing acute hunger.

The Guardian published a piece detailing the two-year-long war in Sudan between the Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto ruler, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Burhan's former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan… pic.twitter.com/TkGJNOsz1D
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 15, 2025

Aid groups warn of mass starvation in Sudan as global support wanes

As Sudan enters its third year of war, leading international humanitarian organizations are raising the alarm over what they describe as an unprecedented catastrophe. With over 30 million people—nearly two-thirds of the population—now reliant on emergency assistance, the country is sinking deeper into famine, mass displacement, and violence.

In a joint appeal released ahead of a high-level ministerial conference on Sudan in the United Kingdom, the heads of the Danish Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council, CARE International, and Mercy Corps called on global leaders to act without delay. Without urgent intervention, they warn, the crisis will claim countless more lives.

"The world's failure to fund humanitarian action in Sudan has now become the biggest obstacle to saving lives," the statement reads. The 2025 humanitarian response plan—estimated at $4.1 billion—has received only 10 percent of its required funding. This shortfall is forcing local organizations to shut down critical services, including mobile clinics and communal kitchens that have served as lifelines for vulnerable communities.

Conditions across Sudan continue to deteriorate. Humanitarian agencies report relentless assaults on civilians and widespread use of sexual violence. "Women and girls endure systemic sexual violence," the statement adds, calling it one of the conflict's most horrifying features.

Displacement is surging. More than 3.7 million Sudanese—mostly women and children—have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, and Ethiopia, only to face overcrowded camps and scarce resources. Aid workers caution that these fragile host states are reaching a breaking point, with regional tensions escalating and humanitarian systems stretched to the limit.