Amnesty International published on 1 July 2026 a report titled "City Under Seige, Children Under Fire: Rapid Support Forces' Crimes Against Humanity in North Darfur."
This is a 202-page report on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) atrocities in North Darfur based on 247 interviews, including 208 with survivors of the RSF seizure of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.
Deutsche Welle published on 15 March 2026 an article titled "Civil War in Sudan Is a Never-ending Humanitarian Crisis" by Jennifer Holleis,
This update on the civil war in Sudan is a continuing humanitarian crisis increasingly fueled by drone warfare and disappearing from international attention.
CNN published on 4 February 2026 an article titled "One Year on from Dismantlement of USAID, Study Projects that Global Aid Cuts Could Lead to 9.4 Million Deaths by 2030" by Lauren Kent.
The Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) early last year. A new study by the Lancet medical journal projects that the human toll of these aid cuts could lead to at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030.
The Center for Global Development reports that the dismantlement of USAID may have led to between 500,000 to 1,000,000 lives lost in 2025 compared to previous years.
The New York Times published on 27 October 2025 an article titled "Diphtheria, a Once Vanquished Killer of Children, Is Resurgent" by Stephanie Nolen.
Diphtheria returned to Somalia in 2023 and subsequently more than 2,000 cases have been reported. Outbreaks have also occurred in Nigeria, Sudan, and Chad as countries in conflict experience low levels of vaccination.
The Associated Press published on 16 May 2025 an article titled "Children Die as USAID Cuts Snap a Lifeline for the World's Most Malnourished" by Taiwo Adebayo.
Drawing on a program implemented by Mercy Corps in Nigeria to feed malnourished children, the article documents the damage caused by dismantling USAID. It also looks at the closure of global programs administered by Helen Keller International.
Ethiopia Insight published on 23 April 2025 a commentary titled "Blood and Honor Culture Holds Us Back" by Negassa Dube, a lawyer in Seattle, Washington and advocate for Oromo rights.
Ethiopia has been entangled in a recurring cycle of war and conflict. The author argues that Ethiopia's deeply rooted warrior culture perpetuates this cycle. Ethiopian children are immersed in narratives that glorify warriors as national heroes. Ethiopian media reinforce this narrative.
Acknowledging the problem is the first step toward meaningful change. While the warrior ethos has preserved sovereignty against colonial powers and oppression, it is now perpetuating a cycle of conflict.
Population Health Metrics published on 14 March 2025 a study titled "Civilian Death and Injury from Airstrikes: Evidence from the War in Tigray, Ethiopia" by Mulugeta Gebregziabher et al.
The study assessed the impact of airstrikes on civilians from June 2021 until November 2022 during the war between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. A total of 1,143 casualties from airstrikes were reported from six zones and 24 districts of Tigray Region. Almost a third of the victims were children under the age of 18 and 45 percent of the casualties were female.
Brookings published on 4 February 2025 a series of essays titled "Implications of a USAID Shutdown."
This is a series of short essays by a variety of experts on how the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID will impact US foreign policy. The introduction, written several days ago, suggests the administration may be walking back the dismantlement. More recent information suggests this is not the case. On the contrary, it appears to be stepping up the disintegration of the organization.
The International Crisis Group posted on 26 June a 32-minute podcast titled "Sudan Is Starving, Now What?" with Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation, interviewed by Alan Boswell.
Alex de Waal, who has followed Sudan for decades, warned not to get caught up in the official definition of famine as the problem may be the absence of good data to make such a declaration. In any event, there is a starvation crisis in Sudan. The most affected region is Darfur, but the entire country is facing a food crisis.
The Sudan Armed Forces, serving as the recognized government of Sudan, is blocking a famine declaration and even using it as a weapon. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, for its part, is nothing more than a "pillage machine." The result is a country that has become a "complex catastrophe" with numerous causes.
Reuters published on 20 June 2024 an article titled "Sudan's Cemeteries Swell with Fresh Graves as Hunger and Disease Spread" by Ryan McNeill, Maggie Michael, and Reade Levinson.
As hunger and disease spread in Sudan, especially Darfur region, the graveyards grow in size. Almost 20 percent of Sudan's population is currently facing an emergency food situation or worse because of the civil war. About two-thirds of Sudanese no longer have access to healthcare. Sudan risks a lost generation.
Aljazeera published on 7 June 2024 an article titled "Dozens Killed Near Sudan's Capital as UN Warns of Soaring Displacement."
An official with the International Organization of Migration said 9.9 million people are now displaced across Sudan. An official with the World Food Program added that Sudan is "on the verge of collapse."
Aljazeera published on 29 March 2024 an article titled "Sudan Slips into Famine as Warring Sides Starve Civilians" by Virginia Pietromarchi.
One year since war broke out in Sudan, the article says that interrupted online remittances, soaring food prices, a reduction in local cereal production, and warring factions preventing the delivery of food aid have put Sudan in the middle of a "humanitarian disaster." The article quotes experts who predict famine will occur in areas such as Darfur by June of this year.
The United Nations published on 20 March 2024 a press release titled "Conflict Between Warring Parties in Sudan Pushing Millions to Brink of Famine, Top UN Officials Tell Security Council, Warning Entire Generation Could Be Destroyed."
Comment: Neither the Aljazeera article nor the UN officials argue that famine currently exists in Sudan, although both believe it is likely in the next two to three months. According to the UN, famine is a technical term that exists when three conditions come together in a specific geographic area such as a region or country. The conditions are:
--At least 20 percent of the population in that particular area are facing extreme levels of hunger,
--30 percent of the children in the same place are wasted, or too thin for their height, and
--The death rate has doubled from the average, surpassing two deaths per 10,000 daily for adults and four deaths per 10,000 daily for children.
The UN Human Rights Council published on 29 February 2024 an unedited version of its "Report of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan."
The report details a range of human rights violations, abuses, and related crimes, including systematic political repression and economic predation by political elites. Women continue to endure pervasive discrimination, inequality, sexual violence, and sexual slavery. Children suffer egregious violations, arising from the ongoing insurgency and resurgent subnational violence, fueled by local and national elites.
VOX published on 8 November 2023 an article titled "The World's Largest Child Displacement Crisis Is in Sudan" by Bryan Walsh.
More than 10 percent of Sudan's population has been internally displaced because of internal conflict and more than a million Sudanese have fled the country. An estimated 19 million children are no longer attending school. UNICEF issued a report calling Sudan the "largest child displacement crisis in the world" with more than 3 million children forced to flee their homes.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) posted on 22 July 2022 its "2022 Global Report on Food Crises."
The report noted that in 2021 42 million people in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda faced high levels of acute food insecurity. Conflict and insecurity, weather extremes, and macro-economic shocks were the primary drivers of acute food insecurity in the region. In 2022, IGAD projects 50 million people in these countries will face a food crisis or worse. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is exacerbating the situation due to failed grain deliveries.
UNICEF published on 28 April 2022 a press release titled "UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell Visits Drought-impacted Somali Region in Ethiopia and Calls for an Immediate Scaled-up Response to Save the Lives of Millions of Children."
Three failed consecutive rainy seasons in parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia have caused one of the worst droughts in decades. One of the most impacted areas is Somali region of Ethiopia. Some 10 million children need urgent life-saving support.
The Associated Press published on 20 April 2022 an article titled "Report: Hunger Kills Hundreds of Kids in Ethiopia's Tigray."
The UN reports that more than 90 percent of Tigray's population requires humanitarian assistance, although most are not receiving it. About 700,000 people face "famine-like conditions." At least 1,900 children under 5 have died from malnutrition.
UN News published on 9 February 2022 an article titled "Ethiopia in 'Much Better Place' to Resolve Tigray Conflict: Mohammed."
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohmmed recently finished a 5-day trip to Ethiopia where she visited Tigray, Amhara, Somali, and Afar regions. She emphasized the UN Secretary General's call for an end to conflict and concluded there is "less hostility than there was a few months ago."
The BBC posted on 11 June 2021 an article titled "Ethiopia Conflict: 33,000 Tigray Children Risk Death from Hunger - UN."
UNICEF has warned that 33,000 severely malnourished children in Tigray Region are at high risk of death. The UN report puts most of Tigray Region in phase 4 (emergency) status. Parts of Afar Region and Amhara Region are in phase 3 (crisis) status.
