On the humanitarian front in the capital, United Nations estimates indicate that around 1.8 million displaced people have returned to Khartoum despite harsh living conditions. The city continues to suffer from frequent power outages and severe deterioration in basic services, although domestic air traffic has begun to resume gradually at the capital’s airport.
The use of drones in the Sudanese conflict has escalated significantly, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties. According to UN reports, approximately 700 people have been killed in such attacks since last December, the latest of whom were five civilians killed in a strike targeting their vehicle south of Omdurman last Saturday.
As the war enters its fourth year, Sudan is facing what is described as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis in modern times, with tens of thousands killed and millions displaced. International mediation efforts led by the so-called “Quad” remain largely stalled due to deep divisions between the warring parties and their continued insistence on a military solution.
For his part, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan insists that the only way to end the war is for the Rapid Support Forces to surrender their weapons and withdraw from civilian areas. In his repeated speeches, he affirms that the armed forces will continue their operations until what he calls a “complete victory” and the elimination of the rebellion.
On the regional and international level, additional complications are emerging amid a 10% decline in global oil prices following reports of secret negotiations aimed at ending regional conflicts. Media reports also point to intensive contacts between Washington and Tehran to reach a framework agreement that could impact several hotspots in the Middle East and Africa, including the Sudanese crisis.
In Washington, the U.S. president is facing increasing domestic pressure amid declining popularity and public frustration over rising fuel prices, pushing his administration to seek de-escalation in global conflict zones. This comes amid a clear divergence between U.S. policy efforts aimed at closing war files and other actors pushing toward continued military escalation.