An Invisible Crisis: Why Is The World Ignoring Sudan?

Daniela Mendes e Fernanda Sampaio | CPOI

Internacionalizando

While global attention is focused on conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, an invisible crisis is unfolding in the heart of Africa. Sudan has been facing a severe humanitarian crisis that cannot be understood in isolation, but rather as the result of a historical process marked by external interference that continues to affect the country to this day. British colonial policies that deepened internal divisions. Prolonged economic sanctions that weakened state structures, international involvement in the secession of South Sudan, and continued influence of regional powers, all of these are factors that have contributed to persistent instability, power struggles, and deep internal divisions over time. 

Since the period of the Partition of Africa, the political organization of Sudanese territory has been artificially structured, disregarding ethnic, religious and social dynamics, which contributed to the formation of a fragile and chronically conflicting State (HOBSBAWM, 1995; UN NEWS, 2024). 

In this context, successive political crises and institutional instability have not only intensified internal disputes but have also hindered the construction of a stable political order, culminating in a scenario of violence. However, despite the magnitude of the conflict, considered today the largest humanitarian displacement crisis in the world (UN NEWS, 2024), the conflict in Sudan remains underreported and largely ignored by the international community. Given a global landscape that reveals a hierarchy in the way crises are addressed, why does the war in Sudan continue to be relegated to international silence and diplomatic invisibility?

For 30 years (1989-2019), Omar al-Bashir shaped Sudan through an authoritarian and corrupt political system, having come to power through a coup d’état and maintaining his rule through persistent civil conflicts, which marked his government and fostered distrust among military forces (UN NEWS, 2024).

Although a wave of popular protests in 2019 led to Bashir’s removal and raised hopes for a democratic transition (CNN Brasil, 2025), these hopes were not met, as political control continued to be dominated by military leaders. Instead of promoting political reorganization, the transition was marked by rivalry between official and paramilitary forces (UN NEWS, 2023).

This scenario demonstrates that the final rupture in 2023 reflects a deeper and prolonged process of national instability, as well as the collapse of a transitional process that ultimately failed. The conflict erupted from direct confrontation between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), both seeking control of the state. Thus, the intensification of the struggle for political and military control resulted in instability and institutional fragmentation, reinforcing that the current crisis is a direct consequence of internal power tensions (CNN BRASIL, 2025).

As of April 2023, what had been a political and military tension escalated into a war that turned Khartoum, the country’s capital, into a battlefield. The conflict is driven by a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). What began as a dispute over state power resulted in widespread violence against the Sudanese population, with alarming humanitarian consequences. Among these consequences one might include, for instance, the disruption of essential healthcare services (MSF, 2024). Additionally, due to the blockade of trade routes, Sudan is now facing one of the highest levels of food insecurity in the world. This blockade, created by both sides of the conflict to prevent supplies from reaching rural areas, uses hunger as a tool of military pressure and, because of that, has severely limited access to essential goods and humanitarian aid (AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 2024). Mass displacement is also a serious concern, as thousands of families have abandoned everything to flee massacres, seeking shelter in already overcrowded provinces or crossing borders into Chad or Egypt.

In addition, electricity networks, water supply systems, and schools have stopped functioning in most conflict zones, pushing an entire generation into isolation and poverty. This lack of basic services is due to attacks directly targeting power plants and water pumps, making everyday life impossible for the population (MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS, 2025). Without electricity, hospitals are unable to store medicines, and families cannot preserve food. According to Doctors Without Borders(2024), this situation forces people to drink contaminated water and live without any sense of security. Furthermore, the closure of schools interrupts the future of millions of young people, blocking their access to education and future job opportunities(UN NEWS, 2024).

So why does the World ignore Sudan? Firstly, with global attention focused mainly on conflicts in the European continent, Sudan has been treated as a peripheral conflict. This means that, geopolitically, the country does not carry the same weight as crises in Europe or the Middle East, resulting in slower diplomatic mobilization. This classification as peripheral occurs because the international system prioritizes regions with greater economic influence or direct ties to major powers, leaving crises in Global South countries in the background (UN NEWS, 2024). Furthermore, this perspective is shaped by a Global North framework, which reflects historical inequalities rooted in colonialism and the unequal distribution of global economic and political power, reinforcing the marginalization of countries in the Global South (BRITANNICA, 2026). Moreover, crises on the African continent are often portrayed by international media as “inevitable” or “chronic,” which further reduces the sense of urgency. This normalization comes from an outdated perspective that views Africa only through the lens of tragedy, leading both the public and the press to treat the war as something “common” to the region rather than a serious emergency.

However, it is important to note that the country does receive financial support from international organizations, but this amount is insufficient and does not even reach 50% of what is needed to assist the Sudanese population (UN NEWS, 2024). In the absence of resources , diseases such as cholera and measles spread rapidly, as vaccines or clean water aren’t accessible to everyone, further increasing child mortality in the country (MSF, 2020). Therefore, Sudan remains forgotten due to a political logic that determines which lives are considered important and which should be ignored. Such a situation reflects of Mbembe (2003) conceptualizes as necropolitics, in which sovereign power is expressed through the capacity to dictate who may live and who must die. 

Therefore, it becomes evident that the crisis in Sudan must be acknowledged as the result of decades of political instability and structural inequalities that have weakened the country over time. In this sense, the current scenario of violence and humanitarian crisis is directly related to the historical political fragmentation of the Sudanese state, from its formation marked by an artificially structured organization during the Partition of Africa to authoritarian regimes and recent disputes between military forces.

Moreover, the international attention directed at the conflict reveals a pattern of neglect, as the Sudanese crisis has been systematically ignored by both the media and the international community (NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL, 2024). This happens because global narratives are often shaped by countries in the Global North, who decide which conflicts deserve attention based on economic and geopolitical interests (IMEDD LAB, 2024). 

In this context, the lack of visibility is not accidental, but rather a reflection of a system that normalizes tragedies in the African continent while ignores the political responsibility of international institutions to ensure peace and fundamental rights (AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, 2024). Ignoring Sudan not only worsens the suffering of its population, but also reinforces a pattern of neglect that perpetuates global inequalities (UN NEWS, 2025) and may impact other countries worldwide. Finally, recognizing and acting in response to this crisis is an essential step to promote a more just and truly humanitarian international order. 

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