Conflict hampering delivery of aid to a population suffering attacks and threat of famine.

The civil war in Sudan has created the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world”, the African Union has warned.

The conflict between the Sudanese military government and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is hampering the delivery of aid to a population suffering attacks and the threat of famine, officials said on Tuesday at a panel on the crisis.

The war “has hampered access to humanitarian relief, led to shortage of food and aggravated hunger”, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chairperson of the AU High Level Panel on Sudan (HLP-Sudan), said on X.

“Children and women are continually abused, and the elderly and sick lack medical assistance,” he continued. “This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”

The warning echoes similar statements from international aid agencies, including the United Nations.

Attacks on schools, child soldiers

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 and has displaced an estimated 12 million people. AU officials warned that hundreds of thousands of children are now malnourished.

Wilson Almeida Adao, a senior AU official for child welfare, said in a separate statement that hospital admissions for malnutrition rose by 44 percent in 2024, with more than 431,000 children receiving treatment.

“We witness reports of grave violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals, forced recruitment of child soldiers, and the denial of humanitarian access,” he said.

The Sudanese army controls the east and north of the country, while the RSF holds most of the stricken Darfur region, where the UN on Monday accused it of blocking aid.

“The persistent restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles” imposed by the RSF’s humanitarian agency “are preventing life-saving assistance from reaching those in desperate need”, said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.

Chambas declared that “only inter-Sudanese political dialogue, not the military option, can end this war” suggesting that “external interference has equally contributed to why the war has lasted this long”.

“We are and will continue engaging all Sudanese parties, including civilians and political actors, in an all-inclusive solution of the crisis and a comprehensive political dialogue to restore constitutional democracy in Sudan,” said Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security.

On Sunday, Sudan’s military government, which has been pressing the RSF back in recent weeks, unveiled what it called a road map for a post-war transitional government.