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World reacts to US-led missile strikes on Syria

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Syria's capital has been rocked by loud explosions that lit up the sky with heavy smoke as U.S. President Donald Trump announced airstrikes in retaliation for the country's alleged use of chemical weapons. (AP)
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The Damascus sky lights up with missile fire as the US launches an attack on Syria on April 14, 2018. (AP)
Updated 14 April 2018
Agencies
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World reacts to US-led missile strikes on Syria

  • The US, UK, and France launched missile strikes on Syrian regime positions and bases early Saturday morning
  • Regime allies condemned the attack while those in favor of the strikes called them an “appropriate response”
Updated 14 April 2018
Agencies

DUBAI: The United States, United Kingdom and France launched missile strikes on Syrian regime positions and bases early Saturday morning in response to the chemical weapons attack conducted by Syrian President Bashar Assad on Douma.
Regime allies condemned the attack while those in favor of the strikes called them an “appropriate response.”

United States

President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the pre-dawn strikes against Syria's regime carried out jointly by the US, Britain and France, saying they "could not have had a better result."
"A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military," Trump tweeted.
"Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!"

The Pentagon said on Saturday that US strikes in Syria overnight had successfully hit every target and were aimed to deliver an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deter the future use of chemical weapons.
The strikes significantly crippled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's ability to produce chemical weapons, officials told reporters at a briefing, and the Pentagon was not aware of any civilian casualties resulting from the strikes.
Lieutenant General Kenneth F. McKenzie said the strikes were precise, overwhelming and effective.
Though some of Syria's chemical weapons infrastructure was still left, "I think we've dealt them a severe blow," McKenzie said, adding it would set the program back for years.
Despite severely damaging the infrastructure with the strikes, McKenzie said the Pentagon would not rule out that the Assad government still had capability to use such weapons again.
"I would say there's still a residual element of the Syrian program that's out there," he said. "I'm not going to say that they're going to be unable to continue to conduct a chemical attack in the future. I suspect, however, they'll think long and hard about it."

France
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the joint military operation in Syria was legitimate, limited and proportionate.
The French military on Saturday targeted Syria’s main chemicals research center as well as two other facilities, French Defense minister Florence Parly said, adding that Russia had been informed before the strikes were carried out.
The minister was speaking hours after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a military intervention in Syria alongside the United States and Britain in an attack on the chemical weapons arsenal of the country’s regime.
“We are not looking for confrontation and refuse any logic of escalation, that is the reason why we, with our allies, ensured the Russians were warned beforehand,” Parly told journalists in a short statement alongside Foreign minister Le Drian.
Parly also said cruise missiles had been fired by the French military.

UK

UK PM Theresa May said in a televised statement that "there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime."
"This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change."
"It is about a limited and targeted strike that does not further escalate tensions in the region and that does everything possible to prevent civilian casualties," she said.
May said "a significant body of information including intelligence" pointed to Syrian government responsibility for a suspected chemical attack in Douma last Saturday.
She said the strikes would "send a clear signal to anyone else who believes they can use chemical weapons with impunity".
"This is the first time as prime minister that I have had to take the decision to commit our armed forces in combat — and it is not a decision I have taken lightly.
"I have done so because I judge this action to be in Britain's national interest," she added.
In her comments, May also alluded to a nerve agent attack in Britain last month on a former Russian spy and his daughter.
"We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalized — within Syria, on the streets of the UK, or anywhere else in our world," she said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia holds Assad’s regime responsible for Syria’s military attacks, according to a statement read out by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The raids on the regime's sites came in response to chemical use, and we fully support military operations against military targets in Syria,” the statement read.
The statement continued by saying that “Saudi Arabia fully supports the strikes launched by the United States, France and Britain against Syria because they represent a response to the regime's crimes.”
The strikes were prompted by the “Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, including women and children,” reported the Saudi Press Agency. 

The Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Khaled bin Salman said that Saudi Arabia supports the accurate strikes against the Iranian-backed Assad regime.

Ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman also said that the Kingdom hopes that the strikes will deter the regime from using chemical weapons. The strikes send a message to Assad, Iran, and its sectarian militias, he added.

Israel
Punitive US-led strikes on Syria are justified because of the “murderous actions” carried out by the Damascus government, an Israeli official said.
“Last year (US) President Donald Trump said that the use of chemical weapons would violate a red line. This night, under America’s guidance, the United States, France and Britain acted accordingly (because) Syria continues to carry out its murderous actions,” the official, who declined to be identified, said.

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin has expressed his support for the punitive strikes carried out against Assad's regime.
"Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime's ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people," Trudeau said in a statement Friday.
The strikes came after an alleged chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Douma that killed more than 40 people, according to medics and rescuers.
General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the strikes hit targets related to Syria's chemical weapons program — a scientific research center near Damascus, a weapons storage facility west of Homs, and a third location nearby containing a command post and an equipment storage facility.
Turkey
The Turkish foreign ministry welcomed US, UK and France strikes on Syria as an “appropriate response.”

"We see the operation carried out against the Syrian government by the United States, the United Kingdom and France... as an appropriate response," the source said.

Ankara said the attacks, with weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, that indiscriminately target civilians, "constitute crimes against humanity" and they should not go unpunished.
"The Syrian regime, which has been tyrannizing its own people for more than seven years, be it with conventional or chemical weapons, has a proven track record of crimes against humanity and war crimes," the ministry said.
"The conscience of the international community is in no doubt about that."

NATO

The head of NATO expressed his support for the Western strikes.
“I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France... This will reduce the regime’s ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

European Union

European Council President Donald Tusk said Saturday the European Union stood by the United States, France and Britain over their air strikes against the regime in Syria for alleged chemical attacks.
"Strikes by US, France and UK make it clear that Syrian regime together with Russia and Iran cannot continue this human tragedy, at least not without cost. The EU will stand with our allies on the side of justice," Tusk said in a Twitter message.

EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said this was not the first time that Damascus had used chemical weapons against civilians "but it must be the last.
"The international community has the responsibility to identify and hold accountable those responsible of any attack with chemical weapons," Juncker said in a statement.
"As it enters its 8th year of conflict, Syria desperately needs a lasting ceasefire respected by all parties that paves the way for achieving a negotiated political solution through the United Nations-led Geneva process, to bring peace to the country once and for all."

United Nations

"I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement.
He urged the UN Security Council to agree on establishing an inquiry that would identify the perpetrators of chemical attacks.
Russia this week vetoed a US proposal to set up such a panel on the suspected attack in Syria.

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States, France and Britain as a "necessary and appropriate" action to warn Syria against further use of chemical weapons.
"We support the fact that our American, British and French allies have taken responsibility in this way as permanent members of the UN Security Council," Merkel said. Merkel this week had said Germany would not take part in any military action against Syria.

The Netherlands

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has expressed his understanding of the military strikes by the United States, Britain and France against facilities in Syria.

Mark Rutte said in a statement on Saturday that the military operation is proportionate and appropriate under the current circumstances, noting that the Dutch government believes that it is likely that the Syrian regime used poison gas against its citizens in Douma.

“The use of chemical weapons is a grave crime and a flagrant violation of international law,” he said, stressing that the international community cannot accept that.

Amnesty International

"All precautions must be taken to minimize harm to civilians in any military action," Raed Jarrar, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at rights watchdog Amnesty International USA said in a statement.

Syrian Rebels

A prominent Syrian rebel faction said on Saturday that Western strikes against government positions were a "farce" as long as Assad remained in power.
"Punishing the instrument of the crime while keeping the criminal — a farce," wrote Mohammad Alloush, a key member of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group.

Russia

The Kremlin on Saturday condemned Western air strikes on Syria where its armed forces are backing Assad.
"Russia severely condemns the attack on Syria where Russian military are helping the lawful government in the fight with terrorism," the Kremlin said in a statement, its first reaction to the strikes.

 Russian President Putin says strike on Syria by US and its allies will exacerbate humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
“Again, we are being threatened,” Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, said in a statement.
“We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris.”
“Insulting the President of Russia is unacceptable and inadmissible,” added the envoy, after President Donald Trump directly called out his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over his support for the Assad regime.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov said at a briefing on Saturday that the actions of Western countries in Syria are unacceptable and lawless.

Russia has also asked the UN Security Council to condemn the "aggression" against Syria from military strikes carried out by the United States, Britain and France, according to a draft resolution seen by AFP.
Russia circulated the measure ahead of a Security Council meeting to discuss the military operation by the three allies in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.


Iran
Iran’s foreign ministry in a statement that “Undoubtedly, the United States and its allies, which took military action against Syria despite the absence of any proven evidence ... will assume the responsibility for the regional and trans-regional consequences of this adventurism.”
Tehran officials have said Western powers are using last week’s alleged chemical attack on a rebel-held stronghold as an excuse to undermine the Syrian government’s recent successes on the battlefield.
“This aggression is designed to compensate for the defeat of the terrorists” in Eastern Ghouta, an area recently recaptured by Syrian government forces, Iran’s foreign ministry said.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said an attack on Syria by the United States, France and Britain on Saturday was a crime and would not achieve any gains.
"US, allies will not gain any achievements from crimes in Syria. Attacking Syria is a crime. US president, UK prime minister and the president of France are criminals," Khamenei said in a speech cited by Iranian TV.

Syria

Syrian President Bashar Assad said Western strikes on government military installations Saturday only made him more keen to fight back against his opponents, in comments published by his office.
“This aggression will only make Syria and its people more determined to keep fighting and crushing terrorism in every inch of the country,” Assad, in his first reaction to the strikes, told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
The Western attack will not have any impact on the Syrian army’s resolve to press the fight against militants and restore control of the entire country, the Syrian foreign ministry said.
“The barbaric aggression ... will not affect in any way the determination and insistence of the Syrian people and their heroic armed forces,” state news agency SANA cited an official source in the ministry as saying.
“This aggression will only lead to inflaming tensions in the world” and threatens international security, it added.
A statement carried by state news agency SANA said the strikes aimed to block a probe by the OPCW global chemical watchdog into an alleged gas attack outside Damascus.
The attack “aims at hindering the mission’s work and preempting its results”, said the statement quoting a source at the Syrian foreign ministry.
Hezbollah
Lebanese movement Hezbollah sharply condemned the barrage of strikes, saying they would not achieve their objectives.
"America's war against Syria, and against the region's peoples and resistance movement, will not achieve its aims," the group said in a statement published on its War Media Channel.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard

 An official in Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that the fallout from US-led attacks on Syria will be at Washington's expense.
"With this attack...the situation will become more complex, and this will surely be at the expense of the United States, which will be responsible for the aftermath of upcoming regional events that will certainly not be in their interest," Yadollah Javani, the Guards' deputy head for political affairs, told Fars news agency.

Iraq

Air strikes carried out by the United States, France and Britain against Syrian military targets could give terrorism an opportunity to expand in the region, the Iraqi foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The air strikes marked a "a very dangerous development", the ministry said in statement.
"Such action could have dangerous consequences, threatening the security and stability of the region and giving terrorism another opportunity to expand after it was ousted from Iraq and forced into Syria to retreat to a large extent," it said.

Topics: Syria United States France United Kingdom missile strikes us-led strikes Syria air strikes Massacre In Douma

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At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say

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At least 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, medics say

Updated 5 sec ago
At least 10 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza early on Thursday, medics with the Gaza health authorities said.
Five people were killed and 20 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, the medics reported. They warned the death toll could rise as many remained trapped under the rubble.
In a separate incident, five journalists were killed when their vehicle was struck in the vicinity of Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat in central Gaza, the enclave’s health authorities said. The journalists worked for the Al-Quds Al-Youm television channel.
Palestinian media and local reporters said the vehicle was marked as a media van and was used by journalists to report from inside the hospital and Nuseirat camp.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the reported strikes.
On Wednesday, Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel
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Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad’s supporters kill 6 fighters

Updated 26 December 2024
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Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad’s supporters kill 6 fighters

  • Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away
Updated 26 December 2024
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DAMASCUS, Syria: Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad’s government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighters were killed while trying to arrest a former official in Assad’s government, accused of issuing execution orders and arbitrary rulings against thousands of prisoners. The fighters were from Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, which led the stunning offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.
Syria’s transition has been surprisingly smooth but it’s only been a few weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces melted away. The insurgents who ousted Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamist ideology, and though they have vowed to create a pluralist system, it isn’t clear how or whether they plan to share power.
Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge, according to activists and monitors, the vast majority of them from the minority Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that Assad belongs to.
In the capital, Damascus, Alawite protesters scuffled with Sunni counter-protesters and gunshots were heard. The Associated Press could not confirm details of the shooting.
Alawite protests also took place along the coast of Syria, in the city of Homs and the Hama countryside. Some called for the release of soldiers from the former Syrian army now imprisoned by the HTS. At least one protester was killed and five were wounded in Homs by HTS forces suppressing the demonstration, said the Syrian Observatory. In response to the protests, HTS imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. until 8am.
The Alawite protests were apparently in part sparked by an online video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine. The interim authorities insisted the video was old and not a recent incident.
Sectarian violence has erupted in bursts since Assad’s ouster but nothing close to the level feared after nearly 14 years of civil war that killed an estimated half-million people. The war fractured Syria, creating millions of refugees and displacing tens of thousands throughout the country.
This week, some Syrians who were forcibly displaced, started trickling home, trying to rebuild their lives. Shocked by the devastation, many found that little remains of their houses.
In the northwestern Idlib region, residents were repairing shops and sealing damaged windows on Tuesday, trying to bring back a sense of normalcy.
The city of Idlib and much of the surrounding province has for years been under control of the HTS, led by Ahmad Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, once aligned with Al-Qaeda, but has been the scene of relentless attacks by the government forces.
Hajjah Zakia Daemessaid, who was forcibly displaced during the war, said coming back to her house in the Idlib countryside was bitter-sweet.
“My husband and I spent 43 years of hard work saving money to build our home, only to find that all of it has gone to waste,” said the 62-year-old.
In the dusty neighborhoods, cars drove by with luggage strapped on top. People stood idly on the streets or sat in empty coffee shops.
In Damascus, Syria’s new authorities raided warehouses on Wednesday, confiscating drugs such as Captagon and cannabis, used by Assad’s forces. A million Captagon pills and hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of cannabis were set ablaze, the interim authorities said.

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Turkiye warns Kurdish militia in Syria ‘will be buried’ if they do not lay down arms

Updated 25 December 2024
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Turkiye warns Kurdish militia in Syria ‘will be buried’ if they do not lay down arms

  • Following Assad’s departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future
Updated 25 December 2024
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ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or “be buried,” amid hostilities between Turkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar Assad this month.

Following Assad’s departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG militia must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria’s future. The change in Syria’s leadership has left the country’s main Kurdish factions on the back foot.

“The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons,” Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.

“We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings,” he added.

Turkiye views the Kurdish YPG militia — the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces — as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party militia, known as the PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Washington and others to stop supporting the YPG.

Earlier, Turkiye’s Defense Ministry said the armed forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.

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Israeli airstrike in Bekaa shakes ceasefire 29 days after it came into effect

Updated 25 December 2024
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Israeli airstrike in Bekaa shakes ceasefire 29 days after it came into effect

  • The Israeli army claimed that “an Israeli fighter jet attacked a terrorist cell in the Bekaa”
Updated 25 December 2024
NAJIA HOUSSARI

BEIRUT: For the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Nov. 27, Israel breached the agreement deep inside Lebanese territory.

In the early hours of Wednesday, an Israeli warplane struck the town of Taraya near Baalbek.

A Lebanese security source said the airstrike occurred at 2:45 a.m., targeting a residence and an associated garage in the town of Taraya owned by a member of the Hamieh family. There were no casualties.

The Israeli army claimed that “an Israeli fighter jet attacked a terrorist cell in the Bekaa.”

Taraya is on the eastern slopes of the western Lebanese mountains, approximately 73 kilometers from the capital city of Beirut and 23 kilometers from the city of Baalbek. It was previously targeted by Israeli airstrikes during the extensive war on Lebanon — which lasted for 64 days — under the pretext of targeting sites and weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah.

Israel’s continued flouting of the terms of the ceasefire, which has been in effect for 29 days, were the focal point of a meeting held on Tuesday evening between caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and representatives from the United States, France, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

The attendees included American Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, France’s Gen. Guillaume Ponchin, the commander of the Southern Litani sector of the Lebanese Army, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lowndes, and UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, along with the Lebanese army commander, Brig. Gen. Joseph Aoun.

Mikati called on the committee to “stop the Israeli violations and the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the border areas.”

He also agreed with the attendees to hold successive meetings with the Lebanese army to discuss the issues raised.

Israeli reconnaissance planes resumed incursions into Lebanese airspace, flying at low altitude over southern Lebanon, Beirut and its southern suburbs, after ceasing operations for two days.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army raised Israeli flags at a vacant Lebanese army post on Awida Hill.

This site, a strategic location, is where the Lebanese army previously established a base. It is adjacent to the villages of Kfar Kila, Adaisseh, Deir Mimas and Taybeh and overlooks Israeli settlements in Galilee, including Kiryat Shmona and Hula Valley, extending to Tiberias and deep into the Golan Heights.

Israeli raids on the border village of Taybeh killed two people on Monday.

The Israeli forces that invaded several border villages in southern Lebanon demolished houses and bulldozed roads on the outskirts of Houla, adjacent to Mays Al-Jabal. Lebanese residents are still denied entry to the occupied area, which includes 62 villages.

Israeli artillery shelling on Wednesday targeted Tayr Harfa, the outskirts of Majdal Zoun, and Maroun Al-Ras. Israeli forces also struck Jebbayn, firing bursts of machine-gun fire toward the town.

Media reports in Beirut reported that “US envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut at the beginning of next year to help implement the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.”

Israeli forces have dragged their heels in the withdrawal from invaded border areas, delaying the Lebanese army’s deployment in the cleared area.

Fears grow that Israeli’s war against Lebanon may restart, because the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire is unable to stop Israeli violations.

The Israeli army is using the 60-day period in the ceasefire agreement for the complete withdrawal of its troops from invaded areas to destroy what is left of Hezbollah’s positions and weapon depots.

Meanwhile, explosions were heard in the Anti-Lebanon mountains separating Lebanon and Syria, apparently caused by the Lebanese army detonating explosive remnants of Israeli operations against Bekaa.

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2024 Year in Review: Conflict keeps Sudanese trapped in a nightmare without end

Updated 25 December 2024
Robert Edwards
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2024 Year in Review: Conflict keeps Sudanese trapped in a nightmare without end

  • Famine now blights swathes of the country, while mass atrocities have taken place in Darfur and other regions
  • Sudan remains a stark reminder of the human cost of indifference and the urgent need for concerted global action
Updated 25 December 2024
Robert Edwards

LONDON: Sudan’s descent into chaos, triggered by the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, has created one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 21st century.

Despite its magnitude, the crisis has been overshadowed this year by events in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, leaving millions to endure unimaginable hardship with insufficient international attention or assistance.

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has plunged the nation into a spiral of violence, famine, displacement, and suffering.

Over the course of 2024, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced from their homes. Famine now blights swathes of the country, while mass atrocities have taken place in Darfur and other regions.

Essential services, including hospitals, have collapsed, leaving the population dependent on overstretched and underfunded humanitarian aid.

The conflict between Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has plunged the nation into a spiral of violence. (AFP/File)



Observers say the crisis, described by the UN as a “living nightmare,” has exposed the failure of the international community to provide adequate support or enforce meaningful accountability.

Hunger is now a fact of life for millions of Sudanese. The crisis has unleashed famine, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, and neighboring regions, where the fighting has decimated agricultural production and disrupted supply chains.

In August, the Global Famine Review Committee officially declared famine in parts of Sudan, confirming IPC Phase 5 conditions in camps near Al-Fashir in Darfur. More than 25.6 million people face acute food insecurity, while 1.5 million are on the edge of famine.

The outbreak of famine was no accident. Humanitarian agencies say both the SAF and RSF have weaponized hunger by blocking aid routes, looting food supplies, and destroying farmland.

The deliberate targeting of humanitarian convoys has left isolated communities without access to food or clean water, exacerbating the crisis. Children have been the most vulnerable, with malnutrition rates soaring to catastrophic levels in displacement camps.

Malnutrition weakens immune systems, making the population more susceptible to illness. Disease outbreaks, including cholera and malaria, have compounded the misery.

Relief efforts, hampered by funding gaps and logistical challenges, have failed to match the scale of need. Despite repeated warnings from aid organizations, donor pledges have fallen short, leaving millions at risk of starvation.



The conflict has also triggered one of the largest displacement crises in recent history. More than 14 million people have been forced from their homes, with 11 million internally displaced and 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.

Khartoum, once the vibrant capital of Sudan, has become an epicenter of displacement. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins, and millions of internally displaced persons now live in makeshift shelters, enduring appalling conditions.

Refugees who have sought sanctuary in neighboring countries now find themselves in overcrowded camps, with inadequate provisions and limited access to healthcare.

Host countries, already grappling with their own economic and security challenges, have received insufficient international support to meet the growing needs of these vulnerable populations.

The plight of IDPs is compounded by continued violence. Armed groups frequently attack camps, looting supplies and preying on displaced families. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations face immense challenges in reaching those most in need.

Millions of people lack access to basic necessities such as food, water, medicine, and fuel. The war has crippled the country’s healthcare system, with more than 70 percent of medical facilities destroyed, looted, or knocked out of action.

Humanitarian aid, though vital, has been woefully insufficient. Only half of the $2.7 billion needed for Sudan’s relief operations in 2024 was funded, leaving millions without adequate support.

Refugees who have sought sanctuary in neighboring countries now find themselves in overcrowded camps. (AFP/File)



Aid agencies say the SAF and RSF have systematically obstructed deliveries of relief, targeting warehouses and convoys in an attempt to starve opposition strongholds into submission. As such, despite the efforts of aid workers, the scale of suffering continues to grow.

The toll of Sudan’s civil war is staggering, with estimates indicating more than 150,000 civilians killed since the conflict began in April 2023. These deaths, caused by bombardments, massacres, starvation, and disease, underscore the catastrophic human cost of the war.

A November report by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated more than 61,000 deaths in Khartoum state alone between April 2023 and June 2024.

Medical professionals warned early on that official figures underrepresented the true death toll, as many victims could not access hospitals due to ongoing violence.

In a May US Senate hearing, experts suggested the real casualty figure could be 10 to 15 times higher than earlier estimates.

The appalling extent of the violence plaguing Sudan emerged in October and November amid a spate of massacres in eastern Al-Jazirah state. As of December, up to 7,000 civilians had been killed in a series of brutal attacks reportedly carried out by the RSF, according to local monitors.

Survivors recounted harrowing tales of mass rape, forced displacements, and homes set ablaze. These atrocities are part of a broader pattern of violence that has characterized the conflict across Sudan.

Ethnic and territorial motives have driven these attacks, particularly in non-Arab communities. The RSF has been accused of systematic killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of entire villages in Darfur and other regions.

International condemnation of the massacres has been swift but largely ineffective. Human rights organizations have called for accountability and protection for civilians, but the lack of a functional justice system in Sudan has allowed perpetrators to act with impunity.

The conflict has also been marked by the widespread and systematic use of sexual violence, with harrowing accounts of abuse continuing to emerge.

Over the course of 2024, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced from their homes. (AFP/File)



In July, Human Rights Watch released a report detailing the extent of these atrocities, stating that sexual violence in Khartoum had become “widespread,” particularly at the hands of the RSF.

The report documented numerous cases of rape, gang rape, forced marriages, and sexual slavery, with victims ranging in age from nine to 60.

Women and girls, often displaced and vulnerable, have been subjected to unimaginable suffering. NGOs estimate that as many as 4,400 cases of sexual assault may have occurred during the conflict, though the true number is likely much higher.

In April, Canada’s Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights concluded that atrocities committed in Darfur meet the legal definition of genocide.

The RSF and allied militias have targeted communities, particularly the Masalit people, in what experts describe as a campaign of ethnic cleansing with echoes of the slaughter perpetrated by the RSF’s predecessor, the Janjaweed, in 2003-05.

Mass killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of villages have become hallmarks of the conflict. Survivors have recounted chilling accounts of entire families being executed and homes being razed.

The international community has struggled to respond effectively. While some advocacy groups have called for stronger sanctions and international prosecutions, enforcement mechanisms remain weak.

Many observers believe the international response to Sudan’s crisis has been fragmented and insufficient.

Relief efforts, hampered by funding gaps and logistical challenges, have failed to match the scale of need. (AFP/File)



The EU imposed sanctions on individuals and entities linked to activities that undermine Sudan’s stability, including those implicated in atrocities. However, these measures have done little to change the behavior of the warring factions.

The US and the African Union have called for a ceasefire, while Saudi Arabia and others have sought to mediate between the parties. However, peace talks have repeatedly failed.

In August, the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, proposed the creation of humanitarian corridors and civilian protection measures. However, ongoing violence has stymied these efforts.

External actors have continued to arm factions in the conflict, further complicating international mediation efforts. The UN Security Council, meanwhile, has faced criticism for its perceived inaction.

As the war continues into another year, Sudan remains a stark reminder of the human cost of indifference and the urgent need for concerted global action.

 

Topics: Sudan Unrest Editor’s Choice Sudan

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