According to the UN International Organization for Migration Sudan (IOM Sudan), more than 4.4 million people have been forced to flee Sudan and over 1 million people have sought refuge outside of Sudan due to the “disastrous and senseless” war, which has entered its fifth month, between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Armed conflict between the RSF and the SAF erupted on April 15, when ethnic tensions and religious disputes came to a head. The fighting is concentrated in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and the Darfur region, especially West Darfur, where attacks against civilians based on their ethnicity occurred.

According to Amnesty International, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the SAF and the RSF have committed war crimes. Article 3 and Article 27 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War stipulate that each party to a conflict shall not use violence against persons taking no active part in the hostilities. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation into the alleged war crimes, including the targeting of civilians and ethnically based violence. The UN Security Council has called for the protection of civilians and an end to the fighting. According to the UN, around 4,000 civilians have been killed so far, including hundreds of children and 28 aid workers.