Sudan Tops Global Watchlist as World’s Worst Crisis

Sudan has topped a global watchlist of humanitarian crises for the third year in a row, as a brutal war continues to devastate the northeastern African nation, an international aid group said on Tuesday.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) placed Sudan first on its annual Emergency Watchlist, which highlights 20 countries at risk of worsening humanitarian conditions in 2026. The group warned that urgent action is needed as global humanitarian funding has fallen by about 50 percent this year, with 2025 on track to become the deadliest year on record for aid workers.

The occupied Palestinian territories and South Sudan ranked second and third on the list, followed by countries including Ethiopia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine, Syria and Yemen.

Although the 20 countries account for just 12 percent of the world’s population, they represent 89 percent of people in need of humanitarian assistance. The IRC said 117 million people are currently displaced worldwide and warned that these countries are expected to host more than half of the world’s extremely poor by 2029, describing the trend as a breakdown of the post-World War II international order.

Many of the conflicts, the group said, are driven by struggles for power and profit. In Sudan, it pointed to the role of the gold trade in fueling violence, with devastating consequences for civilians.

The conflict erupted in April 2023 after tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated into open warfare. The fighting has been marked by mass killings, sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks, which international rights groups and UN officials have described as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

More than 40,000 people have been killed, according to UN figures, though aid agencies believe the real toll may be far higher. Over 14 million people have been displaced, while disease outbreaks and famine have spread across parts of the country, creating what aid agencies describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Both the military and the RSF have been accused of violating international law, with most atrocities attributed to the RSF. The United States has accused the group of committing genocide in Darfur.

The latest surge in violence was reported in late October after RSF forces captured el-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in Darfur. Witnesses reported door-to-door killings and widespread sexual violence. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity were committed, while satellite imagery analysis indicated systematic attacks on civilians. The RSF has not responded to the allegations.