Just one year after conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and as the EU calls for an immediate and durable ceasefire, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has published its first Country-of-Origin Information (COI) Report on Sudan. The ongoing nationwide war has made Sudan the epicentre of the largest displacement crisis in the world.

The EUAA has just published a report entitled Sudan: Country Focus, the first COI Report on this region of origin. Based on open sources, it focusses on events having taken place in Sudan since March 2023. What began as a ‘power struggle’ between two military leaders: General AL-BURHAN, who heads the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Mohamed HAMDAN DAGALO – who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – has, within a year, morphed into a fully-fledged nationwide war.

Over time, indiscriminate violence has affected large portions of the country including Khartoum, Darfur, the Kordofans, and Al-Jazirah. The conflict has had a devastating impact on the civilian population and caused the largest internal displacement crisis in the world – with over 10 million people displaced. Furthermore, the situation is severely aggravated by the prospect of famine, which was already prevalent in some parts of the country, including in Darfur.

Both sides have been accused of indiscriminate attacks against civilians, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Conflict-related violence has targeted large categories of the civilian population, in particular, women and girls, non-Arab Africans in Darfur, journalists and media personnel, humanitarian and health personnel, perceived political opponents, as well as resulted in the use of child soldiers. The EU recently recalled the warring parties’ obligations under international humanitarian law, to protect civilians in conflict.

At the same time, the lack of international media presence, coupled with a crackdown on local media outlets and repeated communication blackouts have severely hindered reporting capacities across the country, making the conflict in Sudan a ‘forgotten war’.

International protection situation for Sudanese nationals

Between April 2023 and January 2024, Sudanese nationals lodged over 9 900 asylum applications in the EU+[1] . During this period, monthly applications followed a largely upward trend, and peaked at nearly 2,000 in October 2023. Compared to the previous 10 months (June 2022 – March 2023), Sudanese applications have more than doubled in the EU+. Between April 2023 – January 2024, EU+ countries issued approximately 3 200 decisions at first instance, with 72 % granting refugee status or subsidiary protection. At the end of January 2024, there were nearly 5 900 cases pending at first instance.

• [1]Data were missing for Portugal for October 2023 – January 2024.