The brutal War in Sudan is leaving behind more than destroyed homes and displaced communities, but thousands of missing people in the African Nation.
Across the war-ravaged regions of Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile, thousands of families are living with the agony of not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive.
As fighting continues to devastate civilian communities, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) have raised alarm over the growing number of missing persons cases and worsening humanitarian suffering caused by more than three years of conflict.
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According to the ICRC, the number of missing persons cases recorded in Sudan has now exceeded 11,000, marking an increase of more than 40 percent within the past year alone.
Families Torn Apart by War
The conflict has forced millions to flee repeatedly as violence spreads from one community to another.
In Al Fasher, heavy fighting and attacks on civilian areas forced thousands of families to flee toward Tawila, where displaced people continue to endure severe shortages of food, water, healthcare and shelter.
Among them is Najwa Mohamed, who walked for four days with her children to reach safety.
She arrived in Tawila with nothing.
There, she learned that her husband had reportedly been struck by a vehicle during the chaos in Al Fasher. Her 17-year-old son immediately went in search of his father.
He never returned.
Today, all she has left are photographs stored on her mobile phone.
“We have had no information since then. We searched everywhere. There has been no news. All attempts to find him failed,” she said.
Another displaced resident, Zahra Hamid, also fled Al Fasher after suffering terrible violence.
Her children were injured during the fighting, while she herself was hit by a bullet before eventually reaching Tawila. But amid the chaos, she lost contact with her brother.
“He last called us days after Al Fasher fell. After that, we heard nothing from him,” Hamid recalled.
“Some say a drone hit their car. Some say he escaped. Others say he was captured. We never received confirmation.”
Stories like these are becoming increasingly common across Sudan, where displacement, insecurity and collapsed communication systems are leaving families trapped in painful uncertainty.
Conflict Driving Massive Displacement
Humanitarian agencies say the Sudan conflict has become one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
More than 11 million people have been displaced, including nearly four million who have fled the country, as violence continues to spread across multiple regions.
The ICRC warns that:
- Communication networks have collapsed in many areas
- Families are often separated while fleeing attacks
- Access to food, healthcare and clean water is severely limited
Women and children remain among the most vulnerable, many arriving at displacement camps traumatized by violence, including sexual violence and the loss of relatives.
Phones Lost, Networks Destroyed
According to Shirin Hanafieh, head of the Restoring Family Links programme for the ICRC in Sudan, many separated families simply have no way to reconnect.
“People who got separated while fleeing the war did not manage to find a way to reach each other,” she explained.
“Phones were stolen, looted or sold so families could survive. Then communication network breakdowns made it impossible for them to contact each other.”
Despite the devastation, some families are eventually reunited through humanitarian efforts by the ICRC and the SRCS.
When Halima Abdulkarim traveled to Al Fasher to visit her sister, she never imagined she would become trapped there for 18 months amid the conflict.
Back home, her daughter Suaad Adam had no information about whether her mother was alive.
The uncertainty became unbearable.
After months of searching, the ICRC and the SRCS managed to reconnect them through a video call.
“Don’t cry. I am safe. I just miss you,” were the first words Adam heard from her mother after 18 months of silence.
Soon afterward, the two were reunited again in Tawila.
Lifeline Through Humanitarian Communication Services
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement says phone and internet services remain essential in helping separated families reconnect.
In just the first three months of 2026:
- More than 80,000 phone calls were facilitated within Sudan and between Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries such as South Sudan and Chad.
These services have become a critical lifeline for families desperate for news about missing relatives.
Call for Respect for Humanitarian Law
As suffering deepens, the ICRC is urging all parties involved in the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law.
The organization stressed that:
- Humanitarian access must be guaranteed
- Civilians must be protected
- Communities must be spared from further violence and displacement
Aid workers warn that unless urgent action is taken, more families could endure the same devastation seen in Al Fasher and now experienced daily by displaced communities in Tawila.
A Nation Searching for Its Missing
For thousands of Sudanese families, the war has become not only a struggle for survival, but also a painful search for answers.
Across displacement camps and devastated towns, parents continue searching for children, wives for husbands, and siblings for relatives whose fate remains unknown.
And as the conflict drags on, many fear the number of missing persons and the heartbreak left behind will continue to grow.