This study analyses the world’s largest displacement crisis currently unfolding across Sudan and South Sudan, where over 16 million people have been uprooted by war, repression, corruption, famine, climate change and state collapse.
It shows how the web of conflicts in Sudan has shattered social structures, fuelled atrocities – including actions amounting to genocide – and turned displacement into both a consequence and a tactic of conflict. At the same time, South Sudan is sliding back into large‑scale war, driving further population movements. As a result, Chad and Ethiopia now host millions of refugees as well as returneesand face immense humanitarian pressures, despite their relative economic resilience.
The study also highlights how regional dynamics increasingly form an interconnected security complex where conflicts, refugee flows and foreign interference shape outcomes. Ultimately, displacement in the Sudans is a structural regional crisis, demanding strengthened and multilateral diplomacy, inclusion and protection of civilians, safeguards for grassroots mutual‑aid networks and accountability for abuses.
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Research lines: Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa
Source photo : © UNHCR/Caitlin Kelly
Security & Strategy 158
Displacement in the Sudans and Its Effects on Chad and Ethiopia