Nearly three years into the conflict in Sudan, United Nations agencies describe the situation as one of “sustained violence” and “restricted humanitarian access”, warning that it has escalated into the world’s largest humanitarian emergency.[1]
As civilian casualties continue, the conflict is marked by the growing use of sophisticated weaponry. On 24 March 2026, the UN Human Rights Office reported that more than 500 civilians had been killed by drone strikes since January, highlighting an increase in the use of drones to conduct airstrikes and underlining the devastating impact of these high-tech weapons in populated areas.[2] Professor Roland Marchal, CNRS Junior Professor at the Centre for International Studies at Sciences Po, speaking during a panel hosted by the Paris School of International Affairs on 26 March, noted that such systems are not usually seen in the region due to the limited financial resources of the parties involved. However, he explained that since April 2023 the conflict has continued, sustained by support from external actors enabling the transfer of arms.[3]
Dr David Donat Cattin, Adjunct Professor of International Law at the NYU Center for Global Affairs, also addressing the audience at the Sciences Po event, said that investigative journalists play a crucial role in monitoring the involvement of external actors. On 18 March 2026, Le Monde reported on the continued support from external actors, in particular the United Arab Emirates, facilitating cargo deliveries via aircraft departing from Emirati airports. The investigation found that although thousands of commercial flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been cancelled due to Iranian attacks on these city-states, cargo planes supplying the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan have continued to operate from alternative locations, making their movements difficult to track.[4]
With the conflict expanding into other regions since early 2026, including Kordofan, experts warn of a possible “catastrophic scenario” similar to that witnessed in El Fasher, Darfur, at the end of October 2025, which the UN Fact Finding Mission has since concluded bore the “hallmarks of genocide”.[5]
Following the siege of El Fasher, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was granted a brief visit in January 2026, revealing the scale of destruction and the extent to which the population has been decimated. The visit confirmed accounts of massacres, torture, abductions and other forms of violence in the city and along surrounding roads, as reported by patients treated by MSF in recent months in Tawila, around 60 kilometres away.[6] Mathilde Simon, Advocacy Advisor at MSF and a panellist at the Sciences Po Paris event stressed that access on the ground remains extremely difficult in Sudan, limiting both the assistance that can be delivered to survivors and the collection of reliable data on the full scale of atrocities.
Discussing avenues for accountability in a conflict shaped not only by internal dynamics but also by external support, Rodney Dixon KC, Barrister at Temple Garden Chambers and an expert in international criminal law, stressed the importance of investigating individuals and entities providing logistical and financial assistance, and of examining the wider network involved.
“It does not matter how wealthy or how powerful they are; they should be investigated”, he said, emphasising that this is not a political exercise but one grounded in evidence. He added that questions of complicity must be addressed in order to ensure accountability.
[1] Sudan war leaves millions hungry and displaced as health system nears collapse, UN News, 10 January 2026.
[2] Guerre au Soudan : plus de 500 civils tués par des frappes de drones depuis janvier, ONU Infos, 24 mars 2026.
[3] The armed conflict in Sudan: geopolitics, humanitarian crisis and international law, Paris School of International Affairs, 26 March 2026.
[4] N.HOCET BODIN, Malgré la guerre dans le Golfe, les livraisons d’armes émiraties aux paramilitaires soudanais se poursuivent, 18 mars 2026, Le Monde
[5] A/HRC/61/77: Sudan: Hallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher – Report of the independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan, UN Human Rights Council, 19 February 2026.
[6] Sudan: MSF was able to reach the largely destroyed and deserted town of El Fasher, Medecins Sans Frontières, 29 janvier 2026.
