The United Nations (UN) Security Council convened on 24 August 2026 to hear top UN officials brief members on the deteriorating situation in Sudan, where conflict, drone strikes against civilians, mass displacement, hunger and seasonal flooding are affecting millions, according to UN News. Denmark, which holds the Council presidency in August, requested the meeting to address the protection of civilians and the humanitarian consequences of the war. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was expected to chair the session. Briefers included UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and Health, Protection and Peacebuilding Advisor Eva Khair. The gathering aimed to galvanize renewed international attention as the crisis deepens.
Since war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), 8.6 million people have fled the violence, many to neighboring countries. Of Sudan’s population of 51 million, more than 19.5 million people are acutely food insecure, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that intensifying fighting has displaced at least another 200,000 people since late 2025. Destructive seasonal floods are compounding the humanitarian emergency. Horrific sexual violence is being reported in 16 of 18 states.
Tom Fletcher told the Council that “more than two-thirds of the people of Sudan are in desperate need of life-saving support,” briefing via video-link. The UN recorded 1,400 civilian deaths in the first half of the year, over 1,100 due to drone strikes. Fighting in North Kordofan’s El Obeid drove 15,000 families into the city since mid-July, pressuring displacement sites already at breaking point. By mid-year, humanitarians had reached nearly 11 million people with at least one form of assistance. Fletcher thanked Sudanese authorities and the Government of Chad for keeping the crucial Adre crossing open.
Rosemary DiCarlo warned that “the consequences of this conflict will be long-lasting and should shock us all.” Some 13 million people have fled their homes, and while the true death toll cannot be confirmed, “it is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands,” she said. She reiterated deep concern at the imminent risk of large-scale atrocities by the Rapid Support Forces in and around El Abdede. The UN continues to support efforts of the QUAD — United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates — for a humanitarian truce. It is also working with Quintet partners, including the African Union, IGAD, the League of Arab States and the European Union.
Eva Khair urged the Council to act, describing the situation as “a war on civilians.” She called on the international community to establish an independent civilian protection and monitoring mechanism, press external actors to stop fueling the war, protect healthcare and humanitarian action, and enable Sudanese women’s meaningful participation in conflict-resolution and transition processes. Recruitment of child soldiers, child marriage and other grave violations against children continue, while nearly eight million children remain out of school.
“I ask this Council to do what Sudan’s civilians cannot do alone: close the countrywide protection gap, confront those fueling the war, and act before another generation is lost,” she stressed.
The Personal Envoy is set to travel to Sudan shortly to advance dialogue on releasing prisoners, particularly women and children.