As the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023 continues, more than 11,000 active missing-person cases were on record as of the beginning of 2026. Ferid al-Humeyd, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said more than 9,000 of these cases had been documented since the conflict began.
As a result of work carried out by the ICRC together with the Sudanese Red Crescent, the fate or whereabouts of 613 people were determined during the first six months of 2026. During the same period, more than 38,500 people who had been separated from one another were helped to reconnect with their relatives.
The committee also trained emergency teams to ensure that bodies were buried in a manner that would allow them to be identified and distributed more than 6,400 body bags.
Humeyd said information indicated that more than 20,000 bodies had been found and buried in the capital, Khartoum, without official registration or documentation. He said this made it difficult for families to learn the fate of their relatives.
Training the parties to the conflict in international humanitarian law
The ICRC is holding confidential bilateral talks with all parties to the conflict in Sudan to promote compliance with international humanitarian law. Humeyd said the organization had provided training on international humanitarian law to hundreds of officers and armed personnel during the first half of 2026.
Humeyd said it was concerning that civilians continued to suffer from the conflict and noted that fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces had continued since April 2023. According to estimates by the United Nations and international organizations, tens of thousands of people have died and around 13 million have been displaced during this period.
