15 April 2026
Today, three years since conflict erupted in Sudan, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and community advocates are making a renewed call for the Australian Government to increase its response to the conflict. The conflict has spiralled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The situation has reached catastrophic levels, with escalating violence, mass displacement and critical shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
According to UNHCR, 11.6 million people are currently forcibly displaced, including over 6 million internally displaced within Sudan.
Those in Sudan continue to face extreme danger. Airstrikes target civilian infrastructure without warning, and there are reports of serious widespread human rights violations, including massacres. Women and girls face a heightened risk of sexual violence as they flee, in camps and while seeking food, water and essential services. Millions of school children have had their education severely interrupted, with nearly 60,000 children arriving alone to neighbouring countries.
Famine has been declared since 2024, as more than 21 million people experience malnutrition and extreme food deprivation. Health systems are under severe strain. Violent attacks on health care systems since the start of the war have resulted in 1,858 deaths and hundreds of injuries, making access to care even more difficult.
The crisis has contributed to a regional emergency, particularly in neighbouring host countries where safety remains elusive. In Egypt, which now hosts 1.5 million Sudanese refugees, reports have emerged of arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and torture. A recent report by the OHCHR highlights a disturbing trend of Sudanese nationals being targeted in their homes, workplaces and in public spaces. For Sudanese people seeking safety, options remain limited, with the Australian Government unable to assist refugees without passports living in Egypt.
The Sudanese community in Australia is deeply affected by the crisis. Many are trying to support family members still in danger and are calling for broader and more accessible visa pathways. Current options are limited, and the cost and eligibility requirements for family visas place them out of reach for many. There are calls to expand eligibility beyond immediate family members, given the scale of need. Sudanese community members in Australia are also supporting people who arrived since the outbreak of the war with little support from Government.
In response to the deteriorating situation in Sudan, RCOA calls on the Australian Government to provide further overseas development assistance, to support the Sudanese community here in Australia with clarity about pathways to permanency and to resource the communities here that are assisting people who have arrived in the past three years.
The Refugee Council of Australia stands with the Sudanese community and urges the Australian Government to respond with compassion and leadership.
Quote attributed to RCOA Co-CEO Adama Kamara
“We are calling on the Australian Government to increase humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighbouring countries, strengthen diplomatic efforts to help bring this conflict to an end, expand Australia’s humanitarian intake in line with the scale of the crisis, and provide clear and accessible pathways to permanency for Sudanese people currently in Australia on temporary visas. As this conflict enters its fourth year, urgent and coordinated action is needed now more than ever.”
