As Sudan’s war reaches its 1,000th day, the conflict shows no sign of easing. Instead, early January 2026 has brought a sharp escalation in military operations across Darfur and Kordofan, deepening what UN agencies describe as one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.
UN reporting and independent monitors indicate that the Sudanese Armed Forces have shifted toward an attrition strategy, relying on sustained drone strikes and targeted ground offensives to weaken the Rapid Support Forces by disrupting logistics and command structures.
In Darfur, repeated drone strikes have targeted key logistics hubs, including Nyala Airport. In Kordofan, a large-scale ground offensive in late December and early January saw government forces seize strategic areas, while the RSF continues to besiege major urban centers such as El Obeid and Kadugli.
As fighting intensifies, humanitarian agencies warn of worsening civilian conditions, with millions displaced, aid access severely constrained, and children facing rising malnutrition and the collapse of education systems.
With no durable ceasefire or political settlement in sight, the 1,000-day milestone underscores the entrenched nature of Sudan’s conflict and the mounting human cost of a war with no clear end.
