While the world’s media fixates on the violence in Israel and Gaza, two catastrophic conflicts in Africa—Ethiopia’s ongoing turmoil and Sudan’s spiraling war—continue to claim lives and devastate societies, largely out of the international spotlight. The scale of suffering in both nations is staggering, with the most recent violence in Sudan’s displacement camps serving as yet another grim reminder of the stakes.
In northern Ethiopia, the aftermath of the Tigray war, which raged from November 2020 to November 2022, remains a haunting testament to the cost of unchecked conflict. According to peer-reviewed research cited by BioMed Central and PMC, the war resulted in at least 102,000 excess deaths in the Tigray region and 305,000 in Amhara—figures that represent deaths above normal mortality rates for the period. A separate diaspora survey estimated 5,325 direct conflict deaths, including 3,151 civilians, from violence alone. But as reported by Ghent University, human rights groups, and international media, these numbers only scratch the surface. The total death toll in Tigray alone is believed to range from 300,000 up to 600,000, with some analyses, such as those published by ScienceDirect, considering as many as 800,000 lives lost as a plausible upper bound.
These staggering losses have left Ethiopia’s social, economic, and political fabric in tatters. The World Bank’s damage assessments projected losses in infrastructure, livelihoods, and public services equivalent to 5–6 percent of the national GDP in the worst-hit areas. Even the partial reconstruction of war-damaged districts would require multi-billion-dollar investments, a daunting prospect for a country already reeling from conflict. The collapse of the healthcare system has led to rising maternal and child mortality, disruptions in vaccination programs, and conditions ripe for the spread of epidemics—a crisis detailed by Human Rights Watch and other monitors.
Tragically, the violence in Ethiopia has not abated. Instead, it has shifted, with the echo of the Tigray conflict now reverberating across the Amhara region. Reports of mass arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, and attacks on civilians are mounting. Human rights monitors assert that war crimes have reappeared despite formal truce agreements, as noted by Vision of Humanity. The Addis Ababa ombudsman recently acknowledged 351 hunger deaths in Tigray and 44 in Amhara over a recent six-month span, according to AP News. Given the challenges of reporting and ongoing blockades, the true toll is likely far higher.
Meanwhile, Sudan has erupted into what many experts now call one of the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophes. Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the numbers have become almost too large to comprehend. Estimates suggest that over 40,000 people have been killed, 12 million are internally displaced, and 24 million face severe food insecurity. Some projections, as cited by Chatham House and other sources, place the total death toll, including indirect deaths, as high as 150,000 or more. Mass famine has been declared in parts of Darfur, and in Khartoum state alone, over 61,000 deaths have been attributed directly to violence.
The suffering is not limited to those who have perished. More than 3.5 million people have fled Sudan as refugees, while millions more have been displaced within the country. Sudan’s formal economy is collapsing—public services are vanishing, agriculture is disrupted, and entire regions risk long-term destabilization. The consequences ripple far beyond Sudan’s borders, threatening to destabilize Central and Eastern Africa.
Recent events underscore the brutality and immediacy of the crisis. Between October 7 and October 9, 2025, fighting in and around a displaced persons camp in western Sudan killed at least 53 civilians and wounded more than 60 others, according to the U.N. human rights chief. The attacks near the el-Fasher camp in western Sudan have pushed the death toll even higher, illustrating the peril faced by some of the most vulnerable people in the region. The violence shows no sign of abating, and the humanitarian needs continue to escalate.
Despite the enormity of these crises, the international response has been tepid at best. The African Union has convened peace talks and occasional summits, but as Financial Times and EL PAÍS English report, enforcement is thin and follow-through minimal. In Sudan, the AU has pushed for ceasefires and mediation, but these efforts lack binding power and have failed to halt the violence. The contrast with other global crises is stark: South Africa, for example, is suing Israel at the International Court of Justice over alleged genocide, while discussions around Ethiopian abuses rarely reach that level of legal mobilization. France and other nations have pressed for U.N. resolutions on Gaza, demanding occupation prohibitions and post-war governance frameworks, yet similar calls regarding Ethiopia’s mass abuses often elude impactful Security Council action.
Why does such a disparity exist? Many analysts point to skewed attention, influence, and geopolitical priorities. As Dr. Shmuel Legesse, an Ethiopian Israeli social activist and international diplomacy expert, coauthored in a recent report, “If human rights, humanitarian law, and moral consistency still mean anything, the world must refuse to look away.” He argues that, “If we believe that civilian lives are sacred, sieges intolerable, starvation not a tactic, then those truths must hold in Gondar and Darfur, not only Gaza.”
The call for action is clear: Ethiopia’s government must allow unfettered access for independent investigators, and Sudan’s warring parties must comply with humanitarian law. The U.N. should consider appointing high commissioners or special rapporteurs with full mandates for Ethiopia’s Amhara and Oromia, mirroring what many demand for Gaza. African states and regional bodies are urged to translate statements into real consequences—sanctions, travel bans, and targeted referral measures. Donor nations, too, are being asked to condition aid on accountability and civilian protection, rather than on political expediency.
Media and civil society have a crucial role to play in insisting that African lives matter just as much as those in the Middle East. The counterargument is often about resource scarcity, risk, or diplomatic fatigue. But as the conflicts in Ethiopia and Sudan continue to metastasize, the risks of famine, refugee flows, and regional destabilization only grow. Ethiopia is often described as the Horn of Africa’s anchor—its collapse could have devastating consequences for the entire region. Sudan, meanwhile, is the Sahel’s hinge; its implosion threatens to spread conflict well beyond its borders.
As the world debates the application of international law in one part of the globe, the data and the suffering in Ethiopia and Sudan demand an equally robust response. The docket is open. The facts are clear. The only question that remains is whether the world will widen its gaze before another million futures quietly vanish.