Sudan’s Forest Cover Shrinks as War and Displacement Expand

(Ayin) — The war in Sudan is no longer a battle on the land alone; it has become a battle against the land itself. Since the fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the country’s forest cover has been falling like an invisible casualty beneath the smoke of war. Meanwhile, displacement, hunger, and the collapse of energy systems have accelerated the uprooting of what remains of Sudan’s trees — for decades the country’s last natural line of defense.

Field observations, environmental reports, and local testimonies indicate that the current war — along with previous conflicts — has catastrophically redrawn Sudan’s forest map. The destruction now stretches from Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar to Darfur and Kordofan, and further east to hosting states such as Gedaref and Kassala, which have been severely strained by mass displacement.

With the collapse of the energy system and the disappearance of cooking gas, wood and charcoal have become the primary sources of fuel, triggering a surge in indiscriminate tree-cutting across the country — even inside protected forests. The absence of government oversight and the inability of the National Forests Corporation to access frontline areas have further accelerated this devastation.

A New Wave of Destruction

Examples from eastern Gezira show forests being wiped out daily in full public view. In Kassala, authorities confirm that displacement-driven pressure on natural resources has caused widespread environmental degradation and loss of forest cover.

Reports also indicate that Central Darfur is suffering extensive forest destruction due to the war, with uncontrolled tree-cutting for charcoal and firewood, especially around Zalingei and its outskirts, as clashes continue between the army and the RSF.

According to the Humanitarian Practice Network, the large population concentrations in Darfur’s displacement camps are exhausting natural resources. Tree-cutting inside these camps — mainly for fuel — has escalated in the absence of governance and regulation.

A post-conflict assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), published by the Wilson Center, notes that approximately 11.6% of Darfur’s forest cover was destroyed between 1990–2005 due to conflict-related pressures.

A Dark Environmental Chapter

Environmental experts say military operations — combined with pollution, fires, and mass displacement — have crippled Sudan’s official environmental institutions, emptied protected areas of enforcement, triggered wildlife migration, and reduced biodiversity during one of the bleakest environmental phases in Sudan’s modern history.

Ayin contacted several forestry experts for updated assessments on the impact of war and displacement on forest cover, but all declined to provide recent figures, citing the absence of reliable and up-to-date data from conflict and displacement zones.

Adil Mohamed Ali Sayed Ahmed, Executive Director of the Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society, told Ayin that the war has severely affected natural resources in general and vegetation cover in particular. The expansion of fighting, the scarcity of cooking gas, and the displacement of millions have increased the demand for wood and charcoal, accelerating tree-cutting at an unprecedented rate.

Unregulated Cutting

Sayed Ahmed added that the lack of oversight by responsible bodies — especially the National Forests Corporation, which cannot access conflict areas — has allowed widespread indiscriminate cutting, even inside reserved forests. Individuals and opportunistic groups are now involved in cutting trees within cities themselves.

He noted the absence of accurate statistics to quantify the environmental damage but said some reports rely on comparisons of pre-war satellite imagery with current images to estimate losses.

As for the most vulnerable areas, he pointed out that states directly affected by fighting — Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, and the five states of Darfur — as well as displacement-hosting states like Gedaref and Kassala, have all suffered extensive forest degradation.

Military operations have directly undermined forest management and natural resource protection, he added, due to pollution from weapons, soil and vegetation damage, and fires in grazing lands. Landmines and active front lines have also made it impossible to access affected areas for monitoring and protection.

Before the war, the National Forests Corporation had rehabilitation programs, he said, but a lack of political will hindered implementation — unlike countries such as Costa Rica and Ethiopia, which heavily invest in forest recovery.

The Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society, along with project expert Najm al-Din Qutbi and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has submitted proposals for three forest restoration projects to the Green Climate Fund. The Corporation is also preparing for a specialized rehabilitation conference.

Forest Rehabilitation Needs Strong Political Will

The challenges of rehabilitating forests after the conflict, he said, include the need for strong political commitment, adequate financial and human resources, enforcement of natural resource laws, and broad community participation through civil society and the private sector.

Environmental recovery will not happen without sound environmental governance, he stressed. The suspension of several projects funded by global environmental funds has cost Sudan precious opportunities. He added that a thorough assessment of the current environmental situation is urgently needed, referencing a 2007 UNEP study conducted after the Naivasha Peace Agreement.

In eastern Gezira — Rifaa rural unit, Wad al-Maqboul village — a forest is facing near-complete annihilation. Trees are cut daily with saws and axes, and donkey carts and trucks transport wood openly.

This destruction poses a serious threat to the region’s ecological balance and agricultural life. Residents are urging authorities to intervene immediately to stop the devastation and protect the forest before it is too late.

In Kassala, the state director of the National Forests Corporation, Abbas Ali Ibrahim, stated last week that displacement has placed enormous pressure on forest resources and led to significant deterioration due to tree-cutting.

Widespread Destruction

Dr. Taha al-Tahir Badawi, Chairman of the Delta Center for Scientific and Environmental Studies, said Sudan’s forests have sustained severe damage due to the ongoing war. He explained that military operations have directly affected forest cover in several states.

Khartoum, Sennar, Gezira, Gedaref, and the Kordofan and Darfur states have all suffered extensive destruction, he said. These forests once served as productive resources, carbon sinks, wildlife habitats, and sources of livelihood for local communities.

Beyond damaging trees, the war has also crippled protective government agencies and environmental monitoring mechanisms. Pollution from the conflict has intensified the damage and driven wildlife out of their natural habitats.

In Khartoum, years of war and the absence of cooking gas have forced residents — especially in Omdurman — to rely on wood and charcoal, accelerating deforestation. Ongoing studies show that displacement and resource extraction are also degrading forests in hosting states such as Gedaref, known for its gum arabic and timber forests.

Rising Threats

Sudan’s protected areas and forest reserves — including major parks such as Dinder and those in Darfur, Kordofan, and Gedaref — face growing threats due to insecurity and weakened environmental laws. Badawi said Sudan is “paying a heavy environmental price,” and repairing the damage will require organized rehabilitation efforts.

Regarding monitoring, he said modern technologies can be used through collaboration between research institutions, universities, and environmental agencies. Satellite imagery and joint scientific programs can track forest degradation, and a national environmental monitoring program must be established involving the Higher Council for Environment and independent research centers.

Sudan, he stressed, needs a major scientific effort to assess the environmental situation comprehensively — not ceremonial visits — to save what remains of its natural resources and protect ecological balance.

• The Sudan Media Forum and its member organizations are publishing this report, prepared by (Ayin), to highlight the vast scale of forest cover loss caused by the war. This material frames the destruction as an “invisible loss” beneath the smoke of conflict. As the war expands, so do displacement, energy shortages, and the uprooting of trees that once formed Sudan’s last natural defense line.

Field reports, environmental assessments, and local testimonies show that the current war — and those before it — have catastrophically redrawn Sudan’s forest map, with destruction spreading from Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar to Darfur and Kordofan, and further to host communities in Gedaref and Kassala already strained by displacement.