The number of registered missing persons in Sudan has grown to more than 11,000, a 40% increase over the past year, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC attributed the rise to displacement caused by fighting, military arrests, and disappearances linked to the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group.
In the first half of 2026, the ICRC and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society helped 38,512 families reconnect or maintain contact with relatives through a free telephone service and field visits, Farid Al Humaid, the ICRC's spokesperson in Sudan, told Radio Dabanga. The organisations also clarified the fate and whereabouts of 613 missing people during the same period.
Major obstacles hamper the search efforts. Organizations lack a central database of missing persons and face restricted access to detention facilities, according to Al Humaid. Disrupted communications networks in some areas have also complicated field coordination between aid groups and vulnerable communities.
The ICRC maintains confidential discussions with authorities and armed groups to seek access to detention facilities and urges all parties to register the identities of detainees, allow them to communicate with families, and clarify the fates of missing people. Al Humaid said the ICRC does not publish detailed statistics on individual cases to protect its access and avoid politicizing the process.
Families can contact the ICRC's Restoring Family Links hotline from inside Sudan at 60222 or reach out to Red Cross or Red Crescent societies in their countries. In 2025, the ICRC clarified the fate of 846 missing people registered with it.
