The recent escalation has made life far more dangerous for civilians. More people are being killed and injured, and families are being forced to flee their homes again. Drone attacks are now reaching areas once considered far from the fighting, so civilians can no longer feel anywhere is truly safe.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly power stations, are taking a heavy toll. Power cuts disrupt communications, hospital operations, medicine storage and water supplies, putting children, older people and patients at greater risk.

At the same time, families are facing a severe economic crisis. Many have lost their income, and food, medicines and medical treatment are growing harder to afford. War kills through airstrikes and bullets, but it also strips away the basic things people need to survive.

Since the war began, I have met hundreds of Sudanese families who crossed into Egypt, each with a different story depending on where they came from and the route they took. Families fleeing areas such as Al Jazirah, Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan faced serious risks along the way, including threats at checkpoints run by the Rapid Support Forces militia, the forcible recruitment of young men, and sexual violence against women and girls.

Families who tried to avoid checkpoints often had to rely on smuggling networks, facing other dangers. Some were left near the border for days without food or water. Others were threatened or abandoned in the desert when they could not afford the smuggling fees.

Women and girls, young men, children, older people and pregnant women face the greatest risks. Often, it is a family’s ability to pay smugglers that determines whether they reach safety or are left behind.

One of the biggest challenges for Sudanese refugees in Egypt is the residency process, with its extremely long waiting times. It begins with an asylum-seeker card and a document from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming a residency appointment, but appointments are often scheduled almost two years later. This leaves people in an impossible position. Police require a valid residency permit, yet refugees can wait years just for an appointment.

Deportation campaigns have continued since December, at times affecting people with a United Nations Refugee Agency card, an official residency appointment or even a valid residency. This has created a constant sense of fear and uncertainty.

Without valid residency, refugees face serious barriers to basic rights. They may be unable to file a case in court, enrol their children in school or access university education, and are barred from working or opening businesses. Humanitarian assistance alone is not enough to meet their basic needs.

Civil society activists play an important role as a link between refugees and humanitarian organisations, helping organisations understand refugees’ needs while helping refugees find the services and support they need.

But this work is challenging. Most refugee-led organisations are not formally registered, because the process is complicated and expensive, and requires valid residency. That creates legal risks and fear of arrest.

We are not just service providers. We are part of the communities we serve, and we understand their needs and challenges directly. Many activists are themselves refugees and are not legally allowed to work. Without direct funding, we often have to draw on our own limited resources to cover rent and basic operating costs.

They must treat refugee protection as a long-term responsibility, not just an emergency response. Host governments should make registration and residency procedures faster and clearer, protect refugees from deportation and ensure access to education and work, paying particular attention to women, children, people with disabilities and those needing ongoing medical care.

The international community should provide greater, more flexible support to host countries and refugee-led organisations and ensure refugees themselves are included in decisions that affect their lives. It also needs to expand resettlement pathways and other durable solutions, particularly for those at greatest risk.

Crossing a border doesn’t automatically mean you’re safe. Refugees are not truly protected if they still face hunger and homelessness or a lack of healthcare, or if their children cannot go to school. Sudanese refugees need more than emergency assistance. They need dignity, stability and a real opportunity to rebuild their lives.