United Nations agencies report at least 850,000 people have been displaced by the fighting between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that started on April 15. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday, more than 700,000 people are now internally displaced by the fighting. At least 150,000 women, men, and children have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The conflict between Sudan’s military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary group, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, broke out more than three weeks ago after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health says at least 604 people have been killed and 5,127 others injured since the fighting erupted. However, some states in Sudan are not reporting figures. The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned that the actual numbers are expected to be much higher.
Speaking at a media briefing in Geneva today, Paul Dillon, IOM spokesman, said the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sudan had more than doubled in the past week. Last Tuesday, the figure stood at 340,000.
Even before the fighting began, an estimated 3.7 million people had been displaced within the country. Dillon said the number of internally displaced people had increased in many areas, including the capital Karthoum, where fighting was ongoing.
Responding to questions, the IOM spokesman said the data on where internally displaced persons were going was currently preliminary and being analyzed, a comprehensive report would be released later. However, IDPs were moving into multiple States, including the White Nile State and Khartoum State.
According to UNHCR, more than 154,000 people have crossed the borders to neighboring countries, since the clashes began in mid-April. Most of them are seeking refuge in the seven countries that border Sudan, including Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Among those who have fled Sudan in search of assistance and protection are nearly 50,000 refugee returnees. The UN Refugee Agency recently warned that the fighting could cause 860,000 people to flee the northeastern African state.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the looting of the main compound of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Khartoum over the weekend - the latest targeting of humanitarian facilities since the start of the crisis. Most UN agencies and humanitarian partner organizations have been hit by widespread and large-scale looting.
The World Food Programme reported nearly 17,000 tons of food worth at least $13 million have been stolen from its warehouses across Sudan. Before the fighting erupted, WFP had more than 80,000 tons of stocks in the country. The UN agency says it will need nearly 13,000 tons of food to reach some 384,000 people across the states of Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile. WFP currently has some 8,000 tons of food stocks in Port Sudan.
The World Health Organization also reported attacks and looting of healthcare facilities in Sudan. Since 15 April, WHO has directly verified 15 attacks on health workers, and more are under verification, including violent attacks using weapons and the forcible occupation of WHO facilities. Looting is affecting healthcare facilities, undermining the ability of the Sudanese to access healthcare.
Meanwhile, peace talks brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States between the country's warring generals continued Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after fighting reportedly subsided. However, thousands of Sudanese are still trying to flee the country, and observers are skeptical that a deal between the two sides will bring long-term peace.
A truce between the sides remains officially in place, but eyewitnesses in Khartoum said they heard renewed gunfire and an airstrike in the city Monday in and around the downtown area. There are few indications that the new cease-fire will work, when previous cease-fires have seen fighting continue.
The mediation talks continued for a third day Monday, with no word on whether the negotiations were making progress. Representatives of the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were invited to Jeddah to discuss a proposed cease-fire so humanitarian aid agencies can access people who are wounded, hungry or displaced after more than three weeks of fighting.
The Sudan Tribune reported Sunday that the army negotiators have made three demands: unconditional withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from Khartoum, an extension of a humanitarian truce, and the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese army within two years. The newspaper said: "It's not clear how the RSF negotiators will respond to these demands."
A summit by foreign ministers of the Arab League on Sunday in Cairo called for a complete cease-fire in Sudan. The ministers also formed a committee to try to find a way to halt the fighting. In a statement, the African Union (AU) urged parties to the conflict to immediately cease fire for humanitarian reasons and urgently open humanitarian corridors.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated, with some 15.8 million people – about a third of the population – requiring humanitarian assistance. A quarter of Sudan's population - 11.7 million people - were severely food insecure.
Before the fighting started, Sudan hosted about 1.2 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa, some 3.7 million Sudanese were internally displaced, mostly in the Darfur region that has experienced a volatile security situation since 2003. More than 800,000 Sudanese had fled to neighboring countries.
Further information
Full text: Press Briefing by the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, May 9, 2023
https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/bi-weekly-briefing/2023/05/press-briefing-united-nations-information-service-1