The United Nations says that close to 1.4 million people have been displaced due to the conflict in Sudan since clashes erupted in mid-April. More than 1,042,000 people have fled their homes and are internally displaced within Sudan, while over 345,000 men, women, and children have crossed the borders to neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, aid agencies and media outlets report that fighting between the Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues in the western region of Darfur, despite a US- and Saudi-brokered 7-day-ceasefire, which came into force Monday. Clashes were also reported in Khartoum. Although there was a lull in fighting between the warring parties since the start of the truce, the ceasefire in Sudan is being violated by both sides.
Representatives of the two fighting parties had agreed to a seven-day truce to allow for the resumption of essential services and humanitarian aid. The latest cease-fire agreement was a result of intense diplomacy. Although brokered with the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia, it is up to the warring parties to implement the truce.
Under the agreement, the parties to the conflict agreed to facilitate the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, restore essential services, and withdraw forces from hospitals and essential public facilities. The parties also agreed to facilitate the safe passage of humanitarian actors and commodities, allowing goods to flow unimpeded from ports of entry to populations in need.
Aid groups are still struggling to provide much-needed help in many parts of the country. On Thursday, a UN spokesman said that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners were mobilizing to reach as many people as possible, while the fragile ceasefire between warring military factions was being partly respected.
The aid agencies continue to help families displaced by the fighting, as well as the communities hosting them. As of today, the World Food Programme (WFP) has now reached more than 600,000 vulnerable people with food and nutrition aid since restarting distributions in the country.
In three of the states in the Darfur region - North, South and East - WFP has reached some 180,000 people. The UN agency is planning to start distributions in Central Darfur in the coming days. WFP has resumed distributions in Blue Nile State on Friday.
The international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today that vital humanitarian activities in parts of Sudan may grind to a halt. Dr Ahmed Abd-elrahman is a Sudanese doctor, who has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for more than 17 years, and directly supporting MSF teams in Sudan.
"As the situation stands today, I am gravely concerned that without additional staff and the ability to move essential supplies where they are needed, many lifesaving activities may have to be put on hold", Abd-elrahman said, who is also director of operations at MSF Belgium.
"Our surgical team in Khartoum, for example, has been operating non-stop for more than 10 days. If we are unable to bring in another team, it may not be possible to continue these crucial activities."
MSF’s mobile clinics have seen over 1,000 patients in just a few weeks. In Khartoum, its surgical team has treated over 400 trauma patients since 9 May.
"Our teams are witnessing on a daily basis the direct impact of ongoing fighting on people in Khartoum and in Darfur, and the health consequences of displacement in areas such as Wad Madani. In Wad Madani, Al-Jazeera state, the health system is under extreme pressure."
Also on Friday, the international aid organization Islamic Relief said that the seven-day ceasefire in Sudan was being regularly violated by all sides.
"The ceasefire agreement is not holding. It only takes a single stray bullet or out of control soldier to kill you. We call upon all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and allow aid to reach those who need it most", Islamic Relief's Country Director in Sudan, Elsadig Elnour, said.
Islamic Relief is calling on the warring parties to respect the ceasefire they have agreed to and ensure humanitarian agencies can access people in need before the rains intensify in June.
"The fighting must stop to allow accelerated aid delivery before the rains or there will be massive further suffering. The number of people we see fleeing Khartoum is increasing every day as the capital continues to be destroyed by the conflict", said Eltahir Imam, an Islamic Relief program manager in Sudan.
Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured since the fighting erupted more than a month ago, with the true toll likely much higher. The conflict between Sudan’s military headed up by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out on April 15 after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated, with some 15.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population.
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. As of May 2023, there are some 4.7 million women, men, and children internally displaced.
More than 800,000 Sudanese had fled to neighboring countries before the clashes escalated. The number of Sudanese refugees is now estimated at more than 1.1 million people.
Further information
Full text: Vital humanitarian activities in parts of Sudan may grind to a halt, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) statement, released May 26, 2023
https://www.msf.org/vital-humanitarian-activities-parts-sudan-may-grind-halt
Full text: Humanitarian workers race to deliver aid in Sudan before the rainy season begins, as ceasefire violations impede access, Islamic Relief, press release, published May 26, 2023
https://islamic-relief.org/news/humanitarian-workers-race-to-deliver-aid-in-sudan-before-the-rainy-season-begins-as-ceasefire-violations-impede-access/