The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports Thursday that up to 300,000 people have fled Al-Jazirah state following the clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) around Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazirah State. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), half of them are children. Around 7 million people have been already displaced inside and outside Sudan since fighting broke out between the warring parties on April 15, 2023.
Located 136 kilometers southeast of the conflict-torn capital Khartoum, Wad Madani, sits at the heart of Al-Jazirah state, known as Sudan's agricultural breadbasket. The town has been a place of refuge for many displaced women, children, and men from Khartoum due to its proximity to the capital.
“This is a human tragedy of immense proportions, deepening the country’s already dire humanitarian crisis,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope in a statement Thursday.
“The intensifying conflict and growing displacement underscore the urgency of a peaceful resolution, the need for a ceasefire and a robust response to avert a wider catastrophe.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), fighting in the outskirts of Wad Madani broke out in the morning of December 15 - eight months after the beginning of the civil war- between the SAF and the RSF. On December 18, RSF reportedly entered Wad Madani town, after days of clashes, and by December 19 took control of the city.
Nearly half a million men, women and children, had taken refuge in Al-Jazirah state since the start of the crisis in April with almost 90,000 of those seeking refuge in the state capital Wad Madani. Now, thousands are again on the move, many in panic, fleeing fighting between the SAF and the RSF.
The UN says the situation is tense and unpredictable, with clashes reportedly still ongoing. Night-time curfews have been imposed in most eastern States. IOM warns these latest population movements will push Sudan's total displaced population beyond 7.1 million, the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. More than 1.5 million people have fled to neighboring countries.
“For over eight months, the people of Sudan have been forced to endure the brutal realities of conflict. Their lives have been shattered, their families torn apart, and their dreams of a peaceful future lie in ruins. Continued violence would further devastate the country and destabilize the region,” Pope said.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on a social media platform that the WHO is particularly worried about the situation in Wad Madani.
“We are appalled by reports of attacks on a hospital in the same area that has caused the death of two health workers. WHO’s operations hub is also temporarily suspended; we are taking steps to ensure the safety of our staff while exploring alternative modalities of continuing our health emergency operations,” he said.
WHO’s ability to help Sudanese people is affected as the humanitarian space is shrinking and there are no guarantees of safe access. WHO said that at least three hospitals in and around Wad Madani were closed, and the ones still operating face a critical staff shortage.
Reports indicate that dozens of civilians including medical personnel were killed and many more injured in Wadi Madani since December 15.
“Some of the attacks were allegedly ethnically motivated. There have also been reports of mutilations and looting, as well as of an attack on a hospital. Dozens of people have reportedly been detained by both parties, including some on the basis of their ethnic and tribal affiliation,“ said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Wednesday.
Meanwhile, people displaced from Wad Madani have fled to Gedaref, Sennar and White Nile states, according to OCHA. Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) reportedly arrived at the existing IDP gathering sites in and around localities in Gedaref and Sennar. The majority sought shelter within the host communities, and local authorities and local non-governmental organizations in Gedaref estimate that more than 10,000 people have sought shelter with the host communities in Gedaref town.
OCHA said that thousands of people displaced from Wad Madani might have arrived in Sennar State enroute to Gedaref, Kassala and Blue Nile, according to estimates. There are also reports IDPs moving to White Nile State to cross over to South Sudan if the situation deteriorates.
Conflict-displaced people have sought refuge in various neighboring states, many crossing to South Sudan through the Renk border crossing point. Given the scarcity of available transport options, many people have reportedly fled on foot and are currently sheltering in open areas, improvised shelters, schools, and within the host community.
All humanitarian field missions within and from Al-Jazirah state, a key hub for humanitarian operations in Sudan, have been suspended, jeopardizing the already fragile delivery of critical aid to hundreds of thousands in need. The recent insecurity has prompted humanitarian organizations to relocate their staff to neighboring states.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today the escalation in fighting in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah state has forced 150,000 children from their homes in less than a week. The eruption of fighting in Al-Jazirah means that more than half of states in Sudan – 10 out of 18 – are experiencing active conflict, UNICEF noted.
“Tens of thousands of vulnerable children in Al-Jazirah state have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety as fighting erupts into areas that were previously considered relatively safe,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“This new wave of violence could leave children and families trapped between fighting lines or caught in the crossfire, with fatal consequences. With reports of renewed fighting elsewhere in the country, millions of children in Sudan are once again at grave risk.”
According to the United Nations, renewed clashes have also been reported in El Fasher, North Darfur, with many people reportedly displaced as a result.
Eight months after fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in mid-April, some 7 million people have fled their homes, taking refuge inside and outside the country, with children representing about half of the people displaced. Sudan is now the country with the largest number of internally displaced people and the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
The scale of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented. The UN says the country is experiencing a “humanitarian crisis of epic proportions”. Millions of people lack access to protection, food, water, shelter, electricity, education, and health care.
The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.8 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population. Among them are more than 13 million children in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support. Nearly 18 million people across Sudan are facing acute hunger - more than double the number at the same time a year ago.
As of December 21, the revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is only 40 percent funded.
Further information
Full text: Up to 300,000 Sudanese Displaced by Latest Surge in Fighting, IOM, press relase, published December 21, 2023
https://www.iom.int/news/300000-sudanese-displaced-latest-surge-fighting
Fulll text: Sudan Humanitarian Update (21 December 2023), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, report, published December 21, 2023
https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-21-december-2023
Full text: Almost 3 million children in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah state at risk as violence escalates, UNICEF, press release, published December 21, 2023
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/almost-3-million-children-sudans-al-jazirah-state-risk-violence-escalates