The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it is gravely concerned at the latest developments in Sudan as fighting escalates in the Darfur region. UNHCR warned Friday it was receiving deeply alarming reports of continued sexual violence, torture, arbitrary killings, extortion of civilians and targeting of specific ethnic groups in the region.
According to the UN agency, more than 800 people have been reportedly killed by armed groups in Ardamata, West Darfur, an area so far less affected by the conflict. It said Ardamata also housed a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), where close to 100 shelters have been razed to the ground. Extensive looting – including of UNHCR relief items – had also taken place in the area.
UNHCR said those who have managed to escape across borders are arriving in droves. More than 8,000 people have fled into neighboring Chad in the last week alone – a figure likely to be an underestimate due to challenges registering new arrivals.
Speaking to journalists Friday in Geneva, William Spindler, UNHCR spokesman, said reports had been received from new arrivals in Chad fleeing Darfur. Witness accounts had described armed militia going from house to house, killing men and boys in Ardamata. Men and boys were being prevented from leaving Darfur and fleeing to Chad at checkpoints.
"These killings reportedly have happened in the last few days," Spindler said.
Other reports also indicate that thousands of IDPs had to flee a camp in El Geneina, West Darfur.
The UN Refugee Agency said it is preparing for more arrivals of refugees in Chad as the conflict in Sudan rages on. UNHCR calls for an end to the fighting and for all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including allowing the safe passage of civilians as they move in search of safety.
“Twenty years ago, the world was shocked by the terrible atrocities and human rights violations in Darfur. We fear a similar dynamic might be developing. An immediate end to the fighting and unconditional respect for the civilian population by all parties are crucial to avoid another catastrophe,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in a statement Friday.
Spindler noted meanwhile that staff in Sudan were not able to carry out their daily activities as access was limited in Darfur. In Ardamata, UNHCR had been able to distribute relief items, but since then the situation had become much more dangerous.
According to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), more than 10,000 people have been killed and thousands more have been injured since two rival generals plunged the country into war on April 15. The real figure is estimated to be much higher.
Since the conflict started more than six months ago, over 6.2 million people have become displaced inside Sudan or have sought refuge in neighboring countries. More than 5 million people million – Sudanese and refugees already residing in the country - have been displaced inside Sudan, while 1.2 million women, men, and children have fled to neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.
Nearly 90 percent of people who have fled the violence are women and children. The majority of internally displaced persons have been displaced from the state of Khartoum. Most people that crossed borders into neighboring countries have sought refuge in Chad (450,000), Egypt (337,000), and South Sudan (351,000).
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 – especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – lack access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education, and health care.
The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population. Among them are more than 13 million children in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimates, 20.3 million people, or 40 percent of Sudan's population, are facing hunger. Of these, 6.3 million people are at emergency levels of hunger, only one step away from famine.
The revised 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Sudan calls for US$2.6 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to an estimated 18.1 million people inside the country by the end of this year. As of November 12, the HRP is only 34 percent funded.
Further information
Full text: Sudan: UNHCR warns of increasing violence and human rights violations against civilians in Darfur, UNHCR, press release, published November 10, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/sudan-unhcr-warns-increasing-violence-and-human-rights-violations-against