The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday that over 8.5 million Sudanese people have been displaced since April 2023 due to internal armed conflict. 1.8 million of those displaced have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Here is the official statement made by UNHCR regarding the issue.
The conflict initiated in April 2023, is between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). This internal discord ensued due to a failed political agreement between the two groups. As a consequence of this conflict, not only has Sudan’s middle class been completely shattered, but the residents have also been forced to abandon their homes and flee to safer territories.
According to the UNHCR spokesperson, Olga Sarrado, the conflict has “shattered people’s lives, filling them with fear and loss.” The gravity of the situation can be understood from the fact that despite the neighboring countries’ accommodating nature – for instance, South Sudan hosting around 640,000 refugees from Sudan – there is still a massive influx of refugees every day. With new and expanded settlements reaching their maximum capacity, these refugees are left to face overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the border areas. Here is where you can get more details on Sarrado’s statement.
Furthermore, funds for the 2024 Regional Refugee Response Plan are critically low, with only seven percent of the required funds fulfilled and the response effort inside Sudan being just six percent funded. This issue has been curiously highlighted by Sarrado wherein she pointed out the acute needs of women and children who have fled with little to nothing and are in desperate need of basic necessities like food, water, shelter, and medical care. More on the funding issue can be found here.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has previously pointed out serious human rights abuses occurring in Sudan. Also, the UN Security Council made a call for an immediate halt in hostilities during Ramadan in March.
For a comprehensive reading on this subject, feel free to refer to the original article here.