Sudan conflict displaces nearly 4 million people: UN agencies
August 7, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The conflict in South Sudan has forced nearly 4 million people to flee their homes, United Nations agencies have warned.
According to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) displacement matrix, clashes between the Sudanese army (SAF) and paramilitaries have uprooted a staggering number of people, with more than 926,000 seeking refuge abroad and a total of 3 million internally displaced.
The conflict, it said, has also forces individuals to leave all of Sudan’s 18 states, with the highest proportions of displaced people being in River Nile State at 15%.
“A total of 926,841 people have now sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ethiopia. Sudanese nationals accounted for more than two-thirds of these arrivals, while foreign nationals and returnees made up the remaining third,” IOM noted.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is concerned over the conditions of those reaching shelter in neighbouring nations, where displacement camps are overcrowded and the looming rainy season makes relocation and aid deliveries harder.
Echoing those concerns, the IOM also warned on Wednesday that the rains pose a significant risk of flooding and could exacerbate the already fragile conditions.
Since mid-April, the conflict between the Sudanese national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused displacement, death, injury and an unfolding humanitarian crisis. Reports of looting, attacks on public institutions and the occupation of private homes continue in the Sudanese, capital Khartoum, while clashes persist in four out of the five states of Darfur region.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported cases of infectious diseases and other illness among displaced populations who have sought shelter in hard-to-reach locations, where health services are limited. The world health agency also reported that more than 50 health facilities have been attacked.
Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) warned that hunger and displacement due to the ongoing war in Sudan are spiraling out of control.
Latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) revealed that more than 6 million people are now one step away from famine.
Overall, more than 20 million people across Sudan are facing high levels of acute food insecurity as a result of conflict, economic decline and mass displacement.
(ST)