The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Thursday that 6.1 million people have been internally displaced in Sudan, following 10 months of conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
According to the latest statistics by the organization, over 3.5 million Sudanese have been displaced from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, which is one of the areas of armed confrontation between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Al-Sharq news channel reported that the organization stated, “The scale of cross-border displacement has reached 1.78 million people in a mixed movement with neighboring countries.”
The United Nations warned on Wednesday of the worsening catastrophic consequences of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and appealed to the donor community to provide $4.1 billion to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of more than 25 million Sudanese affected by the ongoing war for 10 months. This war has led to the displacement of about 10 million people, with 1.5 million of them crossing the borders to neighboring countries.
In a joint appeal with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called for urgent funding to address the escalating humanitarian crisis.
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s humanitarian aid official, told diplomats at the UN headquarters in Geneva that “the international community continues to forget Sudan.”
The World Food Programme described the situation as critical, indicating that an estimated 5 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger due to the war.
The program warned that it is only able to provide regular food assistance to one out of every ten people facing emergency hunger levels in conflict hotspots, including Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, and recently, Al Jazirah.
The conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has escalated significantly, leading to widespread displacement and a humanitarian crisis. The RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is a paramilitary group evolved from the Janjaweed militias, known for their role in the Darfur conflict in the 2000s. The RSF was formally established in 2013 and has since grown in power and influence, participating in military actions within Sudan and abroad, such as in the war in Yemen.
The current conflict stems from tensions between the leaders of the SAF and RSF, particularly over the integration of RSF forces into the SAF and the leadership structure within the newly consolidated military. These tensions have resulted in fierce fighting, particularly in Khartoum, raising fears of a civil war. The international community, including countries in the region and major powers like the United States, has called for an end to hostilities and efforts to secure a ceasefire are ongoing. However, the violence threatens to destabilize not only Sudan but also the broader Horn of Africa region.
