The Sudanese Armed Forces have announced that they successfully repelled and crushed a significant assault by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of El Fasher in North Darfur.
According to Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah, the official spokesperson for the Sudanese military, the army, along with joint forces, mobilized volunteers, and popular committees, managed to thwart the attack early this morning. The RSF suffered heavy losses in both personnel and equipment.
This development highlights the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the RSF, which has intensified in various regions across the country.
Olga Sarado, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has warned about the increasing suffering of displaced people in Sudan due to heavy seasonal rains across the country.
According to a statement from the Commission, refugees and internally displaced people are experiencing a catastrophic humanitarian situation, exacerbated by ongoing conflict for over a year and resulting famine.
Floods and heavy rains have impacted tens of thousands, leading to increased displacement, injuries, and deaths.
Sarado attributed the crisis escalation to the effects of climate change, which have intensified natural disasters in the country.
Over the past two weeks, more than 11,000 people, including refugees hosted by Sudan and local communities in the eastern state of Kassala, have been affected by severe flooding and heavy rains, causing further displacement, injuries, and deaths.
Among those affected are families who recently arrived after fleeing violence in the state of Sennar. Some have been displaced three or four times since the conflict began.
Due to climatic conditions and displacement, these families have lost their properties, including food rations, and face significant challenges accessing clean water and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases. Over 400 shelters in the Shagarab refugee camp have been damaged, leaving already vulnerable individuals in dire need.
The UN Refugee Agency and its partners are making every effort to assist the most vulnerable groups. In collaboration with government authorities, new land has been designated for setting up tents to shelter affected families.
The new site is expected to host approximately 800 families recently displaced by the floods. The Commission has already begun setting up emergency shelters, with about 400 tents installed so far.
Despite ongoing rains, at least 200 families have been relocated. Additionally, the Commission plans to distribute plastic sheeting to refugees to repair roofs damaged by storms.
More rains are expected in the eastern and western parts of the country. To mitigate similar impacts in other states including Gedaref, White Nile, and Blue Nile, the Commission is storing essential relief materials and shelter supplies, cleaning drainage systems, and building barriers to support internal roads to protect camps and displacement hosting sites.
Floods in the Darfur region are also affecting the already limited capacity of relief agencies to reach those in need. The humanitarian needs in the region have reached epic proportions, with hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk, and there have been recent reports of famine at some displacement sites.
The statement noted that the conflict has already destroyed crops and disrupted livelihoods, worsening the climate crisis for the displaced.
Flooded lands mean people cannot cultivate crops or graze their livestock, increasing food insecurity and hunger in areas also affected by drought and conflict. There is an urgent need for climate adaptation measures to reduce exposure to these repeated shocks.
As conflict spreads across the country, people continue to move in search of safety. To date, over 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes both within and outside the country.
Since mid-April, heavy rains associated with the El Niño phenomenon have led to extreme weather events in East Africa, including floods, landslides, violent winds, and hail, affecting refugee and displaced communities.
Given the expected worsening of the situation throughout the year, the Commission has launched an appeal for approximately $40 million to help and protect 5.6 million refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons, and local communities in Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Sudan, but so far, only $5 million has been raised.
