The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Tuesday that it has decided to expand its assistance plan for Sudan to include two additional countries, Libya and Uganda, following the arrival of tens of thousands of refugees to these countries in recent months.
Reuters quoted Ivan Watson from the UNHCR stating that at least 20,000 refugees have arrived in Libya since last year, with the number accelerating in recent months. Additionally, at least 39,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in Uganda.
“This only underscores the dire situation and desperate decisions taken by those who end up in a place like Libya, which of course is extremely challenging for refugees at the moment,” added Watson.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been ongoing for over a year.
The conflict that erupted in April 2023 has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Four independent UN human rights experts highlighted that more than 25 million civilians are suffering from hunger and urgently need assistance, amid warnings of an imminent famine.
The experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, stated that “both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces use food as a weapon to starve civilians.”
They called on both parties in a statement to “stop blocking, looting, and exploiting humanitarian aid.”
They also noted that local efforts to respond to the crisis are not only hampered by unprecedented violence but also by targeted attacks against relief workers.
They stated, “Deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers and local volunteers undermines relief efforts, putting millions of people at additional risk of famine.”
