The United Nations has recently disclosed that the conflict between conflicting factions in Sudan has resulted in the displacement of approximately eight million individuals. This announcement was made by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during his visit to Ethiopia.
Grandi has urgently requested additional support to meet the needs of those affected by the conflict that began in mid-April last year. The conflict arose between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who was the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has resulted in widespread displacement, with almost eight million people internally displaced or seeking refuge in other countries. Children account for about half of the displaced population. Despite diplomatic efforts, ceasefires have been repeatedly broken, and the violence continues unabated.
As of January 21, the number of displaced individuals reached 7.6 million, with ongoing challenges to delivering essential assistance to those in need. Grandi emphasized the critical need for additional donor support to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the brutal conflict.
Over 100,000 people have fled to Ethiopia, while the number of refugees in Chad crossed 500,000, and an average of 1,500 people seek refuge in South Sudan daily.
The conflict has claimed at least 13,000 lives, and both sides have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, torture, and arbitrary detention of civilians.
The ongoing violence has led Sudan’s government to suspend its membership in the IGAD East African bloc after it engaged with Daglo while rejecting an invitation to a summit organized by IGAD.