MORE THAN 700,000 DISPLACED IN SUDAN SINCE MID-APRIL, SAYS UN

Tue 08 May 2023:

The United Nations said on Tuesday (May 9) that heavy fighting in Sudan has displaced more than 700,000 people in the country since mid-April, adding the figure doubled in a week. Addressing a press conference in Geneva, Paul Dillon, a spokesperson for the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said, “There are now more than 700,000 internally displaced by the fighting which began on April 15. Last Tuesday, the figure stood at 340,000.”

Dillon pointed out that even before the conflict started on April 15, 3.7 million people were registered as internally displaced in Sudan. He said that many internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering with relatives, while others are gathering in schools, mosques and public buildings.

The IOM spokesperson further said that the agency was conscious of the enormous pressures placed on host communities already suffering from the effects of over three weeks of fighting.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) said that another 150,000 people fled Sudan since the fighting started between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UN has estimated that five million additional people would need emergency assistance inside Sudan, while 860,000 people are expected to flee to neighbouring states.

During Tuesday’s briefing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that 604 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured so far.

The conflict in the North African country rages on as negotiations between the warring factions have yielded no major progress. Despite several ceasefires, tensions and deadly fighting persist in Khartoum and other areas.

Last Saturday (May 6), both factions sent their envoys to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for peace talks. But there has been no word on the progress of these talks.

On Monday, Sudanese Special Envoy Dafallah al-Haj met South Sudan President Salva Kiir. The talks with President Kiir were aimed at fostering a lasting ceasefire and granting safe passage to humanitarian support as well as providing an escape corridor for fleeing civilians.

Following the meeting, Dafallah al-Haj told reporters that Sudan’s army was in full control. “The elements of the Rapid Deployment Force, the rebellion, have infiltrated inside the civilian quarters and they are now taking, considering, or actually occupying hospitals. That is why the army does not want to go aggressively because of the safety of the civilians,” he said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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