Refugees International Warns of Severe Humanitarian Consequences of Sudan Fighting
Please see below statement from Refugees International’s Director for Africa, Asia, and the Middle East Daniel P. Sullivan:
“Refugees International is deeply concerned about fighting in Sudan and its growing humanitarian consequences. Clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces have already killed scores of people and left parts of the population in Khartoum and other areas cut off from water and food supplies. Aid flights have been suspended, and humanitarian workers have come under attack, including the deaths of three World Food Program (WFP) employees.
Unless the situation deescalates, humanitarian agencies will struggle to reach millions of people in need. Sudan is host to 3.6 million internally displaced people, more than 1 million refugees, and 15.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance – nearly a third of the population. It is surrounded by countries like Ethiopia, Chad, and South Sudan facing their own humanitarian and displacement crises. Failure to cease hostilities, and—at a minimum—allow access for humanitarian agencies, will have catastrophic consequences that will reverberate throughout the region.
Twenty years since the Darfur genocide, and with former Janjaweed soldiers who committed atrocities deeply involved in the latest fighting, the world should be well aware of the consequences of prolonged fighting in Sudan.
Refugees International calls on the United States, Sudan’s regional neighbors, and all countries with influence with the warring parties to act urgently and press for a cessation of hostilities and resumption of delivery of lifesaving aid.”
Cover Photo: Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16, 2023, as fighting in Sudan raged for a second day in battles between rival generals. Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images.