The UN Refugee Agency issued a stark warning on Tuesday, revealing that more than 25 million individuals in Sudan are confronting a dire humanitarian crisis amidst ongoing conflict gripping the northeast African nation.
A daily exodus of refugees fleeing the clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is witnessed, with the majority seeking sanctuary in South Sudan.
Olga Sarrado, spokesperson for UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), disclosed that the total count of displaced persons has surpassed 8.5 million, with 1.8 million crossing borders in search of safety.
Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR’s representative in South Sudan, emphasized the crisis’s magnitude, equating the influx to 4.5 million arrivals in Germany or 17.6 million in the United States within a year.
Moreover, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated in March that “almost half of the population” in Sudan urgently requires food and medical assistance.
Clashes erupted between the SAF and RSF in mid-April last year, resulting in a grim toll.
The UN reports indicate at least 14,600 fatalities and 26,000 injuries during eleven months of widespread fighting across the nation.