Monday marks another grim milestone in the conflict in Sudan. Since the fighting started 100 days ago, thousands of civilians have been killed and injured, and millions displaced as a result of the nightmarish violence that broke out. UN agencies and international humanitarian organizations around the world today called attention to the plight of the people of Sudan and demanded action to end the war and improve the humanitarian response to the crisis.
Civilians across Sudan have been subjected to 100 days of war. The relentless fighting, that has raged in Sudan since April 15, continues to claim lives, force people from their homes and country, and leave others trapped with limited access to essential services. Critical civilian infrastructures in the major cities have been widely destroyed. In Darfur, the conflict has taken an ethnic dimension as civilians are being targeted based on ethnic affiliation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today three months of conflict have left the country facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has spilled into six neighboring countries with 24 million people in need of humanitarian aid, including 2.6 million people internally displaced, and an additional 757,000 forced to flee across borders for safety.
WHO said, inside Sudan, the situation has reached gravely serious levels, with more than 80 percent of the country’s hospitals out of service and with increasing reports of attacks on health care. Between April 15 and July 24, 51 attacks on health care have been verified by the UN health agency.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported Monday that, on average, more than one child has been killed or injured every hour since fighting began, based on credible reports that at least 435 children have been killed and more than 2,000 injured in the past 100 days. As these are just the numbers reported to UNICEF sources, the true figure is likely to be far higher.
Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is sounding the alarm about the rapidly escalating numbers of displaced people in Sudan who are fleeing in search of safety. UNHCR is also warning of a serious health and nutrition crisis unfolding in White Nile State – where their teams on the ground say that nearly 300 South Sudanese refugee children have died from suspected measles and malnutrition since the conflict began.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that the UN agency supported more than 1.4 million people across Sudan with food and nutrition assistance so far – but hopes to scale up assistance to support 5.9 million conflict-affected people in Sudan by the end of this year. WFP warned that over 40 percent of Sudan’s population –more than 19 million people – are now facing hunger due to the conflict - the highest number ever recorded in Sudan.
Members of the Sudan INGO Forum, the coordination and representation body for 69 international non-governmental organization (INGO) community, working in Sudan, urge Sudanese authorities and international leaders to unblock the bureaucratic, security and funding constraints that prevent humanitarian actors from providing life-saving assistance in the country.
The non-governmental organization CARE International called Monday for action in three key areas: the cessation of hostilities to ensure protection and preservation of lives, the creation of safe passage to allow the supply of basic goods and services to communities, and an upscaling of funding to meet the needs that grow with each passing day.
“The world cannot afford to look away from the worsening situation in Sudan as it has the potential to destabilize the entire region”, David MacDonald, CARE Sudan Country Director, said.
The NGO Norwegian Refuge Council (NRC) said in a report released today, while a hundred days of war in Sudan have exacted a devastating toll on civilian lives and infrastructure, “the worst is yet to come. The country is on the brink of collapse, grappling with a series of crises that together are unprecedented.” The NRC report recommends urgent action to improve the humanitarian response.
Sudan is one of the most complicated humanitarian responses in the world right now. Despite the continued fighting and access restrictions, humanitarian organizations are working tirelessly to provide assistance and protection. But the humanitarian response has been severely hampered by the violence against aid workers, with at least 18 humanitarian workers killed thus far.
Forces from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling for control of the country since hostilities erupted more than three months ago. The conflict between SAF headed up by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the RSF led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out on April 15 after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
Over three months into the conflict, heavy fighting between the SAF and RSF continues reportedly at the same pace with no signs of a possible resolution of the conflict or successful ceasefire after several failed attempts. Reports indicate a deterioration of the situation and continuation of deadly attacks across Khartoum, Darfur, the three Kordofan states and Blue Nile state.
Since mid-April, more than 3.3 million people have been forced to flee, including more than 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and more than 750,000 refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, and other foreign nationals, who have crossed the borders into neighboring countries. The major hosting countries include the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), most of the people displaced in Sudan have fled from Khartoum state and Darfur region.
Humanitarian needs across the Sudan and in neighboring countries continue to rise as the situation deteriorates. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population. Among them are 13 million children in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support.
Further information
Full text: “Sudan. One Hundred Days of War”, report, Norwegian Refuge Council, released July 24, 2023
https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/pdf/reports/sudan-100-days-of-war/2023-nrc-sudan_100_days_final.pdf