The world’s worst civilian protection crisis in decades has been brought on by the ongoing violence in Sudan. More than 3 million people have been forced to leave Sudan since the war began 19 months ago in search of safety in neighboring countries and beyond.
The number of people fleeing Sudan has increased to levels not seen since the start of the most recent crisis. After fighting in Darfur escalated and floodwaters receded, about 60,000 Sudanese arrived in Chad in October alone.
Individuals are coming in a state of desperation, bearing only memories of unspeakable acts of violence they have seen and experienced—things that no one should have to go through.
An Internal War Re-erupted
On April 15, 2023, a conflict broke out between the RSF and the SAF. Although the majority of the fighting has taken place in Khartoum, the nation’s capital, the conflict has affected other parts of the country as well. Ethnic cleansing has been reported in Darfur as a result of mass murder and displacement.
It is the largest displacement crisis in the world, with over 10 million people displaced within the nation and at least 15,500 people killed. Children make up roughly half of the more than 12 million people who have fled their homes and sought safety both inside and outside the nation.More than 500,000 people have been displaced by the conflict’s spread into Al Jazirah state, Sudan’s “breadbasket,” which has also made the nation’s food crisis worse. Food shortages will also be exacerbated by the looting of marketplaces, businesses, and warehouses that provide humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian access has become increasingly restricted as the Sudanese conflict continues to escalate. Aid delivery has been hampered by severe violence and restrictions on humanitarian actors’ freedom of movement, particularly in the south of Sudan where the greatest needs exist. The restrictions on humanitarian access in Sudan have been given an extreme rating of five out of five by ACAPS.
Civilians Pay Hardest
In this bloody conflict, civilians are suffering the most. Those who were able to flee to Chad have described the horrors: people and animals killed, homes looted, and civilians terrorized. Many have had to witness the murder of their loved ones. Due to their ethnicity, people have been targeted; boys and men have been killed and their bodies burned. While escaping, women have been raped. As they escaped on a perilous and cruel path to safety, many people recall the bodies they saw left by the road.
A startling 71% of refugees who reach Chad say they survived abuses of their human rights in Sudan. Families are in shock after escaping the atrocities and continue to live in fear even though they are relatively safe due to the terrible levels of trauma.
The Region Has Solidarity but Foreign Help is Needed, Too
The region’s nations are contributing, but many host nations have enormous humanitarian needs, and their populations already have significant needs. The strain of constant arrivals is causing national facilities in neighboring countries to collapse.
Since the start of the bloody and indiscriminate war in Sudan, over 700,000 Sudanese refugees—mostly women and children—have been displaced from their homes, and Chad has become a lifeline and haven for them. In addition to the more than 400,000 Sudanese who already lived in long-term displacement in the east, this is the biggest refugee inflow in Chad’s history, increasing the total number of Sudanese refugees in the nation to over 1.1 million.
Other neighboring nations have gone above and beyond their means, including Egypt, which is the largest host country with 1.2 million new Sudanese refugees, according to the most recent government figures. They have made sure that people can flee safely, allowed children to attend school, and given refugees the opportunity to work, start new businesses, and contribute to the communities in which they are living.
While Uganda is giving new arrivals the necessary paperwork so they can use their education and skills to support local economies, Ethiopia is establishing integrated settlements with the help of development donors and bolstering the social services already in place for Sudanese refugees and their hosts. Arable land has been given to Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic so they can cultivate it.
In Libya, tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees have received support and solidarity from local communities, including long-time Sudanese residents. 650,000 South Sudanese are among the 3 million people who have fled the violence in Sudan; they are returning to a nation that is extremely fragile and in dire need of humanitarian aid. To improve conditions in the communities that receive them, however, we are collaborating with development actors and authorities.
Despite being one of the biggest crises globally, it receives relatively little funding and coverage. Millions of people will suffer and social cohesiveness and regional stability will be jeopardized in the absence of significant financial assistance from the international community. Only 29% of the $1.5 billion needed by 86 partners has been allocated to the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudan.
