3 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The conflict between the Army and paramilitary forces in Sudan has already forced more than 440,000 people to leave their homes, according to United Nations data, which has registered more than 334,000 internally displaced persons, mostly in the Darfur region.
Specifically, more than 115,000 people have crossed into neighboring countries to escape the escalation of tensions, while another 334,000 have moved to other theoretically safer areas within Sudan. The African country already had 3.7 million internally displaced persons before this latest crisis.
The director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), António Vitorino, has warned in a statement that “the already difficult humanitarian situation in Sudan has worsened even more in recent weeks”, with thousands of “vulnerable” people. unable to escape from the areas with more violence.
The country is “on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Vitorino, who sees it as “imperative” to act to protect the population both inside and outside Sudan. “The generosity of the Sudanese population in welcoming those fleeing the fighting into their communities and homes is inspiring,” he stressed.
West Darfur and South Darfur account for 72 percent of the internally displaced persons registered by the UN. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has confirmed the death in West Darfur of a displaced person who also collaborated with the organization, in a series of attacks that have claimed at least 191 lives.
Elsheikh was assassinated on April 30 in an informal settlement in Geneina. The NRC Secretary General, Jan Egeland, has described as “unacceptable” the extreme violence against the civilian population and has reported stories that “describe a hell”, with “displaced families who see how their precarious shelters are reduced to ashes , looted humanitarian offices, stolen warehouses”.
“It is devastating. It is the fourth time in three years that civilians and internally displaced persons in Geneina have been caught up in senseless violence,” lamented Egeland, recalling that the area has been a constant scene of violence since 2021.
