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Despite the fact that the United States and some African nations mediate with the Sudanese Army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Response Forces (FAR) to extend the irregular truce that would culminate on Thursday, April 27, the fighting and bombardments continue. In the midst of this scenario, different governments continue their efforts to remove thousands of foreign citizens. Violence deepens the refugee crisis on the African continent.
Deadly fighting between the Sudanese Army and Rapid Response or Support Forces (FAR) paramilitaries entered its thirteenth day on Thursday, April 27. The conflict leaves at least 512 dead and 4,193 injured, according to the country’s Ministry of Healthbut the number is likely to be much higher.
Khartoum, the capital, and the Darfur region stand out among the towns plunged into the chaos of the bombs, despite the fragile 72-hour ceasefire that began last Tuesday, April 25, and which would end this Thursday.
Amid the sound of airstrikes, the United States and some African nations are pushing talks to extend the truce between the two sides vying for power in the country, while moving forward with the evacuation of foreign citizens.
France reported in the last few hours that it had evacuated around 400 more people from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, bringing the number of citizens rescued by Paris to more than 900 since violence broke out on Saturday, April 15.
“This new operation allowed the evacuation of 398 people, including five French nationals and citizens of more than 50 nationalities (particularly Americans, British, Canadians, Ethiopians, Germans, Dutch, Italians and Swedish),” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a joint statement. Foreign Affairs and the French Armed Forces.
Britain, meanwhile, said it had evacuated 536 people, on six flights. However, the British Government indicated that it may not be able to continue with that mission when the ceasefire that is experienced intermittently ends due to non-compliance by the opposing sides.
London faces strong criticism for the response to remove its compatriots from the African country. The British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ highlights that there is concern that the evacuation efforts have caused families to be separated or that some of their members are left behind. Only holders of UK passports and their first degree relatives with valid entry clearance to the UK are eligible to evacuate.
Faced with this situation, Alicia Kearns, president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, has asked that older people in charge of children who are British citizens also be accepted on evacuation flights.
Amid the crossfire, many foreign nationals remain trapped in the nation and thousands of Sudanese civilians, who have been struggling for days to find food, water and fuel, are struggling to flee and heading to neighboring nations.
Conflict fuels refugee crisis
Thousands of people have been waiting to cross into Egypt, which shares its southern border with Sudanese territory.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) highlights that the hostilities are forcing an increasing number of individuals to cross the borders of Sudan, for which reason estimates that some 27,000 people could flee to South Sudan and Chad.
Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) called on governments to change their evacuation approach to help those trapped in the country.
“While the rapid evacuations from Sudan have helped thousands, what about the nearly 47 million Sudanese who remain in the country? A rapid wave of humanitarian assistance is the key to helping millions in Sudan,” the CIR questioned in a statement.
And it is that air and artillery attacks leave numerous medical centers out of service to care for the wounded. 60 out of 86 hospitals in conflict zones have stopped working, the Sudan Doctors Union said.
In addition, food distribution is constrained in the vast nation, where a third of its 46 million people already relied on humanitarian aid before the current wave of armed clashes erupted.
The UN estimates that 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had their treatment interrupted due to the conflictand hospitals that are still functioning face shortages of medical supplies, power and water.
Tension in Sudan had been building for months between the army and the RSF, which cooperated to overthrow a civilian government in the October 2021 coup, and have since co-led the nation in the absence of a government.
But the friction came to a head over disagreements over an internationally backed plan to launch a new transition to free elections and the installation of a government led by civilian parties.
With Reuters, AP and local media
