Over 10 Million Displaced In War-torn Sudan – IOM

Joy ChukwuJune 11, 20241 Mins read340

Rebecca Vassie | AP

More than 10 million people have been displaced in war-torn Sudan, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said.

Since the war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, 7.26 million people have fled their homes, adding to the 2.83 million already displaced by previous conflicts.

The UN has warned that Sudan is experiencing the world’s worst displacement crisis, with no end in sight to the conflict and the threat of famine looming over the country.

Over a quarter of Sudan’s 48 million population have been forced to leave their homes, and more than two million have crossed into other countries.

In the capital, Khartoum, about 3.7 million people—over a third of all displaced persons—have fled, leaving the city devastated and divided by the conflict.

The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, with up to 15,000 killed in a single town in West Darfur. However, the overall death toll is unclear, with some estimates reaching up to 150,000, according to the US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello.

Aid groups and experts have warned that millions more could die as the humanitarian situation worsens.

Within Sudan, 70 per cent of those displaced “are now trying to survive in places that are at risk of famine”, the IOM warned.

Meanwhile, the UN reported that 18 million people in Sudan are severely hungry, including 3.6 million children who are acutely malnourished.

The IOM added that 55 per cent of the displaced are children under 18, with about a quarter under five years old.

While the UN has accused the Sudan military force and the paramilitary group RSF of blocking and denying humanitarian access, Aid agencies have highlighted that a lack of data has prevented an official famine declaration.