Sudan: More Than 3 Million People Displaced Due to Conflict

After clashes erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), there has been little sign of a let up in the conflict, despite numerous ceasefires having been at least agreed upon. Today, there are reports from the city of Omdurman of the shelling of a market on Tuesday which left at least 30 dead. According to The Guardian, "most of the victims in the incident were children and women, according to witnesses." Medical sources cited said the shells were fired from an army-controlled military base.

As this infographic shows, there are now thought to be more than three million people currently displaced due to the conflict, forced to flee their homes due to the threat of being caught up in the fighting or being directly targeted by what the UN has described as "increasing reports of gender-based violence– including conflict-related sexual violence against internally displaced and refugee women and girls".

Commenting on the reports, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA) said: “It is unconscionable that Sudan’s women and children – whose lives have been upended by this senseless conflict – are being further traumatized in this way. What we are witnessing in Sudan is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is a crisis of humanity.”

The majority of people displaced so far have remained in Sudan, with 2.4 million seeking refuge elsewhere in the country. For those that have fled the conflict area completely, Egypt has been the most popular destination. A quarter of a million people are estimated to have made the journey there, while a further 238,000 are in Chad and 161,000 in South Sudan.