Heavy fighting continued in Sudan today (Tuesday) between the forces of two generals vying for power despite a regularly extended non-committal truce, as the international community warns of a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation. A Khartoum resident told AFP: “We we hear fireworks, the roar of combat aircraft and the sound of anti-aircraft guns.
Chaos has reigned in the Sudanese capital since fighting broke out on April 15 between the army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by his deputy, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as the Hemedti.
Fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere, especially in Darfur (west), has resulted in more than 500 dead and 5,000 wounded, according to official claims believed to be far less than reality. Foreigners continue to leave the country, and thousands of Sudanese continue to move within their own country or flee to neighboring countries.
Today, a representative of the International Organization for Migration said at a regular press conference in Geneva that the ongoing fighting in Sudan has forced more than 334,000 people to flee inside the country, and more than 100,000 people to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
On Tuesday, the Russian army announced the evacuation of more than 200 people from Sudan to Moscow, including diplomats, military personnel, their relatives and other citizens of Russia, “friendly countries” and former Soviet republics.
The United Nations expects “800,000 people” to flee to neighboring countries such as Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia and Central Africa. Those unable to leave Sudan, many of them due to lack of financial means, face shortages of food, water and electricity as temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius in Khartoum. During a meeting at the UN on Monday evening, humanitarian aid coordinator for Sudan Abdu Dieng warned that the conflict is turning a human tragedy into a “real catastrophe.”
And on Tuesday, the United Nations announced that its programs designed to meet humanitarian needs in Sudan have so far provided only 14 percent of the funds needed for its operations this year, and therefore it still needs $1.5 billion to meet those needs. which escalated after the outbreak of hostilities.
In turn, Kenyan President William Ruto warned that the situation in Sudan had reached a “catastrophic level.” He said the two “belligerent generals refuse to heed the calls” of the international community and demanded that “aid be sent regardless of whether there is a ceasefire.”
In a telephone conversation with the President of Kenya, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated “United States support” for diplomatic efforts to “end the conflict” and ensure “unfettered humanitarian access.”
On Monday, UN High Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths traveled to Nairobi on an urgent mission. “The situation since April 15th is catastrophic,” Griffiths tweeted. The situation was aggravated by the fact that acts of violence and looting did not spare hospitals and humanitarian organizations, many of which had to suspend their work in Sudan.
The World Health Organization also fears a “catastrophe” in an already fragile health system in one of the world’s poorest countries. Only 16 percent of the health facilities in Khartoum are operational, according to the World Health Organization, but they suffer from shortages of supplies and their medical staff are depleted. However, aids are sent by dropper. Six containers of medicines have arrived from the World Health Organization to treat the seriously injured and severely malnourished.
Fuel has been distributed to some hospitals whose electricity depends on generators. The World Food Program has resumed operations after being temporarily suspended following the killing of three of its employees early in the war.
Chaos reigns outside of Khartoum in the state of Western Darfur, with civilians taking part in clashes between warring tribes, according to the UN. The United Nations has counted almost a hundred deaths since last week, when the region began fighting, witnessing a civil war in the first decade of the second millennium that killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million people.
The Doctors’ Syndicate expressed concern over the “complete collapse of the healthcare system in El Geneina,” the capital of West Darfur, adding that the looting of medical centers and displaced persons’ camps had led to “urgent evacuations” of humanitarian teams.