Over 1 million people displaced by Sudan conflict: IOM

ISTANBUL (AA) – More than one million people have been internally displaced since the outbreak of clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group last month, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday.

In a statement, the UN agency called on all parties “to ensure the safety of humanitarians and allow their unrestricted access to be able to assist those most vulnerable.”

“In less than 40 days, over 1 million people have been displaced by the violence in Sudan,” the IOM said.

“Humanitarian needs continue to grow, as more people flee their homes.”

The organization said that over 1,361,308 million people have been newly displaced, including 1,042,114 displaced internally and 319,194 who have fled to neighboring countries.

“The highest figures of displacement have been reported in West Darfur (23.86%), White Nile (19.65%), River Nile (15.64%) and Northern States (13.93%),” it noted.

The IOM cited that at least 80,000 people have fled Sudan into Chad, 69,112 people into South Sudan, 132,364 people into Egypt, 26,818 into Ethiopia, 9,823 into the Central African Republic and 1.077 people into Libya.

According to local medics, at least 863 civilians have been killed and 3,531 others injured since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides over integration of the RSF into the armed forces — a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi