More than 800,000 people could flee Sudan if fighting continues, triggering a massive refugee crisis in the region, the United Nations refugee agency warned. Some 73,000 refugees have already left the war-torn Horn of Africa country, the agency said Monday, as the ongoing bout of violence enters a third week.
The latest influx of displaced people will add to the challenges of Sudan’s neighbors, who are hosting large number of Sudanese refugees from previous conflicts. 30,000 people have arrived in recent weeks in Chad, already a temporary home to 400,000 refugees from its eastern neighbor. People fleeing Sudan recount stories of fear and violence on the road
International efforts to push the warring factions to a peace deal have grown more urgent, as recent cease fires have not been completely observed. A top U.N. humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, is in Nairobi and will head to Sudan soon. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation — which Sudan is part of — will hold an emergency meeting in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday to discuss how to restore peace in Sudan. Representatives of the two sides locked in combat could soon meet in Saudi Arabia for talks, a senior U.N. official told the Associated Press.
The conflict pits Sudan’s military, under the leadership of de facto head of state Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary of Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. The power struggle between the two generals has killed at least 500 people and injured thousands, according to the U.N.
Amid widespread human misery, many citizens are without adequate food, power or water. The public health system was on the verge of collapse, with a majority of hospitals not operating, according to the World Health Organization. Residents of Khartoum, the capital, who ventured outdoors Monday saw dead bodies and looting, Reuters reported.
In one silver lining, the World Food Program — which had suspended operations out of safety concerns — said it would resume food distribution in four states in the coming days. Americans and other foreigners struggle to flee Sudan amid fierce fighting
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday phoned African leaders, including Comorian President Azali Assoumani — who holds the rotating chair of the African Union — to press for collective action to bring an end to the fighting.
International evacuations continued, with three U.S.-facilitated convoys taking 700 people, including Americans and nationals from partner countries, from Khartoum to Port Sudan over the past few days, a State Department spokesman said Monday. Many will then travel onward to Jiddah. More than 2,100 people have been evacuated by Britain from Sudan, the U.K. Foreign Office said Monday.
Nigeria’s Azman Air will also evacuate citizens stuck on the chaotic Egypt border Tuesday, the airline said on Twitter.
Missy Ryan in Washington contributed to this report.
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