The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Sudan displacement higher than projected, humanitarian access thwarted
Humanitarian needs have soared among people displaced by the fighting in Sudan, with refugee numbers on track to surpass projections and aid access still extremely uncertain, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.
“We've already seen over 560,000 people crossing into neighbouring countries; we've seen nearly two million people displaced internally in the country,” said Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, after returning from a mission to Sudan.
Since conflict erupted there on 15 April when rival militaries clashed, more than 560,000 people have reached neighbouring countries – with Egypt receiving the highest number, followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.
One million marker passed
Based on the continuing violence, UNHCR now expects that its previous estimate of one million refugees will be surpassed.
In response to the escalating crisis, UNHCR and other UN agencies, humanitarian partners and host communities have increased efforts to provide emergency shelter, clean water, health care services, psychosocial support and other vital assistance to help displaced populations inside and outside Sudan.
Host communities who have not been affected by the conflict until now are also “seeing the consequences”, Mr. Mazou said. “All are in need of protection and assistance…What is also quite striking and which needs to be underlined is how welcoming the host populations are.”
West Darfur horror
Although the violence has developed across multiple fronts, UNHCR has expressed particular concern about West Darfur. Aid access is “limited”, amid reports of “wanton killings” by “Arab” militia that have been condemned by the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
According to UNHCR, 170,000 people have already crossed into Chad, which borders West Darfur. Many, including women and children, have arrived needing treatment for their injuries.
The rainy season has also thwarted aid workers from reaching those crossing the border and transporting them to refugee camps, the UN agency said.
South Sudan returnees
In South Sudan, sparse infrastructure and security concerns represent significant challenges preventing new arrivals from moving on. Much of the assistance they need will have to be airlifted, which is both costly and complex.
In the meantime, UNHCR teams are registering new arrivals, providing them with emergency relief and helping them to reach different locations as quickly as possible.
“This is a country which has received over 120,000 people,” Mr. Mazou said. “It's largely South Sudanese who are living in Sudan, who are going back to their country…They are part of the 800,000 South Sudanese refugees who were in Sudan, but they are now going back.”
Support in all its forms
Capacity at border reception and transit facilities in neighbouring countries have been strained by the sheer numbers of people arriving, leading to overcrowding and further stretching of already limited resources. Those fleeing Sudan arrive exhausted after days or sometimes weeks on the road, shocked by the violence they have witnessed and in need of food, medical care and relief items.
During a donor conference for Sudan in Geneva on 19 June, $1.52 billion in pledges were received against an appeal for $3 billion. The co-organisers were the UN, the European Union and the African Union, as well as Germany, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
-ends-
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva
- Medium shot: speakers behind podium at the press conference, screen with speakers, attendee in the foreground
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “The conflict in Sudan started on the 15th of April, a bit more than two months ago. And we've already seen over 560,000 people crossing into neighboring countries. We've seen nearly 2 million people displaced internally in the country.”
- Close shot: attendee taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “We have those who are affected by the conflict but cannot leave. We have those who are now internally displaced, as I said, 2 million people. Then we have those who fled into neighboring countries. And then you have people who are living in part of the country that are not necessarily affected by the conflict, but they are seeing the consequences, the socio-economic consequences of the conflict. But all are in need of protection and assistance.”
- Medium shot: attendees taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “The situation in Darfur is probably the one that is worrying us the most. Access into Darfur is limited, but we are hearing from those who are crossing into Chad, a very difficult situation in Darfur. We are also seeing more and more of those who cross into Chad arriving with injuries.”
- Medium shot: attendees taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “What is also quite striking and which needs to be underlined is how welcoming the host populations are. They are living in very difficult circumstances. The part of the country that is particularly poor and they've also been affected by the conflict in Sudan. The conflict in Sudan is having socio economic consequences on Chad and other countries in the region.”
- Medium shot: moderator taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “The country, which has received the largest number of refugees so far, is Egypt. Egypt has received more than half of the refugees who've moved into neighboring countries.”
- Medium shot: attendees discussing and taking notes at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Raouf Mazou, Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, UNHCR: “I was also in South Sudan at the beginning of this month. This is a country which has received over 120,000 people. And as I said, it's largely South Sudanese who are living in Sudan, who are going back to their country. They were refugees in Sudan, they are part of the 800,000 Sudanese, South Sudanese refugees who were in Sudan, but they are now going back to their countries.”
- Medium shot: speakers behind podium at the press conference
- Medium shot: attendee taking notes at the press conference
- Medium shot: speakers behind podium at the press conference, screen with speakers, attendee in the foreground
Similar Stories
1
6
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
In a new twist on panda diplomacy, UN Geneva welcomed five young peacocks to the Palace of Nations on Friday, a gift of India that preserves a tradition of keeping the stately birds in the grounds, that predates both the global body and its ill-fated predecessor, the League of Nations.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Afghanistan’s hunger crisis intensifies as millions go without food aid – WFP
Afghanistan’s dire hunger crisis now affects 14 million people including babies fed on weak tea and a little bread by their despairing and dirt-poor parents.
In a new alert on Tuesday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that one in three Afghans is now in the grip of acute food insecurity and that it lacks the resources to contain the deepening crisis.
1
1
2
Edited News | IOM
From fake jobs to forced crime: IOM sounds alarm on human trafficking behind online scams
A job offer can conceal a criminal network and a single click can lead to a nightmare. Lured by false promises of legitimate employment abroad, hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked each year, held captive and forced to carry out online scams.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons marked on 30 July, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is raising the alarm over a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar criminal industry that turns job seekers into victims of forced cybercrime.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks Intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 patient recoveries.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.