About two weeks after the unrest broke out in Sudan, the humanitarian situation in the country is reaching a breaking point. According to the United Nations, 73,000 people have already fled the African country and that may rise to about 815,000.
Violence between the regular army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15. The battle has already cost the lives of at least five hundred people in the country with a population of 45 million.
The humanitarian situation has now reached a breaking point, says UN emergency coordinator Martin Griffiths, who was in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Monday to talk about the situation.
Griffiths calls the situation unfolding in Sudan “catastrophic” and says ways must be found to get aid into the country. The parties involved must ensure that civilians and the infrastructure of the country are not affected by the violence. Safe escape routes should be created for this and hospitals, for example, should remain outside the battlefield.
Most Sudanese flee to neighboring countries. That also puts considerable pressure on those countries, the UN said. For example, an estimated 40,000 people have fled to Egypt and others have crossed the border into Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Several countries have already brought compatriots from Sudan. The Netherlands evacuated a total of 250 people, including 100 with Dutch nationality. The last evacuation flight arrived on Sunday. There are no new flights for the time being because the situation at the airport is too unsafe. People can still flee the country by road or sea.
2023-05-01 21:31:00
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