Since the Rapid Support Forces militia – which is fighting the military government – took El Fasher after more than 500 days of siege in late October, nearly 89,000 people have fled Tawila, Melit, Saraf Omra and other locations.
Some families have sought refuge in Tina, near the Sudan-Chad border, where already overwhelmed host communities and U.N. partners are preparing to welcome new arrivals, U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told correspondents in New York.
Meanwhile, violence is escalating in the Kordofan region, leading to increasing numbers of civilian casualties and new waves of displacement.
The UN called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” as well as the protection of civilians and aid workers, an end to attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructure and unhindered access to aid.
De-escalation offer
The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra invited fighters to begin technical negotiations with the United Nations focused on de-escalation and the protection of civilians, Mr. Haq told reporters.
The envoy held consultations with the African Union, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and others.
The UN is working with partners to secure a ceasefire after two and a half years of brutal war, unhindered humanitarian access and to get the parties to de-escalate the situation, but “so far there has been no real progress to report”, Mr Haq added.
Climate aggravates conflicts
The crisis on the Chad-Sudan border is being further intensified by the impact of climate change, as links grow between conflict and climate emergency, a report says. new report released Monday by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
As of the middle of this year, 117 million people had been displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide, while some 250 million have been internally displaced by weather-related disasters over the past decade, the report said.
Sudanese who sought refuge in Chad face a desperate humanitarian situation. Those who recently arrived are receiving less than 10 liters of water per day – well below emergency standards, according to the agency.
Chad and South Sudan, where nearly 1.3 million people have fled Sudan since fighting between rival armies began in April 2023, are among the countries least equipped to deal with the climate emergency.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
