Over 100,000 people flee Sudan – UNHCR

Over 100,ooo people have fled to neighbouring countries since the fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began almost three weeks ago, UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said.

UNHCR noted that those fleeing the fighting include Sudanese refugees as well as people who were themselves refugees in Sudan, adding that the number of refugees and returnees may rise to over 800,000.

UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado told journalists in Geneva that many of the seven neighbouring countries where people are fleeing to are already hosting large refugee, and internally displaced populations.

“The majority remain severely underfunded. Asylum countries will need additional support to provide protection and assistance. Among the urgent needs are water, food, shelter, healthcare, relief items, gender-based violence response and prevention, and child protection services,” she said.

The most significant cross-border movements so far have been Sudanese refugees arriving in Chad and Egypt, and South Sudanese returning to South Sudan. Most new arrivals in Chad and South Sudan are women and children, UNHCR said.

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It announced plans to launch an interagency regional refugee response plan to address urgent financial needs, as soon as possible.

In Chad, more than 21,000 refugees have so far been verified, physically counted and identified, and UNHCR is continuing verification and registration exercises.

In South Sudan, those arriving at the border include older people, people with disabilities, pregnant women, female heads of households with young children and large families.

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In the Central African Republic, the refugee agency estimates that approximately 6,000 refugees have now crossed the border.

In Ethiopia, most arrivals have been third-country nationals alongside some refugees.

In Egypt, UNHCR is leading interagency coordination in collaboration with the government. Initial estimates of arrivals have been revised up by the government to 40,000 Sudanese and 2,300 foreign nationals.

Appealing to donors, the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said on Tuesday that aid agencies and partners are facing a huge funding gap of $1.5 billion for the Sudan response.

The fighting, which is now in its third week, has continued inspite of an agreed ceasefire. Over 550 people have died as a result and 4,926 injured so far.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that “many will die” due to lack of essential services, as well as disease outbreaks.

“Medical stockpiles are running critically low in areas ravaged by the fighting – including in the capital Khartoum, and West and Central Darfur. And the prices of basic commodities, from fuel to food staples and bottled water, has risen by 40 to 60 per cent or more in some areas, ”UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said at the regular briefing in New York on Tuesday.

Additionally, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan.