Sudan in the grip of violence: the urgency of the humanitarian situation
Sudan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. For six months, the country has been in the grip of deadly fighting which has already caused thousands of civilian casualties and displaced more than 5 million people. The violence is increasing in intensity, particularly in Khartoum, the capital, where General Hemetti’s paramilitary forces recently attacked the headquarters of the regular army.
The situation is particularly worrying in Darfur, a region where violence is daily. Residents live in terror, subjected to abuses by local militias and government forces. Women are regularly victims of sexual violence, land is pillaged, farms are destroyed and children are forcibly recruited into the fighting.
Faced with this dramatic situation, thousands of Sudanese have made the decision to flee their country to seek refuge elsewhere. More than 420,000 people have already found shelter in neighboring Chad, and hundreds continue to arrive every day. These refugees from Sudan have left everything behind them: their house, their possessions, their previous life. They are now faced with precariousness and uncertainty about their future.
Among these refugees, some come from Darfur, a region particularly affected by violence. Samia Ismael, originally from Murnei, recounts her ordeal: “Our daily life was shootings, fires, rape and death. We had nothing to eat. The militiamen graze their cattle on our farms. Every Friday , they make us pay a tax in exchange for so-called ‘protection’. Regularly, they kidnap our girls and take them with them. A few days ago, the paramilitary forces attacked us. They killed the men and boys. My husband is dead, his sister too. I now have to take care of his orphaned daughter.”
But the reality is just as difficult for those who come from other regions. Mukhtar Zakaria, who fled the town of Nyala in South Darfur, testifies: “The paramilitaries infiltrate the residential areas. Then, government forces attack them from their bases or from the air. The bombings kill innocent people. This war is taking a worrying turn. It’s getting worse and worse. And in the end, it’s us, the poor citizens, who pay the price. We are caught in the crossfire, surrounded.”
For many of these refugees, the road to safety is perilous and costly. Mukhtar had to spend several thousand euros to shelter his disabled father. The roads are dangerous, littered with checkpoints, and the risks of aggression are numerous.
And the drama continues for some refugees, who have already fled the war in their own country. Tedros Tseguai, an Ethiopian, left his country in 2020 to take refuge in Sudan. He had managed to rebuild a life in the town of El Fasher in Darfur, but war struck again. Tedros lost his wife and children in a rocket attack. Devastated, he had to take the road to Chad, but he now feels trapped between two wars: “I fled the war in my country and I found war in Sudan. I am assailed by thoughts. My father died in Ethiopia following a bombing. I no longer have children or a wife. I can no longer sleep.”
Sudan, once home to many refugees, is now the country from which they are fleeing in droves. Conflict and armed violence have shattered lives, leaving families torn apart and populations traumatized. International aid is needed more than ever to support these refugees, provide them with shelter, medical care, food and help them rebuild their lives. Humanitarian organizations must redouble their efforts to address this major crisis, which continues to worsen.