In the current context of tensions and violence which have persisted in Sudan since last April, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, launches a poignant appeal not to forget the conflict which is ravaging this African country. During a visit to the Renk transit center, located in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State and close to the border with Sudan, Grandi stressed the crucial importance of achieving peace.
This transit center, initially designed to accommodate 4,000 people, now accommodates more than 13,000 individuals, demonstrating the seriousness of the humanitarian crisis plaguing the region. During his visit, the UNHCR chief met the family of Babiker Suliman, who arrived in Renk in December 2023 to escape clashes in El-Fasher, in the Darfur region, Sudan.
The Sudanese family of 13 lives in a community shelter shared with two other families, highlighting the precarious living conditions of displaced populations. Last June, the United Nations reported that the number of internally displaced people in Sudan surpassed 10 million, a sign of the disastrous scale of the conflict.
The recent conflict in Sudan erupted last year, degenerating into open clashes between military leaders and Rapid Support Forces, causing chaos and violence in Khartoum and across the country. The human toll is tragic, with more than 14,000 people killed, thousands more injured, and a population on the verge of famine.
Faced with this alarming situation, it is imperative not to look away, but on the contrary, to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis affecting Sudan. The international community must redouble its efforts to support the affected populations and work towards peace and stability in the region. Only collective and coordinated mobilization will make it possible to provide concrete and lasting solutions to this ongoing crisis, and to offer a better future to the millions of people affected by the conflict.