The United Nations revealed on Tuesday that more than 700,000 people have been internally displaced in Sudan since mid-April due to the ongoing heavy fighting.
This figure has doubled within a week, according to Paul Dillon, spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration.
Dillon stated, “There are now more than 700,000 internally displaced by the fighting. Last Tuesday, the figure stood at 340,000.”
The conflict erupted on April 15 between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The clashes have resulted in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, raising concerns about the security implications beyond Sudan’s borders.
Representatives from the warring factions have been engaged in talks facilitated by Saudi Arabia to establish a humanitarian truce.
The United States and Saudi Arabia have referred to these discussions as “pre-negotiation talks.”
As of Monday, the talks had not made significant progress, according to an anonymous Saudi diplomat.
The diplomat noted that a permanent ceasefire was not currently being discussed, as each side believed it could achieve victory in the conflict.
The ongoing violence has prompted a mass exodus of foreigners and Sudanese citizens, with evacuations occurring via land, air, and sea routes.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project reported that the battles in the capital and other parts of the country have claimed over 750 lives and left more than 5,000 people injured.
In West Darfur state alone, nearly 200 individuals have been killed in the past two weeks, as stated by the United Nations.
A widening humanitarian crisis is feared, compounded by reports of large-scale looting at UN and other aid group facilities, including the World Food Programme in Khartoum.
Concerns about the conflict’s impact on neighboring countries were raised by Egypt’s foreign ministry during Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s visit to Chad and South Sudan on Monday.
The ministry referred to the conflict as a “great humanitarian tragedy” directly affecting Sudan’s neighboring nations.
Martin Griffiths, the top humanitarian official of the United Nations, has traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
While Griffiths has expressed interest in joining the negotiations between the warring parties, his request has not yet been approved.
Saudi Arabia is pushing for a timetable for expanded negotiations to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
The ongoing talks in Jeddah aim to secure an effective short-term halt to the fighting, facilitate aid delivery, and restore basic services.
US Ambassador John Godfrey emphasized the immediate priority of reaching a durable ceasefire and enabling humanitarian assistance, though he did not directly comment on the Jeddah talks.
Sudan has a history of instability, with multiple truce agreements being declared and swiftly violated during the current conflict.
