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Published: June 10, 2024
The United Nations migration agency told the Associated Press on Monday that the number of internally displaced people in Sudan has exceeded 10 million.
The International Organization for Migration stated that the figure includes 2.83 million people who were displaced from their homes before the current war began due to multiple local conflicts that occurred in recent years.
The spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, Mohamed Abunajila, told the news agency that more than 2 million other people have been driven abroad, with most heading to neighboring Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.
The conflict in Sudan began in April last year when escalating tensions between army leaders and the powerful Rapid Support Forces erupted into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas of the country.
The Director-General of the International Organization, Amy Pope, said, "Imagine London being displaced. That’s what it looks like, but it’s happening with a constant threat of gunfire, along with famine, disease, and brutal ethnic and sexual violence."
The United Nations food agency warned the warring parties last month of an increasing risk of widespread hunger and death in the western region of Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they do not allow humanitarian assistance in the vast western region.
Pope called for a unified response from the international community to avoid a "looming famine" in Sudan, where humanitarian needs are "massive, acute, and immediate." She stated that less than one-fifth of the funds sought by the international organization for the response have been delivered.
The war has devastated Sudan, resulting in the deaths of more than 14,000 people and injuring thousands more, pushing its population to the brink of famine.
All together, the number of refugees and internally displaced people means that more than a quarter of Sudan's 47 million population has been expelled from their homes.
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