Sudan: Civilians of Dafur bearing the brunt of war.

Vatican News.

Much of the world’s attention has been focussed on the fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in the capital, Khartoum.

Attention is Khartoum

Amidst the chaotic war, civilians in Darfur are carrying a heavier burden. In El Geneina, a town in West Darfur and in the past week alone, clashes have claimed more than 350 lives. The intensity of the aerial bombardments has forced even some militant units to abandon their positions and flee the city.

According to witnesses in Darfur, militia members from the ethnic Massalit and well-armed Arab communities have since joined the fighting, complicating an already horrible war.

Human Rights Watch says there has also been much destruction of property, arson, and widespread looting and criminality in areas such as the heavily populated Al-Jabel Avenue neighbourhood and informal camps for displaced people.

Urgent humanitarian aid 

In the meantime, Reuters reports that the United Nations humanitarian response plan is seeking $2.56 billion to help people affected by the crisis in Sudan, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday, while the U.N. refugee agency is also seeking more funding to assist those forced to flee.

“Today, 25 million people, more than half the population of Sudan, need humanitarian aid and protection. This is the highest number we have ever seen in the country,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva and director of the Coordination Division.

“The funding requirements of nearly $2.6 billion is also the highest for any humanitarian appeal for Sudan.”

Destabilisation of the region

The plan, a revised version of the annual humanitarian plan for 2023, is designed to target 18 million people in need.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has caused a humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilise the region, displacing more than 700 000 people inside Sudan and forcing about 200 000 to flee into neighbouring countries.