UN says number of people seeking refuge from Sudan conflict may surpass 2M

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - The UN refugee agency chief on Tuesday warned that the number of people seeking refuge from the ongoing conflict in Sudan is expected to surpass the significant milestone of 2 million.

In a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto in the capital Nairobi, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Secretary General Filippo Grandi highlighted the urgent humanitarian and refugee crisis in war-ravaged Sudan, saying it is worsening.

“The huge number of refugees at the borders of Egypt and Chad has led to a lot of suffering. The saddest part is that the humanitarian staff are not respected and the UNHCR office in Khartoum has been destroyed,” Grandi said, underscoring the urgent need for action.

President Ruto echoed the sentiments of Grandi, stressing the importance of granting unrestricted access and freedom of operation to humanitarian agencies operating in Sudan.

He urged the warring parties to prioritize the well-being of the affected population and ensure that humanitarian workers carry out their duties without hindrances.

Grandi informed Ruto that the UNHCR had received a significant boost in humanitarian efforts, with a recent call for donations generating $1.5 billion on Monday.

However, he emphasized that an additional $3 billion is still needed to adequately address the escalating crisis.

The meeting between Ruto and Grandi coincided with World Refugee Day, observed annually on June 20.

At the heart of the ongoing crisis are two opposing military figures: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the prominent leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, Sudan has been without a functioning government.

The transitional period, which began in August 2019 following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was originally scheduled to conclude with elections in early 2024.