The outbreak of armed conflict in Sudan has led to the fact that 100,000 people have fled the country, and the fighting, which is now in its third week, despite another ceasefire agreement, is worsening the humanitarian crisis.
This was announced on Tuesday by UN representatives.
The conflict risks escalating into an even bigger disaster as Sudan’s notoriously poor neighbors face refugee problems and fighting makes it difficult to get aid to a country where two-thirds of the population depend already have outside help.
According to the UN, around 330,000 Sudanese are internally displaced. Thousands of inhabitants of this country are trying to leave it; many of them cross borders with Egypt, Chad and South Sudan. On Monday, the UN warned that 800,000 people could eventually leave the country, including refugees temporarily residing in Sudan.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Cairo would maintain dialogue in Sudan between the warring military groups, but at the same time “will be careful not to interfere in their internal affairs”.
UN officials said the head of the humanitarian aid program, Martin Griffiths, intended to visit Sudan on Tuesday, but Griffiths’ travel dates have yet to be officially confirmed.
Hundreds of people died in the fighting, during which the army under the command of General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan clashes with the “Rapid Support Force” (RSF), subordinate to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The opposing parties have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
The RSF on Tuesday accused the army of carrying out air raids on “a number of residential areas” in Khartoum. The army accused the RSF of using civilians as human shields.
Let us recall that thirty years of reign of dictator Omar al-Bashir ended with a popular uprising four years ago. He was charged by the new Sudanese authorities in connection with the 1989 coup that brought him to power.
The popular uprising has raised hopes that Sudan, with a population of 46 million, can put decades of autocracy, internal conflict and economic isolation behind it.
The current fighting could not only dash these hopes, but also destabilize an already volatile region bordering the Sahel, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
Competition for influence in the region between major powers, as well as regional states, could intensify. Russia is looking to build a naval base in the Red Sea. After Bashir’s overthrow, Western countries, including the United States, backed the plan to transition to civilian rule.
According to this plan, a new transitional period was to begin at the beginning of April. The army and the RSF had to relinquish power, but two problems remained unresolved. One of them was the timetable for the integration of the RSF into the regular army. The second problem was the command system, which became the subject of disagreement between the army leadership and the RSF command.
The plan was thwarted due to the outbreak of armed clashes between the army and RSF formations.
The international community is calling for a humanitarian truce and a resumption of dialogue, but negotiations seem unlikely at the moment. The army called the RSF a rebel organization and demanded its dissolution, while Dagalo called Burhan a criminal and accused him of destroying the country.
Although the Sudanese army has more resources than the air force, with around 300,000 men, the RSF have in recent years become a well-equipped force (around 100,000) deployed throughout the country.
The RSF can rely on support and tribal links in the west of the country (Darfur), where they have fought in the past with the army against the insurgents.
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