More than one million people have been displaced due to the ongoing crisis in Sudan, which has now lasted for about five weeks.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, about 250,000 people have been externally displaced after having fled Sudan, while around 843,000 have been internally displaced within the war-torn country.
Sudan was plunged into violence on April 15th when disagreements between the country’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, spiralled into full-blown armed conflict.
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The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Matthew Saltmarsh, shared the number of internally displaced persons while speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday.
According to him, those who fled across Sudan’s borders have found themselves mostly in neighbouring countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, Chad, and South Sudan, with Egypt having received the highest number of refugees at around 110,000.
“Many of those who have approached us are in a distressed state, having been exposed to violence or traumatic conditions in Sudan and having suffered arduous journeys,” Saltmarsh said.
He added that the pace with which refugees have approached them has increased in recent weeks, with about 5,000 people arriving each day in Egypt.
THE WHISTLER reported how the Nigerian Government began the evacuation of Nigerians from Sudan when the crisis hit the country.
A total of 2,518 Nigerians were eventually evacuated from Sudan, with no lives lost during the evacuation process, according to the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development.
“In summary, 15 flights were deployed by the Federal Government to airlift a total number of 2,518 Nigerian nationals from Sudan.
“The Federal Government seizes this opportunity to commend and appreciate the efforts of all the personnel deployed towards the successful evacuation exercise.
“Special appreciation goes to the crew of the NAF C130, Officers and Airmen of 063 NAF Hospital, Personnel of the Nigerian Police Force & Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp Disaster Response Units, MOH Port Health Officers, Federal Airports Authority, Air Peace, Azman Airline, Max Air, Sudanese Tarco Aviation, Dangote Group of Companies, MTN, and the Media among other partners and stakeholders.
“The Federal Government is happy to announce that no Nigerian life was lost in the course of the evacuation exercise,” the ministry said in a statement.