According to a UN organization, Sudan may soon have 10 million internally displaced people

The worst displacement catastrophe in history may soon surpass 10 million people, according to a report released on Friday by the United Nations migration agency. The displacement is caused by internal violence in Sudan.

In April 2023, fighting erupted in the nation’s capital, Khartoum, and it soon expanded throughout the nation, sparking ethnic violence in the western Darfur region and driving millions of people to escape.

How much more agony and deaths must the people of Sudan bear before the world intervenes? Aren’t 10 million internally displaced people enough to warrant immediate international action? stated Mohamed Refaat, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Chief of Mission in Sudan.

“Every one of those 10 million displaced life represents a profound human tragedy that demands urgent attention.”

This week, the IOM reported that 9.9 million people were internally displaced in Sudan. The IOM estimates that there were 2.8 million internally displaced persons prior to the conflict.

Over 2 million of the approximately 12 million displaced individuals have crossed into neighboring countries including Egypt and Chad.

According to Refaat, women made up more than half of the internally displaced persons in Sudan, and 25% of them were young children.

He claimed that relief organizations were finding it difficult to meet the growing demand.
“Funding shortfalls are impeding efforts to provide adequate shelter, food and medical assistance,” Refaat stated.

“Serious concerns are mounting about the long-term impact of displacement on Sudan’s social and economic fabric.”

Around 18 million people in Sudan are extremely hungry, with 3.6 million of them being malnourished, according to U.N. agencies, which have warned that the country is under “imminent risk of famine”.