Tagged:

'World Must Not Look Away From Sudan's Catastrophic Conflict'

After 20 months, there are no signs the war in Sudan is slowing down, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that the recent surge of arrivals in South Sudan is overwhelming services in border areas.

A senior UN official lamented the toll of the conflict - which erupted between rival militaries vying for power in April last year - on ordinary Sudanese.  Edem Wosornu of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described the situation as a "crisis of staggering scale and cruelty".

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged the international community not to look away from the humanitarian "catastrophe" that is unfolding in Sudan. During a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the conflict - which was attended by representatives of aid agencies and member states - the U.S. official said each day brings "new atrocities," including  attacks on hospitals, markets and displaced persons camps. He announced additional $200 million in new U.S. government funding to help the war-affected population.

More than 12 million people - about a quarter of the country's population - have been displaced since the conflict began, while 3.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries.

AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding in Africa is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

InFocus

Xavier Bourgois / UNHCR

Sudanese refugees wait to be registered after crossing the border into the Central African Republic (file photo).

Follow AllAfrica

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.