In this short report The Orkney News highlights the humanitarian crisis hitting Sudan.

More than 8.8 million people have fled their homes since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023.

Since 15 April 2023, ACLED has recorded 15,550 reported fatalities in Sudan, and over 1,400 violent events targeting civilians across the country since the war began. Civilians in Khartoum state faced the most targeted violence, with more than 650 incidents and at least 1,470 reported fatalities.

In March 2024 the Scottish Government pledged £250,000 in funding for charities (Oxfam and Christian Aid) responding to the ongoing conflict in Sudan and the impact on refugees in neighbouring countries through its Humanitarian Emergency Fund 

 An estimated 850 people (170 families) were displaced to various locations across Al Fasher locality due to the clashes on 10 May, according to the IOM DTM Flash Alert: Conflict in Al Fasher locality report.

UK Government Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said he was deeply concerned. He said:

“The violence in and around El Fasher in Sudan is appalling.

“Villages around El Fasher have been burnt down. Hospitals have been destroyed. Hundreds are dead and injured from the fighting in recent days, and over 800,000 civilians have no means of escape.

And Lord Cameron continued:

“We must hold accountable those responsible for violence against civilians. Thanks to open-source reporting, including that funded by the UK, we have detail about who on the ground is responsible. And we will continue to explore all levers to disrupt the funding of those perpetrating the violence.”

Reports of sexual violence reveal the war’s disproportionate impact on women and girls. Allegations of rape, forced marriages, sexual slavery, and trafficking of women and girls – especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – continue to be recorded.

Famine is imminent as rising levels of hunger and severe acute malnutrition are anticipated to result in increasing levels of hunger-related mortality in the coming months. Since the beginning of 2024, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided lifesaving food assistance and nutrition support to nearly 1.8 million people including over 725,400 people in March, across 12 out of 18 states in Sudan, according to their latest Sudan Regional Crisis External Situation Report. 

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan said:

“After more than a year of conflict, the people of Sudan are trapped in an inferno of brutal violence.

“Over the past year, thousands of lives have been lost. Communities and families have been torn apart. Homes and civilian infrastructure have been destroyed. Khartoum – the beating heart of Sudan – has been decimated. No one – and nothing – has been spared.

“Horrific atrocities are being committed with reckless abandon.

“Reports of rape, torture and ethnically motivated violence are streaming in. Indiscriminate attacks are killing civilians, including young children.

“Sudan is now today the world’s largest displacement crisis: Almost 9 million people – 9 million people – have been forced to flee to other parts of Sudan or neighbouring countries.”

And she concluded:

“The international community cannot stand by as this crisis spirals out of control – as the noose of this conflict tightens its stranglehold on the civilian population. It is time for increased advocacy, increased attention, and increased resources.”

Fiona Grahame