The United Nations said on Wednesday more than half Sudan's population now needed aid and protection, as civilians sought shelter from air strikes and sporadic clashes between rival military factions in the Khartoum area.
Residents said power had been cut, food was in short supply, and drinking water scarce due to the violent power struggle, now in its second month despite international mediation efforts.
"We have been moving from one place to the other in past days," said 27-year-old Abbas al-Sayyed, speaking to Reuters by phone from Bahri, a city adjoining the capital Khartoum, epicentre of a conflict that has killed hundreds of people. The army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been using air strikes and shelling in a bid to root out RSF fighters under the command of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who are entrenched in residential areas of Khartoum.
Talks mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah have so far failed to secure a ceasefire.A screen grab shows black smoke and fire at Omdurman market in Omdurman, Sudan, May 15, 2023. VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoThe sides agreed last week to a statement of principles on protecting civilians and allowing aid supplies, but arrangements for humanitarian corridors and agreeing a truce are still being discussed.
"The Rapid Support Forces are spread out on the ground around us and planes are carrying out strikes in neighbourhoods continuously."Ramesh Rajasingham, head of OCHA in Geneva, said the appeal for nearly $2.6 billion for operations from May until October was the highest ever for Sudan. The U.N. refugee agency said it was seeking $472 million to assist more than 1 million people over the next six months.
"What we can see here is that the situation is even going to get worse because medical supplies and food supply - everything is running out."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alaskan’s family stuck in war-torn Sudan as humanitarian crisis continuesJohn Riek has lived in Alaska for seven years but is working hard to get his family out of Sudan, where a bloody militant war is being played out.
Read more »
CORRECTED-Sudan grandmother's death shows struggle to help those stranded in warAs she tried to save her ailing grandparents stuck amid fighting in central Khartoum, Azhaar Sholgami put in calls from New York to Sudan's two warring factions, aid workers, and embassies near her grandparents' home, but her efforts were in vain.
Read more »
Residents express fear as fighting escalates in Sudan's capitalSudan Doctors Syndicate says 3,215 civilians injured since clashes erupted on April 15.
Read more »
Sudan one month on: Why cease-fires are failing, and what global leaders are missingOne month after fighting between Sudan's two military factions broke out, internationally-brokered peace talks in Saudi Arabia have yielded no solution.
Read more »
Old footage of Ethiopia killing falsely linked to Sudan conflictGraphic footage of an attack in Ethiopia has surfaced in Facebook posts falsely linking it to fighting that has gripped neighbouring Sudan since April. The video circulated in Hindu-majority India, where posts said that the perpetrators were Muslims. However, the clip shows an assault in June 2022 in Gambella in western Ethiopia, where a rights watchdog accused security forces of carrying out 'door to door executions' of civilians.
Read more »
Conflict Brings Sudan’s Lucrative Official Gold Trade to a HaltSudan’s official gold industry, the country’s largest revenue earner, has totally collapsed due to a spiraling month-old conflict in the North African nation, the head of the state-run mining company said.
Read more »