More support urged for conflict victims in Sudan

One year of conflict in Sudan is taking a devastating human toll, said international humanitarian organizations, as they call for stepped-up efforts to help the country.

The number of Sudanese forced to flee has now surpassed 8.5 million, with 1.8 million of them having crossed borders, according to data released by the United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, on Tuesday.

The agency said the country and its neighbors are experiencing one of the largest and most challenging humanitarian and displacement crises in the world.

Acute shortages of essential resources such as food, water and fuel, along with a seriously degraded healthcare system, are just some of the terrible consequences of the conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

"We have mobilized 4,000 volunteers from across the country to provide first aid and help evacuate the wounded. Our staff and volunteers distribute food and essential items, provide psychological support, and search for the missing," Aida Al-Sayed Abdullah, secretary-general of the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, said.

"We urge the international community to increase their support to help us meet the urgent needs of the communities trapped in the conflict. We cannot let Sudan become another forgotten crisis."

Despite the magnitude of the crisis, funding remains critically low, the UNHCR said. Only 7 percent of the requirements outlined in the 2024 Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudan led by UNHCR have been fulfilled.

On April 15, 2023, conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum, which subsequently spread to other regions.