Mapaballo Borotho
- Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and famine spreading rapidly.
- The ongoing civil war between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces has resulted in mass killings, sexual violence, and starvation.
- The United Nations warns that without urgent global attention, millions more lives could be lost in this man-made catastrophe.
The past weekend saw thousands of South Africans and people from other nations were crying out on social media about how the humanitarian crisis in Sudan seems to have been forgotten by most people.
Sudan is currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in history, with reports of genocide and other crimes being committed against civilians.
Just this weekend alone, at least 60 000 people were forced to flee their homes in Sudan’s El-Fasher City, which has since been captured by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
This group is allegedly committing all sorts of crimes, ranging from murder to sexual violence against women and children.
The civil war in the northeastern region is a catastrophic disaster that has rapidly escalated into one of the largest humanitarian crises ever recorded.
This was confirmed by the United Nations (UN), which described it as the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world.
Understanding the Sudanese Civil War
What is currently happening in one of Africa’s poorest regions erupted in April 2023, plunging the country into famine and chaos fueling its collapse.
The civil war follows the 2019 ousting of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir.
A joint military-civilian government established afterward was overthrown in a coup in October 2021 by the two groups now leading the current conflict, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is allegedly backed by the UAE, while the SAF, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is reportedly supported by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.
The fighting began after the two leaders, Burhan and Dagalo, disagreed on the direction of the country and the proposed move toward civilian rule. They specifically disagreed on incorporating the 100 000-strong RSF into the army and determining who would lead the newly unified force.
It is believed that both generals wanted to maintain their positions of power, wealth, and influence. The immediate trigger was the redeployment of RSF members around the country, which the army viewed as a threat leading to the first shots fired on April 15, 2023.
The war has resulted in widespread death, famine, displacement, and atrocities.
Half of the region’s population is in need of humanitarian support, and millions have been displaced since the conflict erupted.
Nearly 4 million people, mostly women and children, have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.
At this point, the death toll exceeds 150 000 across the country. Civilians are subjected to frequent attacks and human rights violations.
Children suffer the brunt of the conflict, as Sudan now faces the world’s largest child displacement crisis. Since the conflict began, an average of one child every 10 seconds has been forced to flee their home. This is according to BBC News Africa.
Over 17 million children are out of school, and millions face crisis levels of hunger. Thousands grave child rights violations have been reported, including rape, abduction, and forced recruitment.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders has reported staggering levels of sexual violence against women and children, including intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking.
Why the World Should Care
The Sudanese civil war has been described by the UN as the largest humanitarian crisis ever recorded, affecting half of the country’s population. This is the kind of crisis that demands global attention as atrocities against human life continue to rise.
The famine conditions affecting more people than the rest of the world combined are entirely man-made, caused by ongoing conflict that blocks life-saving aid.
International organisations have urgently called for global action to support the people of Sudan
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