The number of people who have fled Sudan since the outbreak of its civil war in April 2023 has now exceeded four million, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
The agency warns that this marks a devastating milestone in what is currently the world’s most severe displacement crisis.
“Now in its third year, the 4 million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world’s most damaging displacement crisis at the moment,” said Eujin Byun, UNHCR spokesperson, during a briefing in Geneva.
Byun cautioned that without a resolution to the conflict, thousands more will be forced to flee, threatening regional and global stability. Sudan shares borders with seven countries — Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and Libya — all of which are under pressure from the influx of refugees.
Chad, in particular, has received over 800,000 refugees, many of whom are living in dire conditions due to severe funding shortfalls. Only 14% of the required funding for refugee support has been met, said Dossou Patrice Ahouansou of UNHCR.
“This is an unprecedented crisis of humanity and protection,” Ahouansou stressed. He shared harrowing accounts from survivors, including a seven-year-old girl who lost her entire family in attacks on Sudan’s Zamzam displacement camp. She was injured so severely that her leg had to be amputated during her escape to Chad.
Other refugees described atrocities committed by armed groups, including having their horses and donkeys stolen, and being forced to pull carts carrying their own relatives to flee the violence.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the UNHCR urges global action and increased funding to provide shelter, protection, and medical care to the displaced. The conflict continues to fuel suffering on a massive scale, with no end in sight.
