Hunger, displacement spiralling out of control in Sudan: UN

(sakshipost.com)

 

Khartoum, Aug 3 (IANS): Hunger and displacement due to the ongoing war in Sudan are spiralling out of control, the UN humanitarians warned.

More than 6 million people in Sudan, about 13 per cent of the population, are now one step away from famine, Xinhua news agency quoted the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as saying.

According to the office, over 20 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity across Sudan due to the violent conflict, economic decline and mass displacement.

More than 3,000 people have died and over 6,000 others injured in the bloody conflict, which the two warring sides -- Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces -- have blamed each other of escalating it.

According to the Unicef, at least 435 children have been reportedly killed and some 2,025 others injured.

The UN agency has also claimed to have received reports of a staggering 2,500 severe violations of children’s rights, representing an average of at least one an hour since the violence erupted on April 15.

To date, over 3.5 million people have been displaced inside and outside the country.

Nearly 2.7 million have been displaced internally as of 25 July, according to the International Organization for Migration.

People have been displaced across all 18 states, the majority of whom are in River Nile, followed by Northern, White Nile, and Sennar states.

About 73 per cent of the people displaced are originally from Khartoum.

In addition, over 855,000 refugees, asylum seekers and returnees have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, including Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that attacks on health care continue to be reported across the country.

Since the violence began, the WHO has verified 53 such attacks resulting in 11 deaths and 38 injuries.