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UN Migration Agency Says the Number of Internally Displaced People in Sudan Has Surpassed 10 Million

South Sudanese who fled from Sudan sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, May 16, 2023. (AP)
South Sudanese who fled from Sudan sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, May 16, 2023. (AP)
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UN Migration Agency Says the Number of Internally Displaced People in Sudan Has Surpassed 10 Million

South Sudanese who fled from Sudan sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, May 16, 2023. (AP)
South Sudanese who fled from Sudan sit outside a nutrition clinic at a transit center in Renk, South Sudan, May 16, 2023. (AP)

The number of internally displaced people in Sudan has reached more than 10 million, the UN migration agency told The Associated Press on Monday.

The International Organization for Migration said the tally includes 2.83 million driven from their homes before the current war began by multiple local conflicts that have been happening in recent years.

More than 2 million other people have been driven abroad, mostly to neighboring Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, IOM spokesman Mohammedali Abunajela told the AP.

Sudan’s conflict began in April last year when soaring tensions between the leaders of the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

“Imagine a city the size of London being displaced. That’s what it’s like, but it’s happening with the constant threat of crossfire, with famine, disease and brutal ethnic and gender-based violence,” said IOM Director-General Amy Pope in a statement.

The UN food agency warned the warring parties last month that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in the western region of Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don’t allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.

Pope called for a unified response from the international community to avoid “a looming famine” in Sudan, where humanitarian needs are “massive, acute and immediate.” She said less than one-fifth of the funds IOM has sought for the response have been delivered.

The war has wrecked Sudan, killing more than 14,000 people and wounding thousands others, while pushing its population to the brink of famine.

Together, the number of refugees and internally displaced means that more than a quarter of Sudan’s population of 47 million have been driven from their homes.

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Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
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Revenge Attacks in Rural Damascus Raise Human Rights Concerns

Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)
Syrian security forces in Umayyad Square, Damascus, on January 8. (AFP)

Residents of Dummar, a suburb west of Damascus, publicly celebrated the execution of former local official Mazen Knaineh on Friday, raising alarm among civil society and human rights activists.

They called for justice and warned against lawless acts of revenge by armed groups.

Local sources said Knaineh had ties to Syrian security forces under former President Bashar al-Assad, particularly Branch 215, accused of killing detainees. Opposition figures claim he aided government raids on Dummar and Hameh in 2016.

The execution was reportedly carried out by armed locals who recently joined the new administration’s security forces. Residents had demanded his death, blaming him for the loss of many family members.

The incident has fueled calls to stop revenge killings and ensure justice is pursued legally in Syria’s fragile post-conflict period.

Civil society activists have raised concerns over the growing trend of extrajudicial executions in Syria, warning that such acts undermine the hopes of building a “new state” grounded in law and justice.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Rahada Abdosh expressed strong opposition to field executions, stating they are not a path to healing.

“Revenge will only bring more destruction to the country,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The abuse of corpses and the execution of individuals in front of children and their families is particularly troubling.”

Abdosh emphasized the need for specialized courts to prosecute those responsible for violence and bloodshed.

“We must hold everyone accountable for the harm they’ve caused,” she added.

Ahe warned that allowing groups to take action based on public complaints or accusations of crimes could repeat the abuses of the Assad regime, which carried out executions without trials.

She said this could “legitimize” the regime’s actions and noted that some accusations might be driven by personal revenge or unverified claims, risking more innocent victims.

Abdosh called on the current government to stop individual executions and abuses, urging the creation of a field court for fair trials. She stressed that transitional justice must include both acknowledging the crimes and offering compensation.

“Anything outside the law is a crime, and could be considered a war crime,” she added, highlighting that this could harm the government’s efforts to rebuild the country.

Sources close to Damascus military operations told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is increasing public pressure on the new administration to quickly deliver justice.

They noted that many families are grieving and impatient, while the government continues work on restoring security, disarming groups, and rebuilding, which will take time.

Civil activist Salma Al-Sayyad expressed her empathy for the grieving families in Dummar but warned that emotional reactions like vigilante justice could harm innocent people and fuel revenge.

“While I understand their pain and their desire for justice, I fear this could lead to more injustice,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Sayyad called for a future Syria based on the rule of law, where justice is carried out through fair trials, clear evidence, and a judge.

“We need an independent judicial system,” she emphasized.

In related developments, Syria’s military operations launched a large security campaign in rural Damascus, targeting individuals connected to the ousted regime.

This has led to clashes in areas like Qudsayya, where former regime officers and loyalist fighters are concentrated.