IOM: Tens of Thousands in Sudan Risk Death if World Doesn’t Step Up Response

Sudanese already displaced by conflict, walk near tents at a makeshift campsite they were evacuated to following deadly floods in the eastern city of Kassala on August 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese already displaced by conflict, walk near tents at a makeshift campsite they were evacuated to following deadly floods in the eastern city of Kassala on August 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
TT

IOM: Tens of Thousands in Sudan Risk Death if World Doesn’t Step Up Response

Sudanese already displaced by conflict, walk near tents at a makeshift campsite they were evacuated to following deadly floods in the eastern city of Kassala on August 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese already displaced by conflict, walk near tents at a makeshift campsite they were evacuated to following deadly floods in the eastern city of Kassala on August 12, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) urged countries to step up their donations in response to the world's largest displacement crisis in Sudan, warning on Tuesday that inaction could cost tens of thousands of lives.

The IOM has received just 21% of the support it needs to provide crucial aid to the Sudanese, already plagued by conflict and now facing hunger, disease and floods, Mohamed Refaat, who leads the IOM's Sudan mission, told a briefing.

"The international community is not doing enough," Refaat said.

"Without an immediate massive and coordinated global response, we risk witnessing tens of thousands of preventable deaths in the coming months," he added.

Some one in five people have been displaced in Sudan, with 10.7 million people internally displaced and 2.3 million having fled across borders, Reuters quoted the IOM as saying.

A conflict in Sudan that erupted in April 2023 has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created famine-like conditions across the country.



Sudan’s Burhan Rules Out Peace Before Defeating RSF

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
TT

Sudan’s Burhan Rules Out Peace Before Defeating RSF

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets his supporters in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, Sudan (File photo - AP)

Sudan’s transitional Sovereign Council leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has pledged to press on with the war until the entire country is “liberated,” and vowed to eradicate what he called “the militia, their agents, and collaborators.”

He accused “colonial powers” of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with money, weapons, and mercenaries.

Speaking in Mauritania on Tuesday, Burhan said the fighting would not cease until “every inch desecrated by these criminals” is reclaimed.

He vowed to continue military operations until “all cities, villages, and rural areas in our beloved Sudan are freed,” according to a statement from the Sovereign Council’s media office.

Burhan said his country’s ties with domestic and foreign parties depend on their stance toward the ongoing war.

Burhan is on a tour of African nations, including Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Mauritania. Observers say the trip aims to restore Sudan’s African Union membership, suspended after the October 2021 coup, and rally support against the RSF.

Speaking in Mauritania, Burhan vowed to defeat the RSF, accusing them of crimes under the leadership of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to as Hemedti, and called for unity to end his influence.

“Our message is on the battlefield, not through words, until these criminals are eliminated,” he said.

Burhan insisted peace is only possible if the RSF and their allies are removed. “We support peace, but only if these Janjaweed and their mercenaries no longer exist,” he stated.

He described the conflict as a “battle for dignity,” saying it is a fight to protect the honor and homes of Sudanese citizens.