Sudan: According to IOM, millions in Sudan require urgent support
By Ahmad Hadizat Omayoza, Mamos Nigeria
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued a call yesterday for immediate funding in order to provide Sudan and its neighbors with life-saving humanitarian assistance, noting that more than 2.5 million people have already been displaced both inside and outside of Sudan.
The UN agency added in a statement that 25 million Sudanese people, or half of the population, require humanitarian assistance and protection.
The IOM’s remarks came before a high-level pledge event today in Geneva to support the humanitarian response in Sudan.
On Sunday, more than 1.9 million people were internally displaced, according to the most recent IOM data, and 550,000 more had to cross into neighboring nations.
According to the statement, “the ongoing hostilities and rise of violence against the civilian population in the country have exacerbated the humanitarian and displacement crisis,” and over the weekend, at least 15,000 people were forced to flee to Chad as a result of fighting in El Geneina and other West Darfur locations.
The IOM stated that several hundred people had been wounded, including families and children who had been separated from their caregivers. The majority of the wounded arrived on foot, horseback, or in pickup trucks, were typically in poor physical condition, and did not have any possessions.
“IOM and its partners have increased their presence and response in Sudan, as well as at important border points and locations in neighboring nations that host Sudanese refugees; However, the growing requirements are quickly outpacing the available resources, it warned.
The IOM’s Middle East and North Africa regional director, Othman Belbeisi, stated: We call on the international community to provide immediate assistance with relief efforts and to raise funds to meet the growing demands inside and outside of Sudan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) demands that all parties guarantee humanitarian aid workers’ safe access to the most in need.
Since April 15, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been engaged in bloody conflict throughout Sudan. Local doctors estimate that the violence has resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,000 civilians and the injuries of thousands more.
