ICNA CSJ (Council for Social Justice) has posted a short piece about the conflict that is escalating in Sudan, noting that it was in “the latter half of April when the army and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), engaged in a power struggle.” Sudan has endured decades of conflicts that have resulted in loss of life, extreme food insecurity, psychological trauma, displacement from homes and communities, loss of livelihoods, and human rights abuses. The CSJ piece quotes the Director of the Geneva Centre for Africa Security and Strategic studies, David Otto: “[On] the same route that people are fleeing, what we may see in the nearest future if the fighting continues or spreads across, we’ll see weapons being trafficked, human trafficking happening and increasing volatility in the region.”
Due to long-standing political and ethnic tensions and rivalries, Sudan has seen mass external migration but also internal displacement. Such conflicts result not just in violence and the ensuing issues of safety, but also political instability, economic challenges, and lack of basic survival services. The conflict in Darfur, for example, resulted in millions of people being displaced, leaving their homes and communities to seek safety elsewhere in the country. A new wave of internal displacement took place after the 2021 military coup.
The CSJ piece also reports on neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia which have seen a mass influx of individuals from Sudan who are fleeing the current conflict. CSJ notes that refugees fleeing to Egypt are feeling “marginalized and demeaned,” with reporting by the Guardian that states, “Terrified refugees found little welcome on the border with Egypt, where just a few local police officers had been dispatched to process thousands of exhausted people.”According to responsibestatecraft.org, more than 100,000 Sudanese have arrived in Egypt to date and some officials think it might soon reach a million.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a warning about food insecurity in Sudan. The WFP notes “an additional 2 – 2.5 million people in Sudan are expected to slip into hunger in the coming months as a result of the ongoing violence in the country. This would take acute food insecurity in Sudan to record levels, with more than 19 million people affected, two fifths of the population.”
UN humanitarian agencies also estimate that more than 700,000 are now internally displaced and 150,000 people have fled the country. Talks between the warring parties have been held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and there are some reports of progress with a possible ceasefire in the works.
ICNA is asking for Muslims to help the people of Sudan by donating to any trusted relief or humanitarian organization, thus providing support to the refugees including legal protections, economic assistance, and resettlement in host countries. If you would like to donate through ICNA CSJ, you can do so here.
