The United Nations warned on Monday that the war in Sudan could lead to more than 800,000 people fleeing to neighboring countries. The UN refugee agency said UNHCR is now working with hundreds of thousands of people planning to flee the violence that erupted in Sudan on April 15.
“UNHCR is working with governments and partners to prepare for the possibility of more than 800,000 people fleeing the conflict in Sudan,” agency head Filippo Grandi tweeted.
“We hope it will not come to that, but if the violence does not stop, we will see many people forced to flee to Sudan for safety.”
Such planning figures do not mean that the United Nations expects people, but believes that it is possible and plans to meet the great needs that will arise.
Grandi’s tweet, confirmed by his office, comes amid warnings that the humanitarian crisis has pushed the country closer to a “tipping point” despite the latest official peace deal between the warring parties in the Sudanese capital.
More than 500 people have reportedly died since clashes broke out between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Mohammed Hamdan Daghlo, the commander of a paramilitary ambulance force.
A third week of chaos and bloodshed has led to a mass exodus to neighboring countries including Egypt, Chad and the Central African Republic.
The latest UN figures on the ground show at least 73,000 people have arrived in the country from Sudan, the spokesman said, adding that this figure includes Sudanese citizens and refugees from South Sudan who have returned home.
Sudan had 1.13 million refugees before the conflict began – one of the largest refugee populations in Africa, including nearly 800,000 refugees from South Sudan.
The war caused a mass exodus of foreigners and international workers, and countries around the world launched evacuations by land, sea and air.
Grandi’s estimate of how many people could escape the violence was boosted last Tuesday after the United Nations ICRC indicated that 270,000 people planned to flee to neighboring Chad and South Sudan.
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