Tue 6 to Thu 8 Aug '24 - Sudan News Sweep
UN OCHA warns that 26 million people in Sudan face acute hunger - this is three times the population of NYC; Refugees sheltering in Ethiopia's forests are to return to Sudan today
HUMANITARIAN IMPACTS:
OCHA senior leadership warned that 26 million people in Sudan face acute hunger – this is triple the population of NYC. 90,000 people face catastrophic levels of hunger in the capital, says the World Food Program (WFP). 5 children starved to death in Mukjar IDP camp in Central Darfur. In Sortony IDP camp in North Darfur, two to three children are dying each day from malnutrition. The camp has an estimated population of 42,000 IDPs. Many families in Darfur are struggling to find even one meal a day.
WFP will urgently scale up its emergency food assistance in Sudan, including providing cash support to 1.2 million people in 12 states. Emergency relief is available in eastern Chad but seasonal rains have flooded the Tine border crossing. At the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan on Tue 6 Aug, the SAF-appointed representative for Sudan reiterated that the Adre border crossing will remain closed to aid. The SAF rep. also denied that there is famine in Darfur and repeated the allegation that the RSF is using the border to smuggle weapons. Many Security Council members underscored that this famine is entirely man-made.
Output from the Gezira Project, Sudan’s biggest agricultural project has declined by 72% compared to the previous season. Only 22% of usually cultivated land was planted this season, largely due to violence in the state, attacks on farmers, and the looting of key resources.
2,500 Sudanese refugees currently sheltering in forests in Amhara, Ethiopia are to return to Sudan this Thu 8 Aug. Representatives of the refugees called on UN agencies to accompany the refugees on their journey to ensure their safety. 27% of those displaced within Sudan since the start of the war have been displaced a second time, reports theUN IOM. South, North, and Central Darfur states host the most IDPs.
Heavy rains and flooding hit eastern Chad causing refugee shelters to collapse in Iridimi refugee camp. Stagnant water can pose a public health danger as a breeding ground for disease carrying organisms like mosquitoes and other vectors. On 4/5 Aug, heavy rains and flooding displaced 85 households from Kereneik, West Darfur – 134 homes were either completely or partially damaged. On Mon 5 Aug, heavy rains and flooding destroyed 500 houses and 600 latrines in Shangil Tobay IDP camp in North Darfur. Also on Monday, the rains displaced 2,448 households in West Darfur. Heavy rains and flooding displaced 564 households from Abu Hamad locality, River Nile State on Tue 6 Aug – all of their homes were either completely or partially destroyed.
Health centres in Sennar, South Darfur, and North Kordofan are suffering from a severe medicine shortage. A dialysis centre in El Obeid, North Kordofan was forced to close due to a lack of dialysis solution. This may result in the death of hundreds of patients if the centre does not reopen quickly, reports Dabanga.
CONFLICT DYNAMICS AND ONGOING VIOLENCE:
Clashes between the SPLA (Joseph Tagu) and SAF in Al Kurmuk locality, Blue Nile State on Thu 1 Aug displaced 25 households, says the IOM. The RSF reportedly massacred 23 villagers in El Managil, Gezira State on Thu 1 Aug. The RSF killed at least 30 people when they attacked El Fasher on Sat 3 Aug and on the same day attacked civilians in Khartoum North, accusing them of sending the coordinates of military sites to SAF. According to the Bahri Observatory for Human Rights (BOHR), the RSF threatened to kill residents, tortured, and detained them. SAF conducted airstrikes on El Geneina, West Darfur on Tue 6 Aug with no reported casualties.
Burhan will relocate his base of operations to Omdurman to personally lead military operations, reports Sudan Tribune. He has mainly been based out of Port Sudan. Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minawi (SLM-Minawi) graduated 3,000 fighters trained in combat and heavy weaponry, reports Darfur 24.
HUMAN RIGHTS:
SAF evacuated 5 Catholic nuns, a priest, and 20 South Sudanese from Dar Mariam in southern Khartoum where they had been trapped for over 16 months. 7 Sudanese refugees were killed and 32 injured when their vehicles overturned in the Libyan desert. One of the drivers of the three vehicles abandoned the refugees in the desert and fled. Libyan authorities report that Kufra locality receives over 1,500 Sudanese refugees each day.
INTERNATIONAL DYNAMICS:
The SAF junta accused the UAE of undermining Sudan’s sovereignty by calling for the cross-border delivery of aid at the UNSC meeting. There are two suspected monkeypox cases in South Sudan, reports Radio Tamazuj. This comes amidst an outbreak of almost 27,000 cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The disease spreads through close contact which is of concern given that over 600,000 Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees are living in cramped conditions in South Sudan.
AT A GLANCE
Humanitarian Impacts:
SUN 4/MON 5 AUG: Heavy rains and flooding displaced 85 households from Kereneik, West Darfur State.
MON 5 AUG: Health centres in Sennar, South Darfur, and North Kordofan suffer a severe medicine shortage.
MON 5 AUG: Heavy rains and flooding hit eastern Chad causing refugee shelters to collapse in refugee camps.
MON 5 AUG: The rains displaced 2,448 households in Foro Baranga locality, West Darfur State.
MON 5 AUG: Heavy rains and flooding destroyed 500 houses and 600 latrines in a North Darfur camp.
TUE 6 AUG: Heavy rains and flooding displaced 564 households from Abu Hamad locality, River Nile State.
TUE 6 AUG: OCHA senior leadership warned that 26 million people in Sudan face acute hunger.
TUE 6 AUG: 5 children have starved to death in Mukjar IDP camp in Central Darfur.
TUE 6 AUG: In Sortony IDP camp in North Darfur, two to three children are dying each day from malnutrition.
TUE 6 AUG: The World Food Program will urgently scale up its emergency food assistance in Sudan.
TUE 6 AUG: Output from the Gezira Project, Sudan’s biggest agricultural project has declined by 72%.
TUE 6 AUG: At the UN Security Council, Sudan reiterated their refusal to reopen the Adre border crossing to aid.
TUE 6 AUG: A charity is providing food to children under 5 in rural villages of North Darfur through a pilot.
- SOURCE: Kids for Kids via ReliefWeb
WED 7 AUG: Many families in Darfur are struggling to find even one meal a day, reports local authorities.
WED 7 AUG: 2,500 Sudanese refugees are to return to Sudan from forests in Amhara, Ethiopia on Thursday.
WED 7 AUG: 27% of IDPs displaced since the start of the war have been displaced a second time.
WED 7 AUG: 90,000 people face catastrophic levels of hunger in the capital, says WFP.
Ongoing Violence and Conflict Dynamics:
THU 1 AUG: The RSF reportedly killed 23 villagers in Gezira State.
THU 1 AUG: Clashes between the SPLA (Joseph Tagu) and SAF in Al Kurmuk locality, Blue Nile State.
SAT 3 AUG: The RSF killed at least 30 people in El Fasher according to the local resistance committees.
SAT 3 AUG: The RSF threatened to kill residents, tortured, and detained them in Khartoum North.
- SOURCE: Bahri Observatory for Human Rights
TUE 6 AUG: SAF conducted airstrikes on El Geneina, West Darfur with no reported casualties.
TUE 6 AUG: Burhan will relocate his operations base to Omdurman to personally lead military operations.
TUE 6 AUG: SLM-Minawi graduated 3,000 fighters trained in combat and heavy weaponry.
Human Rights:
MON 5 AUG: 7 Sudanese refugees were killed and 32 injured when their vehicle overturned in the Libyan desert.
TUE 6 AUG: SAF evacuated Catholic nuns, a priest, and 20 South Sudanese from Southern Khartoum.
International Dynamics:
WED 7 AUG: The SAF junta accused the UAE of undermining Sudan’s sovereignty by calling for aid.
WED 7 AUG: There are two suspected monkeypox cases in South Sudan.
THU 8 AUG: Rep. Sara Jacobs says one of the fastest ways to end the Sudan war is to stop the UAE’s involvement.