28 June-5 July Sudan News Summary: Internal displacement, fighting intensifies, collapsing agricultural sector

8 Jul

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

The Northern State government in northern Sudan announced on Friday that the number of IDPs from Darfur and Kordofan in the cities of Dongola and Dabba, as well as the Uweinat border triangle, has reached approximately 40,000.
Ad-Dabba has received more than 6,000 displaced families—approximately 30,000 individuals—from El Fasher and Maliha in North Darfur State and from El Nahud and Khawi in West Kordofan State.
The Northern State Humanitarian Aid Commissioner indicated that the influx of IDPs into the state from Darfur, Kordofan, and Uweinat regions continues, amid efforts by the state and humanitarian organisations to provide shelter and food.

The three Kordofan states are witnessing an escalation in fighting and shelling between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, leading to widespread displacement.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that 3,200 families were displaced last Friday from the village of Al-Qantour in Babanusa locality, due to clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Rapid Support Forces renewed their siege of Babanusa this month, launching repeated attacks on the city without being able to take control.

Sudanese agriculture is facing an unprecedented collapse as the war enters its third year, amid warnings of an impending food catastrophe threatening millions of people.
Due to severe shortages of seeds, fertilisers, and fuel, thousands of farmers are unable to cultivate their land in time, threatening a virtually nonexistent agricultural season, according to UN reports and field studies.
According to a joint study by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Food Policy Research Institute, approximately 35% of rural households in Northern State were forced to cease operations by 2024 due to the conflict, reflecting the extent of the deterioration in the agricultural sector.

By Samuel Hunt

Millions are struggling to find enough to eat, and many are turning to weeds and wild plants to alleviate their hunger pangs.
Food insecurity is particularly severe in areas of the Kordofan region, including the Nuba Mountains and Darfur, where the El Fasher and Zamzam camps are inaccessible.
The World Food Programme has stated that food aid to support Sudanese refugees in four neighbouring countries could cease within the next couple of months without an urgent influx of new funding.
An episode of Al Jazeera English’s Inside Story asks, ‘Who will feed Sudanese refugees?’

The report, “Besieged, Attacked, Starved,” depicts a desperate situation for civilians in and around El Fasher.

“People are not only caught in indiscriminate heavy fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their respective allies—but also actively targeted by the RSF and its allies, notably on the basis of their ethnicity,” said Michel Olivier Lacharité, MSF head of emergencies.

Eisa Dafallah, a journalist writing for The New Humanitarian, documents how the RSF attacked Zam Zam camp and tore his family apart

“During the devastating 11 April raid, and in the days that followed, I lost nearly two dozen members of my family, while my dear Aunt Zahra – a second mother to me – was forced to flee across the border to a camp in Chad.”

Fighting in El Fasher alone has displaced more than 400,000 people since April, according to OCHA.
OCHA warned of increased flood risks as Sudan enters its rainy season, which runs through October.

“Any flooding could disrupt road access, hamper aid delivery, and heighten the threat of disease outbreaks during the ongoing lean season,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting that an ongoing cholera outbreak could worsen with the floods.

Fighting in El Fasher alone has displaced more than 400,000 people since April, according to OCHA.

From: UN