UN Says Sudan Conflict Has Displaced 6.6 Million; US Cites Ongoing War Crimes

A report released on Thursday by the humanitarian affairs arm of the United Nations reveals that since April, over 12,000 people have lost their lives, and more than 6.6 million have been displaced due to armed conflict in Sudan. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Sudan now holds the unfortunate distinction of having the largest number of displaced people globally, constituting the most significant child displacement crisis.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that “Sudan is now the country with the largest number of displaced people and the largest child displacement crisis in the world,” adding that half of all displaced people within the country are children.

An estimated 1,300 people have been killed in the conflict between October 28 and November 24 according to the UN statement.

Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since fighting broke since fighting between the two factions broke out on April 15.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement determining that members of both the SAF and RSF have committed war crimes in the country. Blinken also said that members from the RSF have engaged in ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Blinken condemned the warring factions as being responsible for “grievous human suffering” and said that conflict has “unleashed horrific violence, death, and destruction” across the country.

Drawing parallels to the genocide in Darfur that occurred almost 20 years ago, Blinken highlighted an “an explosion of targeted violence against some of the same survivors’ communities.”

“Across Sudan, the RSF and allied militias have terrorized women and girls through sexual violence, attacking them in their homes, kidnapping them from the streets, or targeting those trying to flee to safety across the border,” Blinken stated.

The SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of the Sudanese government in a 2021 military coup. The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, was up until recently, a paramilitary force incorporated into the Sudanese military and utilized by Burhan to enforce his rule on the populace.