By Arnold Neliba
KHARTOUM, JUNE 9, 2023 (CISA)-The Auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum Rt Rev Daniel Marco Kur Adwok has appealed for humanitarian support for internally displaced persons and Sudanese seeking refuge in the neighboring countries.
Through Caritas Internationalis, Bishop Adwok appealed for support for affected populations – including indigenous peoples, foreigners, refugees and displaced persons – fleeing Khartoum and other parts of the country as a result of conflict in Sudan, which escalated on April 15 due to intensive fighting.
“As Caritas Sudan we don’t have the capacity. In fact, before this crisis, we were just starting to relaunch the local Caritas because it had been deactivated for 10 years. We need support and expertise to help people in need,” Bishop Adwok says in a release published by Caritas Internationalis on June 7.
According to Caritas, the war in the country worsened the humanitarian crisis in the country bringing up the numbers from 16 million who were already in need of assistance before the war. The UNHCR says the humanitarian situation in the country is dire due to food, water and fuel shortages, as well as the rising cost of essential items within the Sudan. In addition, with the upcoming rainy season, there is growing concern about the mobility of those fleeing the country.
“I think the biggest group is going to South Sudan because it is nearer and it is less costly. So they are now flocking the border. But some have gone as far as Chad, others to Central Africa, another group are headed northwards towards the border with Egypt. And then I think there was a group to Eritrea. But what I am hearing is that even the refugees from Eritrea who were in Sudan have now moved towards south. So perhaps they might be going to countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and so forth,” said Bishop Adwok who also had to flee Sudan.
“I also had to leave, I crossed the border by car. There is a huge need for help both in Sudan and in neighbouring countries to accommodate people fleeing the conflict,” he said noting that it is reported that many of those fleeing Sudan to South Sudan are returnees who had originally fled in search of peace from the ongoing conflicts and political unrest in their own homeland.
Caritas in neighbouring countries have commenced support for those fleeing Sudan including food distribution, psychosocial support and transport services coordinated and organised by Caritas and other humanitarian agencies.
According to a June 7 situation report shared by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), since 15 April, at least 780 people have been killed, and about 5,800 injured across the country as of 3 June. The humanitarian situation is particularly dire in parts of Darfur, as reports of inter-communal violence and attacks on civilians have increased.
