Unlike conflicts in Blue Nile or Darfur, this time the displacement is nationwide; Khartoum worst-affected
Some 2,231,523 internal displacements have been recorded in Sudan (as of June 28, 2023), since conflict erupted in one of Africa’s biggest countries on April 15, 2023, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), an international Geneva-based non-profit.
This figure is nearly equal to the number of internal displacements due to conflict and violence in the country in the previous 10 years combined (2,246,000), an analysis published by the IDMC on its website on July 12, 2023 noted.
This is also the highest internal displacement recorded in Sudan due to conflict and violence since IDMC started its monitoring of the country in 2008.
In March, just a month before the latest conflict started in Sudan, over 3.8 million people were internally displaced in the country. This figure will most likely reach much higher levels at the end of this year due to the ongoing widespread conflict.
The IDMC analysis did note, however, that it was not easy to discern how many people were newly displaced compared to how many were displaced a second, third or fourth time. This was mainly due to access constraints, it said.
The report also noted that the displacement this time was different.
Modern Sudanese history has been replete with inter-ethnic conflicts. In 2022 as well, displacements were on in Blue Nile state due to conflicts between the Hausa and the Funj tribes.
Also, there were displacements in West Darfur state, linked to disputes over land and resources between Arab and non-Arab ethnic groups.
“In contrast, the conflict since April 2023 is national in scope. The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in multiple locations across Sudan has resulted in millions of internal and cross-border displacements. Fighting initially took place in cities across Northern and Khartoum states, later spreading across the Darfur and Kordofan states,” the document said.
In 2023, Khartoum state has been experiencing the highest levels of internal displacement, with 1,558,798 internal displacements reported since April, primarily originating in the city of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
There were no reported displacements from Khartoum state in 2022. On the other hand, there were no internal displacements recorded in Blue Nile state this year as the Funj and the Hausa tribes signed an agreement in January 2023 in which, the parties committed to refrain from violence and resolve intercommunal disputes peacefully.
Most worryingly though, the current conflict has reignited ethnic disputes in West Darfur, resulting in repeated displacements.
The Darfur region, comprising West Darfur, South Darfur, Central Darfur and North Darfur, lies in the west of Sudan and has been in a state of permanent humanitarian emergency since February 2003.
The Arab-dominated government of former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing and genocide against the indigenous non-Arab, Black African population in the area.
Al-Bashir was later indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
Since April 2023, approximately 664,033 internal displacements have been reported in the states of West Darfur, South Darfur, Central Darfur and North Darfur.
“West Darfur has reported approximately 255,855 internal displacements since April (over 11 per cent of the total for the country). The state’s capital, El Geneina, has seen the most severe level of conflict and violence outside of Khartoum, resulting in repeated displacement of thousands of individuals. The humanitarian situation in the town has worsened with attacks on civilians, water and electrical facilities, as well as hospitals,” the report said.
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