Current:Home > InvestUN aid chief says six months of war in Sudan has killed 9,000 people-LoTradeCoin
UN aid chief says six months of war in Sudan has killed 9,000 people
View Date:2024-12-23 19:48:52
CAIRO (AP) — Six months of war between Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary group has killed up to 9,000 people and created “one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history,” the United Nations humanitarian chief said Sunday.
Sudan has been engulfed in chaos since mid-April, when simmering tensions between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open warfare.
“For six months, civilians ... have known no respite from bloodshed and terror,” U.N. Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking the six-month anniversary of the war. “Horrific reports of rape and sexual violence continue to emerge.”
The fighting initially centered in Khartoum, but quickly spread to other areas across the east African nation, including the already conflict-wrecked western Darfur region.
Griffiths said the fighting reportedly killed up to 9,000 and forced millions of people out of their homes, either to safer areas inside Sudan or in neighboring countries.
He said the conflict led to “communities torn apart. Vulnerable people with no access to life-saving aid. Mounting humanitarian needs in the neighboring countries where millions have fled.”
According to the U.N. migration agency, more than 4.5 million people were displaced inside Sudan, while over 1.2 million others sought refuge in neighboring countries. The fighting also left 25 million people — more than half of the country’s population — in need of humanitarian aid, Griffiths said.
Adding to the calamity, a cholera outbreak was reported in the capital and other areas in the country, with more than 1,000 suspected cases detected in Khartoum and the provinces of Kordofan and Qadarif, he said.
Since the breakout of the war, the Greater Khartoum area — the cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North — has become a battleground, with airstrikes and shelling taking place in densely populated areas.
There were reports of rape and gang rape in Khartoum and Darfur, mostly blamed on the Rapid Support Forces. The RSF and its allied Arab militias were also accused by the U.N. and international rights groups of atrocities in Darfur, which was the scene of a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s.
The recent atrocities in Darfur prompted the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to declare in July that he was investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the latest fighting in the region.
veryGood! (36)
Related
- Kyle Richards Shares an Amazing Bottega Dupe From Amazon Along With Her Favorite Fall Trends
- Handicapping the 2024 Kentucky Derby: How to turn $100 bet into a profitable venture
- 'Star Wars' Day is sign of franchise's mass appeal. It owes a lot to Frank Herbert's 'Dune'
- Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for days
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry recalled over listeria risk: See list of affected products
- Walker Hayes shares his battle with addiction and the pain of losing a child in new music collection, Sober Thoughts
- 2024 NBA playoffs: Second-round scores, schedule, times, TV, key stats, who to watch
- A boy gave his only dollar to someone he mistook as homeless. In exchange, the businessman rewarded him for his generosity.
- Watch as massive amount of crabs scamper across Australian island: 'It's quite weird'
- Mega Millions winning numbers for May 3 drawing: Jackpot rises to $284 million
Ranking
- The charming Russian scene-stealers of 'Anora' are also real-life best friends
- What is Cinco de Mayo? Holiday's meaning and origins tied to famous 1862 battle
- Actor Bernard Hill, of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ has died at 79
- After poachers busted for hiding striped bass in odd locations, New York changes fishing regulations
- Sting Says Sean Diddy Combs Allegations Don't Taint His Song
- Mexican authorities recover 3 bodies near where US, Australian tourists went missing
- Horoscopes Today, May 3, 2024
- Shooting in Los Angeles area injures 7 people including 4 in critical condition, police say
Recommendation
-
Kathy Bates likes 'not having breasts' after her cancer battle: 'They were like 10 pounds'
-
How Kristi Yamaguchi’s Trailblazing Win Led to Her Own Barbie Doll
-
Second juror in New Hampshire youth center abuse trial explains verdict, says state misinterpreted
-
Pro-Palestinian protests stretch on after arrests, police crackdowns: Latest updates
-
Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
-
Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season from brief but potent California storm
-
Florida women drive 500 miles from Jacksonville to Key West in toy cars to 'save animals'
-
Hush money, catch and kill and more: A guide to unique terms used at Trump’s New York criminal trial