More than 14m displaced in Sudan: UN

KHARTOUM — The conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 14 million people, or about 30 percent of the population, since it broke out in April last year, creating the world's largest displacement crisis this year, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.

"The (internal) displacement number has hit 11 million. That's up 200,000 just since September," the United Nations agency's director-general, Amy Pope, said.

"Another 3.1 million people have traveled across borders to flee the fighting. In total, nearly 30 percent of Sudan's population has been displaced."

More than half are women and more than one-fourth are children under 5 years old, she said.

"The scale of the displacement and the humanitarian needs are growing every day. Frankly, half of the population now needs help," she said, noting that they have no access to shelter, clean drinking water, or healthcare.

She highlighted the cost of the displacement crisis, calling for "the guns in Sudan to fall silent".

The UN this week warned that almost 25 million people require humanitarian assistance, with more than 750,000 people suffering from "catastrophic" food insecurity.

The deadly conflict in Sudan broke out in April last year when tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces escalated to violence in the capital Khartoum and spread out across the country.

More than 24,000 people have died, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a group monitoring the conflict.

Most recently, intense fighting broke out in east-central Sudan, where 124 people were killed in attacks by RSF fighters.

Agencies - Xinhua