Humanitarian impact of the 2023 Sudan conflict

The fighting in Khartoum left some of its five million residents stranded in their homes without electricity or water for days. On 17 April, the Sudan Medical Association said that bombs struck al-Shaab Hospital and al-Khartoum Hospital, forcing both hospitals to stop the services of their emergency departments.[7] The Sudan Doctors' Union said that 52 hospitals went out of service in the capital and adjacent areas, equating to about 70% of hospitals in the region. Nine hospitals were bombed, and 19 were subject to forced evacuation, while five ambulances had been attacked by military forces.[8] The union later told the BBC that only five hospitals were functioning in Khartoum, all of which were facing exhausted staff and major shortages of oxygen and life-saving drugs. Other hospitals were taken over by the warring parties either to shelter their fighters or for other military purposes.[9] The Sudanese government accused the RSF of seizing 12 hospitals[10] while civilian resistance committees said 22 hospitals in Khartoum were taken over by the RSF.[11] At least five ambulance crews were attacked while on duty.[12] The association described the attacks as a clear violation of international humanitarian law and called on the international community to help.[13] The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the warring sides seized ambulances.[14] The vice president of the Sudan Doctors' Trade Union told Al Jazeera that doctors and other healthcare personnel were finding it very difficult to reach hospitals because the major bridges on the Nile were blockaded.[15]

Residents were asked to limit their electricity usage as the state's distribution authority said the servers that manage online purchases of power were out of service and engineers could not reach them because it was too dangerous.[16] Two water plants were reportedly damaged in the fighting,[17] forcing residents to collect water directly from the Nile River instead.[18] A grassroots movement using the hashtag #NoToWar offered people food, medication and information about safety routes to escape the city.[19]

The Sudan Animal Rescue Centre, whose sanctuary is located southeast of the capital near a military base that saw heavy fighting, warned that the situation at its facility was "critical", with no permanent staff to take care of its 25 lions and other animals, shortages of food and no electricity to power electric barriers for its enclosures.[20]

On 19 April, the RSF announced that it had set up a call center in areas it controlled in Khartoum to receive distress calls from residents.[21]

On 28 April, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the RSF of evicting people from their residences during the fighting in Khartoum.[22]

Archaeologists, artists, museum workers and heritage advocates also raised concern over the status of the National Museum of Sudan, which was the scene of heavy fighting between the SAF and the RSF. There was no definite update on the condition of the museum or its collection since the fighting began. The RSF was also accused of harassing pro-democracy artists during the conflict.[23]

The governor of North Darfur called the humanitarian situation in the region dire.[24] The Project Coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the state's capital El-Fasher said that the only remaining hospital in North Darfur was "rapidly running out of medical supplies to treat survivors" while other hospitals have had to close due to their proximity to the fighting or the inability of staff to get to the facilities because of the violence.[25] MSF said that its compound in Nyala, South Darfur, had been raided by armed men who "stole everything including vehicles and office equipment".[26]

Save the Children said that the charity's compound in Darfur was looted by armed men, saying staff were not hurt but medical supplies were taken, as well as food and laptops.[27] Islamic Relief's office in Central Darfur was looted by armed men, and cars were stolen.[28] The World Food Programme reported the deaths of three of its employees and the looting of its facilities and vehicles during clashes at Kabkabiya, North Darfur.[29] United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that they were "receiving reports of attacks and sexual violence against aid workers", adding that the UN aid office in South Darfur was looted on 17 April.[30] A car carrying employees of the Norwegian Refugee Council was attacked in El-Fasher on 20 April but there were no injuries.[31] A hospital supported by MSF in Geneina was looted during fighting on 26–28 April.[32] On 3 May, Griffiths said that six trucks belonging to the World Food Programme were looted in Darfur.[33]

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it is nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services around Khartoum, and warned that Sudan's health system is at risk of collapse.[34] The World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that one of its aircraft had been damaged at Khartoum International Airport during an exchange of gunfire on 15 April, which it says impacted its ability to move staff and provide assistance to people across the country.[29]

An internal UN document seen by CNN stated that armed personnel, reportedly from the RSF, stormed the homes of people working for the UN and other international organizations in downtown Khartoum, sexually assaulting women and stealing belongings including cars. One incident of rape was reported. Two Nigerian men working for an international organization were abducted and later released; a building housing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was targeted; and a rocket-propelled grenade hit the home of a local UN staff member in Khartoum. The RSF denied the claims, blaming the Sudanese military for committing the crimes while wearing RSF uniforms. In turn, the SAF denied involvement and blamed the RSF.[26] The United Nations said that the fighting had "totally shut down" its work in Sudan and affected one-third of the country's population.[35]

Due to attacks against their staff and facilities, Save the Children, WFP, Islamic Relief and the Danish Refugee Council suspended their operations in Sudan.[29][36][26][31] Fifty-seven Sudanese aid workers and 20 Indian workers were relocated from Sudan to Chad.[37]

On 30 April, the Red Cross sent its first aid delivery to Sudan by air since the conflict began, ferrying eight tonnes of humanitarian cargo from Amman, Jordan to Port Sudan.[38] The World Food Programme resumed operations on 1 May.[39]

Thousands of residents fled Khartoum by foot or by vehicle to safer parts of the country.[42] Some of them faced difficulties such as the presence of roadblocks and robberies along the roads.[43] The Norwegian Refugee Council said that there were about 300 refugees from Khartoum who had fled southeast to El-Gadarif.[44] 3,000 refugees from Khartoum fled to Tunaydbah refugee camp, which already hosts 28,000 Ethiopian refugees, in eastern Sudan, while at least 20,000 fled to Wad Madani.[45] Up to 30,000 people, mainly South Sudanese refugees, moved south from Khartoum to White Nile State, which borders South Sudan. Up to 37,000 people were thought to have been displaced across Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.[46]

Sudanese refugee camp in Chad

Chad said that it was receiving and sheltering thousands of refugees who had crossed across its border.[47] The UN Refugee Agency estimated that up to 20,000 people had fled to Chad.[48] The fighting in Sudan also resulted in the flow of goods to Chad being interrupted, leading to rising costs.[49]

South Sudanese authorities said 10,000 refugees had entered the country, three-quarters of whom were South Sudanese who had previously fled north to escape internal conflicts and the rest consisting of Sudanese and other African nationals.[50] By 4 May, the number had risen to 30,000.[51] The United Nations said that it was expecting a combined total of up to 270,000 refugees to cross into South Sudan and Chad.[52]

Egypt said that 16,000 people, 14,000 of whom were Sudanese, had entered the country from Sudan,[53] with around 10,000 more waiting to cross from the Sudanese side of their common border.[54] Two camps operated by the Red Crescent were set up to provide aid to refugees.[55]

More than 3,500 people fled to Ethiopia, including 1,400 Turkish nationals.[56] The number of refugees increased to 6,000 by 1 May.[57] 700 people fled to the Central African Republic, according to the International Medical Corps.[46] About 3,000 people were evacuated to Djibouti.[58]

Criticism was levelled at diplomatic missions operating in Sudan for their slow response in helping Sudanese visa applicants whose passports were left behind in embassies following their closure during evacuation efforts, preventing them from leaving the country.[59]