$445 million required by October to help 860,000 people fleeing Sudan: UN
People fleeing war-torn Sudan queue to board a boat from Port Sudan.
The United Nations said on Thursday (May 4) that it was preparing for an exodus of 860,000 people from conflict-torn Sudan. UN said that $445 million would be needed to support these people just through October.
The agency said in a statement that it had appealed to donor countries. It said that incoming funds will be utilised for people fleeing to Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. People are escaping Sudan after violence erupted in the country on April 15.
Fighting in Sudan continues and the truce efforts are in tatters. In the capital city of Khartoum, gunfire and explosions could be heard for the 20th straight day on Thursday. The latest ceasefire expired at midnight on Wednesday. Though the regular army said it was ready to abide by a new seven-day truce there was no immediate word from the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
AFP said that loud explosions and exchanges of fire could be heard on the streets till dawn on Thursday.
Sudan spiralled into violence on April 15 as the country's regular army, led by Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo began fighting.
According to figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the fighting has killed some 700 people, most of them in Khartoum and Darfur.
"The UN was taken by surprise" by the conflict because the world body and others were hopeful that negotiations towards a civilian transition would be successful, the UN chief Antonio Guterres told reporters in Nairobi Wednesday.
"To the extent that we and many others were not expecting this to happen, we can say we failed to avoid it to happen," Guterres said.
"A country like Sudan, which has suffered so much... cannot afford a struggle for power between two people."
On the day that fighting broke out, the two generals had been due to meet with international mediators to discuss the RSF's integration into the regular army -- a key condition for the transition to democratic rule.
Instead, Khartoum awoke to the sound of gunfire ringing through the streets.
(With inputs from agencies)
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