African flames of war are still very much alive, causing a lot of misery and migration.
On Friday, November 17th, the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, warned the Security Council that the conflict in Sudan is expanding to new areas, exacerbating the world’s already highest number of displaced people. Akyaa Pobee described the situation as a convergence of worsening humanitarian crises and a catastrophic human rights situation. After seven months of conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, an estimated 25 million people in Sudan now require humanitarian aid. The conflict, starting in April, has claimed over 9,000 lives, with concerns extending beyond Darfur to Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri, South Kordofan, and other regions. Hostilities have spilled into new areas like Gezira, White Nile, and West Kordofan, increasing the risk for civilians and aid workers.
Akyaa Pobee stressed that Sudan represents the world’s largest crisis in population displacement, with only 22% of identified humanitarian needs being met by the UN in 2023. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the escalating violence, particularly targeting the Massalit ethnic group in Darfur, raising fears of a potential new genocide. The paramilitary RSF’s ambitions in Darfur are alarming, echoing the Janjaweed-led atrocities in the early 2000s under dictator Omar al-Bashir.
