U.N. rights chief warns year-long Sudan conflict has displaced 8 million and risks further escalation

Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, warned Monday that a year of fighting in Sudan has displaced more than 8,000,000 people and that the situation could worsen as armed groups shift alliances.

Türk said that since fighting erupted on April 15, 2023, at least 2,000,000 people have fled to neighboring countries and nearly 18,000,000 people in Sudan face acute food insecurity. He said over 70% of hospitals are no longer functional and stressed deep concern about recruitment and use of children by warring parties.

The U.N. rights office flagged the potential for further bloodshed after reports that three armed groups announced they were joining the Sudanese Armed Forces in their fight against the Rapid Support Forces. Türk described the human toll as immense and urged that the catastrophic situation "must not be allowed to continue," in remarks summarized by U.N. News.

The U.N. summary cited indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas, ethnically motivated violence and rising infectious diseases as factors compounding the humanitarian crisis. The brief did not provide a full methodological note for the displacement or food-security figures in the summary.

Daniel Johnson, UN News, compiled the U.N. news brief.