Initially of low intensity, the conflict, a month before its outbreak, is turning into an open war. After an umpteenth agreed and not respected truce, shelling and fighting continue, mainly affecting the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region, but extending from week to week to other areas of the country.
The terror that reigns throughout the country has made Sudan a place of desperate exodus: it was one of the states with the largest influx of refugees from all neighboring countries (about 1.1 million) before the war. There are estimated to be more than 2.8 million people displaced by the conflict, 2.2 million of whom are internally displaced and more than 700,000 outside the borders.
Among the countries most affected by this exodus, besides Egypt (which received 255,000 refugees) and Chad (over 230,000), is South Sudan, a small and young country (independent since 2011) already burdened by humanitarian crises and conflicts.
Some 150,000 refugees from Sudan have already arrived in South Sudan. “In a very short time,” Sister Elena Balatti, a Comboni missionary, tells Fides, “an enormous emergency has arisen: our area – explains the nun, director of Caritas Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state – is the hardest hit, because it is a border area and the most direct access point for those coming from Khartoum.” She adds:
“Here we mainly meet Sudanese who, before independence, during the civil war (2013-18) or due to the recent instability or environmental disasters have fled to Khartoum. They are returning to their areas, which continue to be plagued by environmental problems, floods and inter-ethnic conflicts.”
“Such a massive and sudden influx aggravates an already difficult situation. Unfortunately, the tensions created by the civil war persist, are still leading to internal exodus, to which a new influx is now being added. Just a few days ago, about 3,000 people arrived from Sudan in a very short time, the situation is very complicated.”
Before the war in Sudan, refugee organizations, NGOs and humanitarian organizations were operating in precarious conditions in southern Sudan. The current situation presents even greater challenges due to the arrival of ethnic groups who had sought refuge in Sudan and are now in urgent need of escape to save their lives.
“The implementation of aid programs is very difficult and requires large logistical capacities and large quantities of basic necessities. ‘The IOM (International Organization for Migration)’reports Sister Elena ‘is doing its best, as are smaller organizations like our Diocesan Caritas, but it is becoming more complex every day.’”
“Here, alongside South Sudanese, Sudanese and also many Eritreans arrive. Unlike those countries such as Egypt or European countries, whose embassies facilitated the exodus of their compatriots or organized flights, it is different for the Eritreans: nobody wants to return to Eritrea, and Asmara has made no attempt to help either.”
“The South Sudanese who return, on the other hand, are mostly people who had been living in Khartoum for some time and had found work, housing and stability of their own there, after rushing away with nothing and starting from scratch. Now they are reliving the same experience: they have left everything again and have to rebuild their lives from scratch.”
Tensions in Sudan had been latent for a long time (there was a coup d’état in October 2021), but no one expected a conflict to break out in such a short time and turn into an open war that undermines the stability of the entire region.
The problem is when there are two armies in a country [the regular armed forces and General Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF)]: the balance is precarious, one of which inevitably tends to claim supremacy, and by force of arms. Exactly the same thing happened here [the civil war waged President Salva Kiir’s army and the armed militias commanded by Rieck Machar]. The people here even say, “They learned from us.”
The presence of armed groups other than the regular army is, as Sr. Elena explains, “undoubtedly a problem that causes great tension.” This was also evident in Russia in the coup attempt by Evgenij Prigožin’s Wagner troops. The powerful mercenary militia is also present in Africa and, according to many observers, is also involved in the Sudan conflict: In all likelihood, it supports the RSF with weapons and soldiers. However, some do not rule out that it can also help the army.
“In the Darfur desert (one of the areas most affected by the conflict) there are no advanced weapons, they certainly come from another source, someone else procured them. It is very difficult to mediate between two parties in conflict, let alone if there are more actors involved,” says Sr. Elena.
If it is still possible to provide a minimum amount of aid to the tens of thousands of refugees arriving in South Sudan, it is thanks to the work of international organizations and smaller organizations such as the diocesan Caritas or Caritas South Sudan.
“Fortunately,” explains Sister Elena, “we receive international support. Recently, some members of Caritas Austria came here and decided to help. They do so with great generosity. We provided a boat that would take people from the border to here on the Nile. About 2,000 people arrived that way. Then we distribute essential goods in the transit camps.”
“Unfortunately, we see people dying of hunger or need every day, some even during the journey. That is why I also appeal through Fides to Caritas to help the displaced people from Sudan, Upper Nile and South Sudan.”