UN: Nearly 200,000 People Flee Sudan due to Clashes between SAF, RSF

Nearly 200,000 people have fled Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April, in addition to the displacement of hundreds of thousands inside the country, the United Nations (UN) announced Friday.

"As violence continues in Sudan for the fourth week, nearly 200,000 refugees and returnees have been forced to flee the country, with more people crossing the border in search of safety," UNHCR spokeswoman Olga Sarado told reporters in Geneva.

The United Nations Migration Organization said earlier this week that more than 700,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan following the outbreak of fighting on April 15, which killed more than 750 people and injured 5,000 others.

Speaking of those fleeing Sudan, Sarado warned that "the humanitarian response is difficult and expensive," noting that "refugees and returnees are arriving in remote border areas, where services and infrastructure are scarce or non-existent, and the host population is suffering under the weight of climate change and food scarcity."

"The upcoming rainy season will make logistical matters more difficult when many roads will become impassable," she said.