The UN has warned that more 800,000 people may flee Sudan due to fighting which erupted in mid-April between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over disagreements over integrating the latter into the military as part of the democratic transition.

He United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi indicated that the body “together with governments and partners” is preparing “for the possibility that more than 800,000 people may flee the fighting in Sudan to neighboring countries.”

“We hope it doesn’t come to this, but if the violence continues, we will see more people forced to flee Sudan in search of a safe place,” Grandi said in a brief message posted on his official Twitter account. The fighting has forced tens of thousands of people to flee Egypt, Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).

For her part, the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Olga Sarrado Moore, stressed that, according to the agency, “Among those who fled Sudan are more than 100,000 refugees. to neighboring countries, including Sudanese refugees, South Sudanese returning home prematurely, and other refugees in Sudan.”

Thus, he explained that the figure of 800,000 possible refugees from hostilities “is a forecast used for financial and operational planning.” “Of all about 600,000 will be Sudanese refugees, as well as refugees taken in by the Sudan seeking safety.”

“Except, more than 200,000 South Sudanese and other refugees taken in by Sudan can return to their homes premature,” he explained, before specifying that UNHCR “will launch a regional multi-agency refugee response plan that will include financial requirements.”

“We are discussing the details with partners in each country and plan to issue an appeal as soon as possible,” he assured, before warning that “countries neighboring Sudan affected by this new emergency have already taken in large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people. “.

Sarrado Moore emphasized that the funds are not enough and added that “countries of asylum additional support will be required to provide protection and assistance“. “Among the immediate needs are water, food, shelter, healthcare, humanitarian supplies, gender-based violence response and prevention services, and child protection services,” he said.

On the other hand, he clarified that so far “the most significant cross-border movements” have taken place in the direction Chad and Egypt as well as the displacement of South Sudanese who return to South Sudan. “Most of the newcomers to Chad and South Sudan are women and children,” he said.

The UNHCR spokesperson also confirmed that last week the agency deployed “additional emergency teams” and activated the global supply chain to respond to the emergency, causing some of those arriving in Chad to sleep outdoors or under trees.

In the case of Chad, more than 21,000 refugees have been registered and identified, while in the Central African Republic (CAR) it is estimated that about 6,000 refugees crossed the border. “Registration should start soon and a resettlement assessment is underway to move people away from the border to safer areas,” he said.

“Most of those arriving in Ethiopia are people from third countries, as well as some refugees,” Sarrado Moore said, adding that the agency is on a “needs assessment mission” for people who flee to Egypt. fighting in Sudan this figure would rise to 40,000 Sudanese and 2,300 foreigners.

On the other hand, he reaffirmed that “the suspension of some programs in Sudan is likely to exacerbate the crises suffered by those who depend on humanitarian aid for survival” as more than 60,000 refugees fled the capital Khartoum to seek safety in refugee camps. . , refugees in the states of White Nile, Gedaref and Kassala.

“UNHCR is particularly concerned about the situation in Darfur, where the humanitarian situation remains difficult. We fear the fighting will fuel pre-existing ethnic and intercommunal tensions on the ground and access to resources, which could lead to further displacement,” he said.