The conflict in Sudan has been ongoing for two months! Is a ceasefire and an end to war far away?, At least 2000 deaths and 2.2 million people fleeing the ceasefire agreement | Sudan | Conflict
The armed conflict between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Force entered its third month on the 15th, resulting in at least 2000 deaths and 2.2 million people fleeing their homes so far. International mediation has reached a stalemate, and a ceasefire and end to war are far away.
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"Our worst-case scenario was that we never expected this war to drag on for so long," Mohammad Hassan Osman, who fled the Sudanese capital Khartoum, told Agence France Presse that everything in life had changed.
He is one of the millions of residents who fled their homes after intense fighting broke out between the conflicting parties. "We don't know if we can go home in the future, but we still have to start a new life."
The armed conflict in Sudan broke out on April 15th in the southern suburbs of Khartoum and quickly spread to the entire city and other states. The conflicting parties have reached a ceasefire agreement through international mediation several times, but it has not been implemented.
According to the "Armed Conflict Sites and Events Database Project" that focuses on global conflict activities, as of the 9th of this month, the Sudanese armed conflict has caused 2000 deaths.
In recent days, the Darfur region has become one of the main battlefields. According to Agence France Presse, many homes and markets have been razed to the ground, and hospitals and aid facilities have been looted.
Hamis Abdullah Abakar, Governor of Western Darfur, was killed on the 14th. Earlier that day, in an interview with a Saudi Arabian television station, he accused the rapid support forces of indiscriminately killing civilians.
Sudanese military leader Abdul Fatah Burhan has designated members of the Rapid Support Force to attack and kill Abakar. The Rapid Support Force denies involvement and condemns this "cold blooded assassination.".
Hulud Hale, an analyst at the Confluence Consulting Center in Khartoum, believes that the purpose of assassinating Abakar may be to prevent him from exposing the killings in the Darfur region.
According to the United Nations, this conflict has caused 273000 people to be displaced in the Darfur region.
Martin Griffith, Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations, has warned that the situation in Darfur is rapidly deteriorating into a humanitarian disaster, which is a "living nightmare".
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According to Agence France Presse, both sides in the Sudan conflict have repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement, leading to a stalemate in the mediation between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
The East African Intergovernmental Development Organization is attempting to restart ceasefire talks and announced earlier this week that Kenya will host a four country working group to seek resolution of the crisis. The members include Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.
On the 14th, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Kenya's appointment as the Chairman of the Four Nation Working Group in a statement, pointing out that the Kenyan government's position is inclined towards providing quick support to the troops, providing shelter and various forms of support to the latter.
Kenyan President William Luto has met with senior members of the Rapid Support Force and the Sudanese military in recent weeks, and proposed arranging for a face-to-face meeting between Burhan and the leader of the Rapid Support Force, Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, in the capital of a neighboring East African country.
A Sudanese government official who declined to be named told Agence France Presse that given that there are no signs of the conflict weakening, Burhan and Dagalo will not "sit at the same table.".
The International Organization for Migration says that the armed conflict in Sudan has led to 2.2 million people fleeing their homes, of which 528000 have fled to neighboring countries. The United Nations says 25 million people need assistance, accounting for more than half of Sudan's total population, but it has only raised a small portion of the aid funds.
Doctors Without Borders staff member Anya Waltz said that many fleeing civilians have lost their loved ones and their homes have been destroyed in the conflict.
"We have nothing," said Ahmad Taha, who fled Khartoum. "The country has been completely destroyed... every inch of Sudan's land is a disaster zone."
