Today's top news: Sudan

Sudan

 
The fighting continues to exact a heavy toll on civilians.

The World Health Organization warns that many will die due to lack of essential services, as well as disease outbreaks.

Medical stockpiles are running critically low in areas ravaged by the fighting – including in the capital Khartoum, and West and Central Darfur.

And the prices of basic commodities – from fuel to food staples and bottled water – has risen by 40 to 60 per cent or more in some areas.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan since the conflict erupted more than two weeks ago.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided critical water, sanitation and hygiene support to six hospitals in Khartoum, as well as water trucking to a hospital in North Darfur. The agency has also directed health and nutrition kits to health centers in the state capital, El Fasher.

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners have been scaling up relief efforts as border crossings from Sudan increase.

UNHCR now estimates that so far, more than 100,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring countries. Most are Sudanese refugees arriving in Chad and Egypt – mostly women and children – as well as South Sudanese returnees.

In Chad and Sudan, we are bringing in roughly 70,000 core relief items from our global stockpiles. And in Egypt, UNHCR and other UN agencies are conducting a mission to assess the needs of people coming from Sudan. The UN and Egyptian Red Crescent are delivering water, food, wheelchairs, and hygiene and sanitary kits to new arrivals

UNHCR plans to launch an interagency regional refugee response plan to address urgent financial needs as soon as possible.