Crisis Swelling at Border Camp as Refugees Increase in Numbers

A humanitarian crisis at the border camp of Renk, South Sudan, is unfolding largely unnoticed by the rest of the world, in what’s being called Africa’s largest refugee crisis.

The Renk refugee camp is overcrowded with displaced people fleeing war in Sudan and crossing the border into South Sudan – a nation in no way capable of accommodating an influx of refugees while reeling under its own political, civil, and economic crises. Further, South Sudan’s population is in the midst of a severe food crisis of its own.

Adding to the overcrowding, lack of sanitation facilities, and insufficient food, the camp is filling with mud due to the rainy season, which will only worsen in coming months.

Renk is meant to be a stop on the refugees’ route to other destinations in South Sudan and not a settling point, so world aid organizations have been reluctant to set up large scale facilities that would provide for a long term scenario.

Watch CNN video below.

The displaced at Renk say they feel humiliated, their plight being largely ignored. According to sources on the ground, residents expressed the message they’re receiving is they are not worthy to warrant the help that’s sorely needed immediately.

While some humanitarian organizations have contributed aid, the sheer numbers of refugees have stretched what little there is way too thin. Meanwhile the displaced population at Renk continues to swell, while its burgeoning number of residents simply try to survive another day.

In the meantime, the steady flow of refugees continues for the many seeking asylum from the war raging to the north. Sudan Relief Fund supporters have been instrumental in making sure a transport boat operates continuously to evacuate the thousands constantly needing to escape the war zone.

Your help has also been crucial in supporting the Diocese of Malakal with desperately needed supplies, as they strive to provide for the many displaced families who keep arriving after coming through Renk. We will continue to share updates as the situation develops.

Tense Conditions in Malakal Refugee Camps Lead to Fighting, 13 Deaths

The Malakal refugee camp serving 50,000 in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State has hosted displaced people since the civil war in 2013. People fleeing violence, famine, and natural disasters flocked here for survival, and many remained since.

Now refugees are coming from the north to the already crowded camp to escape war in Sudan. The result is a tenuous mix of tribes and peoples, creating a hotbed of volatility in an already strained environment.

Last week a man died of stab wounds in a violent outbreak that led to the death of 13 people and injured 20 others. At least 3 were killed in the initial clash that erupted between rival ethnic groups. Later in the day, 10 more related deaths were confirmed.

Approximately 3,000 people fleeing Sudan arrived at the Malakal camp in recent weeks, according to Upper Nile’s information minister, Luke Saadala.  Ben Malor, a spokesperson for the UN Mission in South Sudan, said South Sudan’s army and the UN agency increased security around the camp following the incident, restoring order for the time being.

While the peace accord signed in 2018 led to a significant reduction in fighting, the region remains volatile with disputes over water rights, and use of grazing areas and farmland where resources are scant. The people of Malakal have also been victim to ongoing conflicts by armed militias.

UN agencies and humanitarian organizations continue striving to assist incoming refugees to the camp as Sudan’s war continues. With no good options before them, displaced families may simply be trading one life threatening scenario for a lesser one. Read more about this story here.

Sudan Update

Air strikes are battering the capital city of Khartoum, Sudan, breaking a three-day truce that was negotiated to allow civilians to flee the country after intense fighting.

The government says the strikes were a necessary move to counter actions of the rival military forces known as the Rapid Support Forces (RFS) in the city, where fighting began April 15.

Clashes erupted between forces behind rivaling generals, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese government military, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, over the future of RFS being incorporated into the national army. 

Foreign governments moved quickly to evacuate their diplomats last week when the conflict erupted, though civilians have been caught in the crossfire and millions remain stranded in Sudan. Thousands of others have made their way to evacuation routes by air, land, or sea.

The official death count is listed at 500, including 2 US nationals, but the actual number is believed to be far greater.

Many South Sudanese living in the southern region of Sudan – having previously migrated there to escape violence in their own country – are now returning to South Sudan, or crossing borders into Chad or Egypt where they can fly into Juba, South Sudan’s capital city. Humanitarian efforts are already underway in South Sudan to prepare for the anticipated influx of refugees.

Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese businessman and philanthropist, said his country is now embroiled in a civil war – one which must be kept from expanding to neighboring borders to prevent a regional crisis. “We don’t want another Syria,” he said. The worst fighting is presently concentrated in the north of Khartoum, near the convergence of the Blue and White Niles.

Trapped civilians bunkering at home in Khartoum struggle to hold out, while venturing outside for supplies has become risky. One civilian reported not having had a single drop of water at his home since fighting began April 15. Neighbors with wells in their home have been sharing water, he said.

The World Food Program announced Monday it would resume relief operations in Sudan. The aid organization pulled out two weeks ago following three staff member casualties that happened in the initial fighting.

The first flight bringing major medical relief has landed in the country, as over 70 percent of healthcare facilities were forced to close in Khartoum. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports a plane landed at Port Sudan carrying eight tons of relief supplies and health kits for hospitals. The ICRC is now seeking guarantee of safe passage to deliver those supplies into areas with active fighting.

Foreign governments continue rescue operations to evacuate nationals still caught in the fray. The FCDO (Foreign Office) advised civilians wishing to leave to make their way to the evacuation point in Port Sudan.

An organized US convoy has arrived in Port Sudan to evacuate more US citizens by ship to Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters, the Navy ship USNS Brunswick has reached the port. It is believed this ship will be used to bring stranded US citizens aboard to assist in rescue efforts.

There are hundreds of US citizens thought to remain stranded, with other reports saying the number could be as much as 16,000. The Biden administration claims most civilians still on the ground are dual citizens who’ve lived in Sudan for years and may wish to remain.

The Biden administration also reported buses carrying several hundred Americans reached Port Sudan, guarded by drones in the air. A Pentagon representative said the Department of Defense “deployed US intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes.” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the US was “moving naval assets within the region to provide any necessary support along the coast.”

Missionary doctor Tom Catena directs the Mother of Mercy Hospital in Sudan. The hospital is a Sudan Relief Fund supported facility that provides the only critical-level medical care available in the remote Nuba Mountain region.

Dr. Tom reported the hospital has not yet received patients affected by the conflict in Khartoum, which is removed by a distance equivalent to traveling from New York City to Atlanta. However, he said the cost of food and fuel has already doubled, and supply lines may be affected if the fighting escalates. Dr. Tom issued a plea for continued support during this tenuous time so the hospital can continue its lifesaving work.

Read more of the breaking news in Sudan and South Sudan here and here.

US Evacuates Embassy in Sudan as Fighting Escalates and Conditions on the Ground Deteriorate

Experts Fear Fighting Will Worsen Existing Hunger Crisis

The US and other foreign governments moved quickly this weekend to evacuate their embassies, as ten days of fighting that erupted between government forces and supporters of the previous Sudanese regime created perilous conditions in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum and other parts of the nation.

A cease-fire that had been sought for a 3-day reprieve to allow local citizens to celebrate a Muslim holiday did not survive the intensity of the clashes between rival generals and their forces. While a number of foreign nations were successful in retrieving their diplomatic staff and employees, many foreign citizens, students, and locals desperate to escape the chaos remain stranded.

Efforts by citizens struggling to flee the country by air, on land by vehicle, or by boat at the Port of Sudan, were hampered by fighting that destroyed at least one runway at the airport and knocked out electricity and internet connections – further hindering communications for rescue and evacuation operations. Thousands of other civilians are bunkered in their homes, attempting to survive with no access to supplies or power.

*Read more about the crisis here

Fear of Famine Worsens

The fighting in Sudan is a humanitarian crisis, and the conflict will have a devastating impact far beyond just the capital of Khartoum.

Relief from world food programs was already cut back to neighboring South Sudan this year, with agencies citing impassable delivery routes and the war in Ukraine as cause for the reductions. With the outbreak of violence in the northern border nation of Sudan, many aid organizations are evacuating as well, leaving civilians left behind with little to no resources.

And with the region already facing a looming famine in the aftermath of consecutive record floods, the current violence and interruption of supply routes could propel the hunger crisis to catastrophic levels. The lethal combination of disastrous flooding, reduced aid, supply interruptions, and fallout from the collapse of order in Sudan’s capital, could put millions at risk of death by starvation.

Watch ABC News Video Here

Sudan Relief Fund is determined to stay with the people through this crisis. For 25 years we’ve remained committed to helping suffering people in Sudan and South Sudan through some of the worst conditions imaginable. We continue to provide essentials like clean water, food, shelter, and medical treatment when others leave. But through the years this has only been possible with your partnership.

Keeping Hospitals Open

Curtailed supplies not only affect food availability. Critical services like hospitals are also hit hard. Wartime is not new to missionary doctor, Tom Catena, and his staff at Mother of Mercy Hospital, who continue to provide the only place of lifesaving medical care in the entire Nuba Mountain region of Sudan.

Tom has served steadfastly through civil and national war, endured bombings, serious illness, isolation, and attempts on his life. He and others on the ground with Sudan Relief Fund are dedicated to remaining here through the turmoil in order to help people in desperate conditions.

What You Can Do

Won’t you please stand with us? Here’s how you can help:

• Donate to Sudan Relief Fund. We’ve been on the ground through times of peace and times of peril in this region, and are equipped through our partners to deliver help where it is needed most.
  
  
• Pray with us. Join our worldwide network of prayer partners, to pray for Sudan and South Sudan. You’ll receive news each week by email with a specific need or praise to pray about.
  
  
• Share. Please share news of this growing crisis with family, friends, co-workers, and your social media spheres. Together we can do so much to effect positive change and transform the trajectory of desperate people’s lives. Imagine if you were the one in need of help, and how much it would mean to you and your family. #PeaceforSudan
  
  

It is the innocent – children, families, pregnant mothers, elderly – who always suffer the most during times of warfare and catastrophe. Sudan Relief Fund has been trusted since 1998 to bring life-changing help and hope to people suffering in this forgotten part of the world. Please help us make a difference during this crisis. Your help is needed right now.

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