UN Official: Sudan Conflict Displaces Nearly 4 Million

By Staff, Agencies

Sudan’s escalating conflict has driven more than 4 million people from their homes, including over 884,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, a UN official has said.

The fighting has also triggered outbreaks of disease and an increase in malnutrition, according to William Spindler, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, ABC News reported.

From mid-May to mid-July, the UNHCR recorded over 300 deaths from measles and malnutrition, mainly among children under 5, Spindler said, speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

His remarks came as clashes between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force intensify in the eastern part of the capital, Khartoum, and the nearby city of Omdurman.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in April when simmering tensions between the military, led by Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere.

In June, the government said more than 3,000 people had been killed in Sudan's conflict so far but has not released any data since then. Activists and doctors say the real death toll is likely far higher.