IOM Chief: International Community Must Not Turn Its Back on World's Largest Displacement in Sudan
Geneva/ N’Djamena/ Port Sudan – The International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Director General, Amy Pope, has called on the international community to step-up funding efforts, and to not abandon millions of civilians who bear the brunt of the nine months conflict in Sudan. A coordinated and continued humanitarian response is urgently needed to address the mounting needs of the world’s largest displacement crisis.
More than 7.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Sudan since fighting began on 15 April 2023, according to IOM’s latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report released on 16 January. Six million of those are displaced within Sudan, while 1.7 million more have fled across borders into neighbouring South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, Egypt, the Central African Republic and Libya.
“A ceasefire in Sudan is urgently needed to enable people rebuild their lives with dignity. We must not turn our back on the suffering of millions of people affected by such devastating conflict,” IOM Director General, Amy Pope said following her recent visit to Eastern Chad where she saw first-hand the impact of the conflict on displaced people.
“Now, more than ever, we need all possible support to continue providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance and move towards recovery and long-term solutions,” DG Pope said.
In 2024, IOM appeals for USD 307 million to reach 1.2 million people affected by this conflict, including internally displaced, refugees, returnees and third country nationals.
More than 600,000 of those fleeing the violence are in Eastern Chad. Of those, over 136,000 are newly returning Chadians who lived in Sudan but were forced by the conflict to go back to Chad, as well as migrant workers from other countries and their families.
IOM has to date provided assistance to over one million individuals in Sudan and surrounding countries. This includes providing cash assistance to nearly 73,000 people, and facilitating the onward transportation of 150,000 to safe locations in neighbouring countries. IOM and partners have been and continue to deliver critical health, protection, water, sanitation, hygiene and shelter interventions to those made vulnerable by the conflict.
Read more on the Sudan Crisis and Neighbouring Countries Overview for 2024.
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For more information, please contact:
In N’Djamena: François-Xavier Ada, Email: fadaaffana@iom.int
In Port-Sudan: Lisa George, Email: lgeorge@iom.int
In Geneva: Kennedy Okoth, Email kokoth@iom.int
