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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Friday that Sudanese refugees could head to Europe if humanitarian aid is not adequately provided to people in the war-torn country.
War broke out in Sudan on April 15, 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), destroying the country’s infrastructure, raising famine warnings and killing millions of people at home and abroad. was forced to evacuate.
Thousands of civilians have been killed, and both sides are accused of committing war crimes, although estimates of the death toll are highly uncertain.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said Sudan’s humanitarian crisis could lead to desperate Sudanese fleeing beyond neighboring countries, with nearly 2 million people already seeking refuge. He said there was.
“This region is full of criminals who are willing to take advantage of the misery of refugees and displaced people and help them move towards North Africa and Europe, no matter the cost,” Grandi told Reuters at UNHCR’s headquarters in Geneva. I am very aware of what is going on,” he said.
“I am advocating for more support to be given to people who have taken refuge within Sudan or in neighboring countries, because otherwise they will become refugees along that route.”
The arrival of refugees and other migrants, especially those who reach countries by irregular means, has become a divisive and important political issue in many European countries.
The movement of Sudanese refugees to Europe is increasing, with 6,000 people arriving in Italy from Tunisia and Libya since the beginning of 2023, according to statistics published by UNHCR.
Although this figure represents an almost sixfold increase compared to the previous year, the proportion of Sudanese arriving in Italy remains small.
“Will humanitarian aid stop everyone from moving? Of course not,” said Grandi, who will be attending a donor conference on Sudan in Paris on Monday.
“But it is certainly a stabilizing factor that reduces the incentives for human trafficking and human smuggling.”
In separate comments on Friday, the World Health Organization said Sudan’s crisis will worsen in the coming months unless fighting stops and unimpeded access to humanitarian supplies is ensured.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeyer said: “We are seeing the tip of the iceberg and the situation could be even more dire, with 15 million people in need of urgent medical assistance.” He stressed that diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever are widespread. spread.
Lindmeyer said domestic medical supplies are estimated at about 25% of needs, and 70-80% of Sudan’s medical facilities are not functioning due to the conflict.
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