Highlights:
· Despite a newly announced 72-hour ceasefire that began on April 24th, clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that began on April 15th have continued, with unverified reports indicating fighting and air strikes in Khartoum.
· At least 457 people have been killed nationwide and more than 4,000 have been injured, according to the Ministry of Health, as of April 24. However, the actual death toll is expected to be much higher, as access has not been possible to many locations where people have been killed, and current figures include only deaths reported to health facilities.
· Shortages of food, water, medicines, and fuel continue, especially in Khartoum and surrounding areas, while access to communications and electricity is limited in many parts of the country.
· On April 26th, the UN Secretary-General stated that the conflict will not and must not be resolved on the battlefield. Sudanese leaders must put the interests of their people front and center and silence the guns.
· On April 24th, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan temporarily relocated its internationally-recruited personnel from Khartoum to Port Sudan for onward evacuation to neighboring countries where they will work remotely, as a measure to reduce risks to the safety of its personnel while continuing to deliver assistance to the people of Sudan:
o A small number of internationally recruited personnel, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Volker Perthes, will remain in Sudan and will continue to work towards a resolution to the current crisis and returning to the UN mandated tasks.
o The UN is also taking necessary measures to protect Sudanese staff members and their families and is exploring every possible avenue to support them.
· Red Crescent Response:
o A total of 200 Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) volunteers have been deployed in Khartoum to offer first aid services and psychosocial support to those affected.
o Hundreds of volunteers have also been deployed in other states; North Darfur, South Darfur and Northern State (Merawi) to offer first aid services in hospitals.
o On April 21st, unknown people broke into the SRCS branch in North Khartoum and stole vehicles and relief items from their warehouses.
o The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has allocated the following funds:
ü 475,320 Swiss francs to the SRCS
ü 137,369 Swiss francs to the Chad Red Cross
· Displacement:
o As of April 26th, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is reporting the following:
ü At least 20,000 refugees have fled to Chad, a country with strained resources that was already hosting almost 600,000 refugees. The new arrivals are from Darfur, one of the regions of Sudan most affected by violence and where growing instability might cause much larger displacement in the coming weeks.
ü Others have crossed into Egypt. UNHCR is discussing with the Egyptian government how to ensure that people in need of international protection are adequately received and processed.
ü And at least 4,000 South Sudanese refugees which are among the 1.1 million refugees from neighboring countries currently hosted by Sudan have been forced to prematurely return home to deep uncertainty.
o The UN Migration Agency (IOM) has activated its Displacement Tracking Matrix at multiple Points of Entry (POE) in countries neighboring Sudan, to provide a clearer picture of the needs of thousands of people fleeing fighting:
ü Flow monitoring is currently being conducted at 16 POEs between Sudan and South Sudan, and between South Sudan and both Central African Republic and Ethiopia.
ü Similar activities will begin at POEs along the border between Sudan and Chad.
· Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that as of April 27th, attacks on Sudan’s health infrastructure have escalated with the occupation of hospitals in Khartoum.
o The Central Public Health Laboratory is also being occupied. This lab provides medical testing and stores samples of various infectious diseases (Measles, Cholera, Tuberculosis and Poliovirus). WHO is concerned that untrained individuals could mishandle such specimens, thereby infecting themselves and then others.
o As of April 25th, the status of healthcare facilities is:
ü 25% are fully functional.
ü A total of 43% are partially functional.
ü 32% of facilities are non-functional due to violence.
o There have been 14 attacks on healthcare since April 15th, which resulted in eight deaths and two injuries.
· Atrocity Crimes:
o As of April 26th, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that at least 18 health and humanitarian workers have lost their lives since the fighting started. This includes at least five aid workers, three from the World Food Programme (WFP), one from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and one from Relief International.
o Amnesty International reported that they have received credible allegations of indiscriminate attacks and unlawful killings of civilians across the country.
Sources:
· Sudan: Clashes between SAF and RSF - Flash Update No. 7 (26 April 2023)
· UN Secretary-General’s Twitter Page
· UN High Commissioner for Refugees Twitter Page
· WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office Twitter Page
· UN Migration Agency Sudan Twitter Page
· Amnesty International Twitter Page
Resources
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Atrocity Alert (Apr 26)
Soufan Center IntelBrief (April 21)
Insecurity Insight, Attacks on Health Care in Sudan, April 15-19
ACAPS, Sudan Conflict, April 19