Originally published in The Christian Post
A massacre in the Sudanese town of El Fasher has worsened the refugee crisis in South Sudan as more people escape the war in Sudan, according to Christian Aid.
Media reports and satellite imagery confirmed mass killings in El Fasher in the Darfur region after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed control of the town on October 27 from the Sudanese Army. Approximately 460 people were shot and killed in a horrific attack by RSF in a hospital in El Fasher. Thousands more escaped the town adding to the millions of refugees escaping the conflict.
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Following the takeover of the town and the withdrawal of the Sudanese Army, Christian Aid has recorded a sharp increase in refugee arrivals, including returnees who had fled South Sudan’s own civil war years earlier. This regional crisis requires greater international attention, according to James Wani, country director of Christian Aid in South Sudan.
“It’s actually over 1 million returnees and refugees who have made it to South Sudan since the start of the conflict,” Wani told Christian Daily International in an interview.
He added that there has been an influx of refugees at the border between Sudan and South Sudan in the three days after Oct.ober 27, linked directly to the escalation of conflict in Sudan and the recent fall of El Fasher to the RSF.
“There are horrific stories coming out of there. In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, because that’s the closest entry point, we also expect that they will be receiving more people from that onslaught,” Wani stated.
Resources stretched beyond capacity
Since the war in Sudan began in 2023, millions of people have been displaced, finding refuge in neighbouring countries including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan.
According to United Nations estimates, over 11 million people have been displaced, including 8.6 million internally-displaced persons and over 3 million refugees, making Sudan the site of the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Christian Aid’s transit facility in Renk is already stretched far beyond its capacity and will see further increases in the coming days, according to Wani.
“Our transit facility is hosting around 12 000 people. This is a facility meant to host around 4 000. So it’s really overflowing,” he said.
“There are shelter, food, and protection concerns. You can imagine the protection nightmare for young and vulnerable girls,” he said. “It’s really a big challenge in terms of access to clean water and sanitation.”
Wani emphasised the regional call for support from people of goodwill to help displaced people in the region.
“We really ask all people of goodwill to stand in solidarity with South Sudan, pray for us, and where possible, extend whatever material support they can so that we will be able to address the challenges of food insecurity, shelter issues, protection challenges, access to clean water, and support for inward transportation,” Wani said.
Through its Sudan Crisis Appeal, Christian Aid has delivered emergency cash assistance to refugees via its local partner, the Coalition for Humanity (CH), and has actively engaged communities in awareness and prevention efforts around gender-based violence (GBV), with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable groups such as women and children.
Meanwhile, the UN has called the recent massacres in Sudan appalling. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on the RSF to urgently take steps to end and prevent abuses against civilians.
“I remind the RSF commanders of their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians and to ensure the passage of essential supplies and humanitarian assistance, which was just days ago they again publicly committed to doing,” he said in a statement.
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