Over 15,000 People Killed, 33,000 Injured in Conflict in Sudan Since April 2023, WHO States
© AP Photo / Karel Prinsloo
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over a year ago, clashes broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and brought the country to the brink of famine.
The conflict in Sudan has left 15,000 people killed and 33,000 injured since it broke out last April, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, adding that 15 million people remained in need of humanitarian aid in the African country.
"More than 15,000 deaths and 33,000 injuries have been reported since the conflict began in April last year. Fifteen million people are in need of urgent humanitarian health assistance," Tedros told a briefing.
The conflict displaced almost nine million people, with half of them being children whose access to health services is severely limited, the WHO chief said.
"More than 70% of hospitals in conflict-affected states and almost half of health facilities in the rest of the country are not functioning. Those that are functioning are overwhelmed by people seeking care, many of whom are internally displaced," he added.
Sudan has been torn by a conflict between the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the regular Sudanese army since April 2023. The parties to the conflict have since introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires, but none has helped settle the conflict. In October 2023, the parties resumed negotiations, mediated by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, but the hostilities have continued.
