UN: One million people fled Sudan

(Patria) - More than a million people have fled Sudan to neighboring countries, and people within the country are running out of food and dying due to lack of healthcare after four months of war, the United Nations warned, Reuters reports.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the capital Khartoum and caused ethnic attacks in Darfur, threatening to plunge Sudan into a prolonged civil war and destabilize the region.

"Time is running out for farmers to plant crops that will feed them and their neighbors. Medical supplies are scarce. The situation is spiraling out of control," said a joint statement from UN agencies.

The war has led to 1,017,449 people crossing from Sudan into neighboring countries, many of which are already struggling with the consequences of conflict or economic crisis, while the number of internally displaced people within Sudan is estimated at 3,433,025, according to the latest weekly data released by the IOM.

Fighting broke out on April 15 due to tensions related to the planned transition to civilian rule, exposing civilians in the capital and beyond to daily fighting and attacks. Millions of people who remained in Khartoum and cities in the Darfur and Kordofan regions have faced looting and long interruptions in electricity, communication, and water supplies.

"The remains of many killed have not been collected, identified, or buried," but the UN estimates that more than 4,000 have been killed, said Elizabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights at a briefing in Geneva.

Reports of sexual assaults have increased by 50%, said UN Population Fund official Laila Baker.