Fighting continues in Sudan as more than 100,000 escape and hospitals shut down

WAMU 88.5 | By Maya Garg

Published May 3, 2023 at 7:44 AM EDT

Volunteers prepare aid packages for refugees fleeing war-torn Sudan, at the Wadi Karkar bus station near the Egyptian city of Aswan, on May 2, 2023.

It’s been more than two weeks since fighting began in a power struggle between Sudan’s de facto leader and his former deputy who commands the powerful Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. Despite a string of truces and ceasefires, fierce battles have continued across the country including the capital Khartoum, driving civilians from their homes and pushing Sudan further toward disaster.

This week UNHCR, that’s the United Nations Refugee Agency, warned that the crisis could push more than 800,000 people out of Sudan. But this looming humanitarian crisis is coming at a time when the U.N. is already facing a massive funding gap.

The latest report from Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health puts the number of injuries at 4,620, including 528 deaths — figures U.N. agencies believe aregreatly underestimated.Medical supplies are running short, and doctors are sayingthey’reunable toprovidecare at hospitals.

Another ceasefire is set to begin on Thursday. It was brokered by South Sudan. We talk about how civilians are coping and what other countries are doing to help.