Sudan's civil conflict escalates as number of displaced people surpasses 14 million

The clashes have particularly intensified in the capital Khartoum, as well as in Gezira and Sinnar States in central Sudan. According to sources and eyewitnesses, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are continuing their offensive launched on September 26 against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in large parts of Khartoum and Bahri cities. A military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua on Tuesday that "the military operation is proceeding as planned." "The SAF has made significant advancement south and southwest of Khartoum, in addition to its progress in east Khartoum areas," he added, while noting that the RSF still controls about 70 percent of the city. In Bahri city, located north of Khartoum, the Sudanese army has taken control of the northwestern part, including the strategic Al-Halfaya neighborhood and its main bridge linking Bahri and Omdurman cities, according to eyewitness accounts. In Sinnar state, the SAF stated that after recapturing the state's strategic areas of Jebel Moya, Al-Dinder, and Al-Suki, its units have managed to secure the road connecting these cities. Coinciding with the escalating military confrontations, a wave of defections has emerged within the RSF. On October 20, its commander in central Sudan, Abu Aqla Keikel, surrendered himself and his forces to the SAF, followed by the defection of five advisors to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo on October 25. "The defections constituted a painful blow to the RSF, especially its commander in central Sudan," said Abdul-Rahim Al-Sunni, a Sudanese political analyst. In reaction to Keikel's defection, the RSF is reportedly carrying out retaliatory campaigns in the eastern Gezira region. The escalating military confrontations are leading to increasingly severe humanitarian crises. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday that over 14 million civilians have been displaced from their homes since the conflict in Sudan began. "The internal displacement number has hit 11 million, which is an increase of 200,000 just since September," IOM Director-General Amy Pope stated. "Another 3.1 million people have traveled across borders to flee the fighting. In total, nearly 30 percent of Sudan's population has been displaced," she added. Pope described the situation in Sudan as "catastrophic," noting that "the suffering is growing by the day" and that "almost 25 million people are now requiring assistance." The IOM chief highlighted the cost of this displacement crisis, calling for "the guns in Sudan to fall silent." Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF. According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project on October 14, the conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.