As Sudan civil war displacement nears 13m, UN Refugee Agency calls for ceasefire and funding boost
As Sudan civil war displacement nears 13m, UN Refugee Agency calls for ceasefire and funding boost/node/2597040/middle-east
As Sudan civil war displacement nears 13m, UN Refugee Agency calls for ceasefire and funding boost
Sudan's civil war has resulted in "13 million displaced people and refugees", including many women who reported being raped and children, a regional UNHCR official said Monday. (AFP)
As Sudan civil war displacement nears 13m, UN Refugee Agency calls for ceasefire and funding boost
After 2 years of conflict it marks a ‘very, very sad milestone’ in the world’s largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis, says agency’s regional chief
He describes recent atrocities in Darfur as ‘unacceptable events … another example of the massive violations of human rights happening in Sudan’
NEW YORK CITY: Nearly two years into the civil war in Sudan, the humanitarian crisis continues to spiral, with almost 13 million people now forcibly displaced and human rights violations escalating, the UN Refugee Agency warned on Monday.
“This is a very, very sad milestone,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, the agency’s regional director for East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.
Speaking to the press from Nairobi, he said that “close to 9 million Sudanese are internally displaced, and nearly 4 million have fled to neighboring countries,” making it the largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis in the world.
Balde also highlighted recent atrocities at the Zamzam displacement site, and in Abu Shouk near the town of El Fasher in Darfur, describing them as “just unacceptable events … another example of the massive violations of human rights happening in Sudan.”
The country has been locked in conflict since April 15, 2023, amid a power struggle between the Sudanese army and rival militia the Rapid Support Forces.
Scores of civilians were killed on Friday and Saturday in attacks by the RSF on El Fasher, Zamzam, Abu Shouk and other nearby locations in North Darfur State where displaced people were sheltering.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that preliminary figures put civilian deaths at 300, including 10 humanitarian workers from the nongovernmental organization Relief International, who were killed while operating one of the last functioning health centers in the Zamzam camp.
The El Fasher area has been under siege for more than a year, cutting hundreds of thousands of people off from lifesaving humanitarian aid. Famine conditions have been identified in Zamzam and two other nearby displacement camps, as well as 10 other areas in Sudan. A further 17 are at risk of famine as soon as next month.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the perpetrators of the latest attacks to be brought to justice. As the second anniversary of the conflict approaches, he urged all parties to “immediately cease the fighting and take steps towards an inclusive political process to put Sudan on a path towards peace and stability.”
More than two-thirds of Sudan’s population , 30.4 million people, urgently require humanitarian aid, with millions of them at risk of famine. About 80 percent of hospitals in conflict zones are no longer functioning, leaving millions without access to essential medical care amid a surge in outbreaks of disease.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have been killed amid indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including in Darfur where ethnic violence has been constantly escalating.
Guterres renewed his call for the international community to unite in its efforts to bring an end to this “appalling conflict.”
Balde said the spillover from the war stretches far beyond Sudan’s borders and now affects countries that were not initially part of the regional refugee response, such as Uganda and Libya.
“This is not just a regional issue anymore,” he added. “Sudan is at the center of the African continent, and as this crisis continues more people are on the move, toward Southern Africa, the Gulf and Europe.”
The UN Refugee Agency’s $1.8 billion Regional Refugee Response Plan, which aims to support 4.9 million refugees and their host communities, is only 10 percent funded, a level Balde lamented as being “extremely, extremely low.”
He continued: “If you are in the fourth, soon fifth, month of the year and only funded at 10 percent, the level of support for food, water, shelter and education is going to be minimal.
“Communities that don’t have enough have shared what they have. That’s the true spirit of solidarity but they cannot do it alone.”
He urged donors to step up during a conference in London on Tuesday at which 20 foreign ministers will discuss the Sudan crisis.
“One expected outcome is greater support for both the refugees and the host governments,” Balde said. “Refugees are in need of urgent, life-saving support: food, health, shelter, protection services.”
In addition to financial aid, Balde emphasized the need for a ceasefire: “The people I see at the borders with Chad or South Sudan tell us one thing: they want normalcy so they can return home and take care of themselves.”
Neighboring South Sudan, which was already struggling with its own internal tensions, has received more than 1 million people from Sudan, adding to the burdens it faces as the country with the second-largest number of internally displaced persons and refugees after Sudan.
“It’s a very worrying situation,” said Balde, who noted that contingency plans are in place amid concerns about the renewed conflict in South Sudan.
He also addressed concerns surrounding the registration of refugees, which is a key step toward possible resettlement. He noted that the UN Refugee Agency supports national governments in this process but warned: “With funding going down, it’s going to be extremely difficult. That’s not the spirit of the Refugee Convention.”
He concluded with a stark reminder: “One in three Sudanese is displaced. One in six internally displaced persons globally is Sudanese. One in 10 refugees worldwide is from Sudan. That’s how devastating this crisis has been in just two years.”
Explosions heard in Sudanese city of Port Sudan, Reuters witness reports
Updated 06 May 2025
Reuters
Explosions were heard in the Sudanese city of Port Sudan early on Tuesday, a Reuters witness reported, adding that the reason and the exact place of the explosions were unclear.
During the ongoing civil war in Sudan, Port Sudan has become home to the country’s primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport.
Sharaa in February received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit France in the ‘coming weeks’
Updated 06 May 2025
Reuters
Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is expected to visit France soon, a statement by the Syrian president’s office said, without specifying a date.
Sharaa in February received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit France in the “coming weeks.”
Trump, asked about Israel’s Gaza plans, says US will help on food
UN and aid organizations have warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after two months of Israeli blockade
Updated 05 May 2025
Reuters
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump repeated a US pledge to help get food to Palestinians in Gaza when he was asked at the White House on Monday about Israeli plans for an expanded offensive in the territory.
Trump did not offer his views on Israel’s operations. He made the comments to reporters in the Oval Office.
Israel’s security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory, an official said Monday, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive.
It comes as the United Nations and aid organizations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.
The Israeli official said the expanded operations “will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection.”
A different senior security official said “a central component of the plan is a large-scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population from the fighting zones... to areas in southern Gaza.”
The plan, approved by the cabinet overnight, comes amid a push by Israel for Palestinians to leave the territory.
A “voluntary transfer program for Gaza residents... will be part of the operation’s goals,” the senior security official added.
The European Union voiced concern and urged restraint from Israel, saying the plan “will result in further casualties and suffering for the Palestinian people.”
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas, which was sparked by the militants’ October 2023 attack.
Israel has since carried out intensive aerial bombardments and expanded ground operations across the Palestinian territory.
Gaza rescuers on Monday said Israeli air strikes killed at least 19 people.
How Syria can overcome sectarian unrest to rebuild trust and national unity
A mosaic of faiths and ethnicities, Syria is grappling with violence that is putting transitional government to the test
Syrian observers and experts urge the authorities to engage meaningfully with minorities to promote national healing
Updated 05 May 2025
ANAN TELLO
LONDON: In the Damascus suburb of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, the sounds of prayer bells and muezzins used to blend peacefully into the rhythm of daily life. Here, families from Syria’s diverse communities — Sunni, Druze, Christian, and Alawite — shared neighbors’ bread and exchanged Eid and Christmas greetings with equal sincerity. But that culture of mutual respect, already strained by more than a decade of civil war, is now on the brink of disappearing altogether.
A small audio clip uploaded online in late April was all it took to set off a chain of disruptive events. Within days, Syria’s fragile social compact broke down in places thought to be stable. Violent clashes erupted between armed groups and civilians. Security forces, once seen as protectors in these moments of tension, were either absent or accused of collusion. Entire neighborhoods were transformed into battlefields.
For observers of Syria’s long and bloodied path since 2011, the resurgence of sectarian strife in recent months is a warning less about the past than about the road ahead. With a transitional government led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa trying to navigate a volatile political landscape, and with major world powers distracted by other crises, some of Syria’s minorities are wondering where they belong in the nation’s future.
Druze clerics and relatives carry coffins of members of the Syrian minority who were killed in recent sectarian clashes. (AFP)
The message of these regional analysts can be summed up thus: The Syrian government must be willing to listen to its citizens and open the door to political change — not military solutions or rule by militias. It must embrace and engage the country’s diverse ethnic and religious communities and commit to political inclusion.
The latest wave of unrest began on April 26 when the audio clip — whose authenticity remains unverified — circulated across messaging platforms. The man accused of criticizing Prophet Muhammad in the voice recording was Marwan Kiwan, a respected Druze scholar known for his initiatives in interfaith dialogue. Kiwan quickly issued a video denial, saying: “Whoever made this is evil and wants to incite strife between components of the Syrian people.” His words did little to contain the rage.
The Druze, a small religious community that makes up about 3 percent of Syria’s population, have long walked a delicate line between asserting autonomy and pledging loyalty to the state. But by April 28, fighting had broken out in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya — suburbs once considered models of coexistence — between militants and local Druze groups.
INNUMBER
• 50% Minorities (Alawites, Kurds, Druze and others) as a fraction of Syria’s population.
• 60% Fraction of the population who were food insecure in 2021.
• $100bn Real GDP (purchasing power parity) of Syria in 2022.
Source: CIA’s The World Factbook
The violence quickly spread south, to villages in Suweida — Syria’s Druze heartland — such as Ira, Rasas and Al-Soura Al-Kubra. At least 100 people were killed over the course of a week. Mortar shelling and heavy machine-gun fire struck residential areas. On Thursday, Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hajari condemned the violence as an “unjustifiable genocidal campaign” against his community. He called for international intervention to help restore peace. By Friday, May 2, at least 100 people, including civilians, were reportedly dead.
Other Druze religious figures took a more conciliatory tone. In a joint statement, they affirmed the community’s “commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,” the Associated Press news agency reported. They also urged the government to secure the vital Suweida-Damascus highway, a critical lifeline increasingly targeted by militants.
Christian and Muslim clerics attend the funeral of members of Syria’s Druze community who were killed in recent sectarian clashes. (AFP)
The authorities issued statements blaming the violence on “outlaw groups,” while local activists and human rights monitors accused pro-government militias of targeting Druze neighborhoods.
Amid the chaos, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that his government had carried out airstrikes near the presidential palace in Damascus on May 2 to “send a message” following the attacks on Syria’s Druze population. For many Syrians, this only added to the confusion — and to the perception that sectarian politics had become a tool for foreign manipulation.
Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, dismissed Israel’s posturing. “Israel has threatened the regime of Al-Sharaa by landing a few warning bombs, but it cannot protect the Druze,” he told Arab News. Worse, he added, the overtures could backfire. “Israel’s intervention on behalf of the Druze compromises them in the minds of many Syrians, who now accuse them of treason.”
Ghassan Ibrahim, founder of the Global Arab Network, went further in his criticism of Israel’s role. “Israel doesn’t care about the Syrian Druze,” he said. “It focuses on the Druze within its borders and projects a false message that it wants to help the community in Syria, rather than offering meaningful support.”
In a statement on Friday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said continued Israeli airstrikes could cause greater civilian harm and fragmentation.
Members of Syria’s security deploy at the entrance of Jaramana near Damascus. (AFP)
While the situation “remains fluid,” it noted that a tentative agreement had reportedly been reached between leaders in Suweida and authorities in Damascus. Still, it stressed the government’s obligation to protect all civilians within its jurisdiction.
The commission also pointed to earlier violence in Syria’s coastal areas in March as evidence of the country’s fragile security and the urgent need for de-escalation.
Regional analysts echoed the commission’s concerns, warning that foreign interference and deepening internal divisions jeopardize chances of long-term peace. Many urged the government to double down on reconciliation and called on the international community to support inclusive, Syrian-led solutions.
For Ibrahim, the true path to peace lies not in foreign intervention but in inclusive, homegrown governance. “The less negative external involvement we have, the better it is for Syrians to sit down and talk,” he said. “That process still requires support, including engagement with the UN and other organizations, to help Syrians find a path toward political compromise.”
Opinion
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He emphasized that stabilizing the country requires sidelining armed groups and initiating a credible national dialogue. “This needs support from Arab states, neighboring countries, the international community — and even Israel, which must halt its involvement in the conflict,” he told Arab News.
Ibrahim urged the new government to break with extremist allies and pursue political reform. “The Syrian government must be willing to listen to its citizens and open the door to political change — not military solutions or rule by militias,” he said. “It must reach out to minorities and embrace Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious fabric.”
Members of Syria’s security forces deploy in an area near the Syrian capital Damascus. (AFP)
He also called on the government to engage with Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities and commit to political inclusion. “Syria has always been home to different communities, and it must remain that way,” he said, stressing that a more inclusive approach could “unlock reconstruction aid, ease sanctions, and rebuild trust in state institutions.”
Such measures, according to Ibrahim, would not only incentivize reform but also reassure minorities that the international community remains committed to their protection.
“Western governments would prefer a Syria that aligns with the West rather than fall under extremist influence again,” he said. “At the moment, it doesn’t appear that global powers are paying much attention to Syria — there is no real road map, guidance or incentives being offered. Syria today is being treated like Afghanistan after the withdrawal from Kabul — largely abandoned.”
Landis, the US academic, believes Western leverage over Syria remains limited. “The only leverage that the West has is sanctions, which are a double-edged sword; they hurt the people even more than the government,” he said.
Though many sanctions were eased in 2025, the US State Department reiterated in April that any further relief would require a verifiable crackdown on terrorism, disarmament of chemical weapons, and the protection of minorities.
Members of Syria’s Druze community chant slogans in Damascus during the funeral of people killed during clashes with Syrian security forces. (AFP)
Landis blamed the government for not hesitating “to call for a general mobilization to send irresponsible militias to go kill Alawites on the coast, where some 1,700, mostly unarmed civilians, were murdered,” adding: “Now, the Defense (Ministry) Forces have attacked the Druze, with no serious effort to stop the mobilization against them.”
Within Syria’s civil society, some analysts believe small, symbolic actions could yet help ensure accountability and rebuild trust. Karam Shaar, a senior fellow at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, pointed to one viral video in which an armed fighter is seen forcibly shaving a Druze man’s moustache — an act widely viewed as a cultural insult.
“A gesture as simple as identifying that individual, ensuring they apologize publicly, and bringing them before a court could send a powerful message,” he said. “These symbolic steps matter.”
He noted that various actors had committed abuses, including attacks on government security personnel. “That’s completely unacceptable,” he told Arab News.
According to Shaar, the broader goal should be to foster a sense of equal protection under the law for all Syrians. “That feeling has not been consistently present,” he said, emphasizing that the state “sets the tone for justice and accountability.”
The Druze have long walked a delicate line between asserting autonomy and pledging loyalty to the state. (AFP)
Camille Otrakji, a Syrian analyst and longtime observer of the regime’s internal dynamics, believes the government is caught between contradictory pressures. “A significant gap — in values, priorities, and trust — persists between the government’s conservative base and a broader segment of Syrians, including ethnic and religious minorities as well as many Arabs, who favor a more inclusive and less ideological vision for the country,” he said.
Otrakji said while the government had acted to contain sectarian tensions, “the recurring unrest has deepened doubts — both inside Syria and abroad — about the government’s ability to maintain a stable and inclusive order.”
According to him, both sides of the political divide — government and opposition — are lobbying Western powers, with the regime portraying itself as a stabilizing force and its critics warning of ideological extremism within the ruling bloc.
“For Western policymakers, the path forward remains deeply uncertain,” he told Arab News. “Some argue that, however imperfect, the Al-Sharaa government represents the only viable vehicle for preserving a measure of stability in post-Assad Syria.
“Others see in the current leadership signs of deeper fragmentation and are preparing for the possibility of yet another period of disruptive — and potentially violent — transition.”
The resurgence of sectarian strife in recent months is a warning less about the past than about the road ahead. (AFP)
History has shown that sectarian wounds, once opened, do not heal easily. Iraq and Lebanon offer cautionary tales of what happens when multi-ethnic societies are left to drift without strong civic foundations. Syria’s challenge is arguably greater: It must not only contain current unrest but also address the grievances of millions of citizens displaced, detained or bereaved over five decades of Assad dynasty rule.
Syria has historically been a place where multiple religions and cultures coexisted — not always perfectly, but with dignity. That memory is still alive in millions of Syrian hearts. Unsurprisingly, many voices are emerging, calling for a tolerant vision that goes beyond sect or party. It is a vision rooted in Syria’s pluralistic past and projected into an as yet unknown future.
Israel strikes Yemen after Houthi attack on Ben Gurion airport
Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said that “US-Israeli aggression targets with six strikes the port of Hodeida” on Yemen’s western coast
Updated 05 May 2025
AFP
SANAA: Israel struck Yemen on Monday in what the Houthis said was a joint raid with the United States, a day after the militia claimed missile fire at Israel’s main airport.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said six air strikes hit the port of Hodeida, on Yemen’s western coast, and reported an attack on Bajil district in the same province, blaming “US-Israeli aggression” for both.
Israel confirmed it had carried out the strikes, while a US official denied any part in the raid.
The Israeli military said its “fighter jets struck terror targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime along Yemen’s coastline and further inland.”
In a statement, it said the Houthi-held Hodeida port “is used for the transfer of Iranian weapons, military equipment, and other equipment intended for terrorist purposes.”
In Bajil, the military said it hit a “concrete plant... which functions as a significant economic resource for the Houthis.”
A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that “US forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen today.”
Anees Al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry, said in a post on X that 21 people were wounded in the attack on Bajil.
Earlier the Houthis’ Saba news agency said US strikes hit the capital Sanaa and the airport road, wounding 16 people according to the rebels’ health ministry.
Al-Masirah reported another four strikes in Sanaa and seven in the northern governorate of Al-Jawf.
The reported strikes come after Israel said a missile fired from Yemen on Sunday struck inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv for the first time.
The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion airport, Israel’s main international gateway.
The militia said it “will work to impose a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, most notably... Ben Gurion airport.”
The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport parking lot, injuring six people and forcing airlines to suspend flights.
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen including Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war that began in October 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.
US strikes against the Houthis began under former president Joe Biden but have intensified under his successor Donald Trump.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed a tough response against the Houthis, as well as its main backer Iran, over the airport attack.
In a video published on Telegram, Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Houthis in the past and “will act in the future.”
“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added.
On social media platform X, Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing.”
Iran on Monday denied supporting the attack, calling it an “independent decision” by the Houthis taken in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Reacting to Netanyahu’s threats, the Islamic republic warned it would retaliate against any attack on its territory.
“Iran underlines (its) firm determination... to defend itself,” the Iranian foreign ministry said, warning Israel and the United States of “consequences.”
An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP that Sunday’s attack was “the first time” that a missile has directly struck inside the airport perimeter.
An AFP journalist inside the airport during the attack said he heard a “loud bang” at around 9:35 am (0635 GMT), adding that the “reverberation was very strong.”
Flights resumed after being halted briefly, with the aviation authority saying on Sunday that Ben Gurion was “open and operational.”
Some international airlines have canceled flights, including SWISS which extended its suspension until Sunday.
