By Ebi Kesiena
The United Nations migration agency says at least 334,000 people have been internally displaced in Sudan since deadly fighting broke out last month between two military factions.
The data was released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration at a news conference in Geneva. At the same press briefing, the UN refugee agency said that more than 100,000 people have fled from Sudan to neighboring countries.
The new figures come a day after the UN refugee agency made an ominous prediction that the fighting could force more than 800,000 people to flee the north African country.
Raouf Mazou, the deputy head of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, explained that the agency was planning for 815,000 people to flee Sudan into seven neighboring countries. He said that included 580,000 Sudanese along with foreign refugees now living in Sudan.
Mazou said around 73,000 people have already left Sudan.
Also, UNHCR head Filippo Grandi said in a tweet Monday that the agency hopes its planning figures turn out to be too high, but said “if violence doesn’t stop, we will see more people forced to flee Sudan seeking safety.”
The fighting has led to the seizure of a public health laboratory in the capital Khartoum by one of the warring factions. The lab holds samples of infectious diseases such as cholera and other hazardous materials.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday the seizure posed a “moderate risk” of biological hazard after conducting risk assessment. The UN agency warned last week the seizure potentially posed a “high risk” of biological hazard.
