Email 
Print 
Sudan: 4.9 million IDPs across Sudan face ongoing turmoil
Source: IDMC
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
As a result of Sudan’s
numerous conflicts, about 4.9 million people remain internally displaced in the country; together they make up the single largest internally displaced population in the world.
In Southern Sudan, an estimated four million IDPs and half a million refugees were displaced by the war between the north and the south. 2.24 million people are thought to have returned since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005, but they have faced numerous obstacles, including very limited access to livelihood opportunities and basic services. An estimated ten per cent of all return movements thus far have been unsuccessful. Inter-communal violence has also caused significant new displacement in Southern Sudan, with 187,000 people newly displaced in 2008.
Tensions have remained high in the "Three Areas" on the border between the north and south. In May 2008 renewed conflict in Abyei led to the displacement of between 50,000 and 60,000 people and the almost complete destruction of the town. At the end of 2008 it was estimated that over 200,000 people remained internally displaced in Blue Nile State, and more than 100,000 in Southern Kordofan.
In eastern Sudan, implementation of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) has been slow and by the end of 2008 there were still up to 420,000 people displaced within a region that is among the poorest in Sudan.
In Darfur, some 317,000 people were newly displaced in 2008, often for the second or third time since the conflict started in early 2003, taking the total number of IDPs to 2.7 million by January 2009. In the first three months of 2009 a further 65,000 people were displaced. The threats to people’s safety have imposed severe limitations on rural livelihood strategies and have led to a rapid population growth in Darfur’s major towns and IDP settlements.
Khartoum continues to host about 1.2 million IDPs from all areas of Sudan, but mostly from the south. Most are looking to settle permanently in Khartoum, but their living conditions remain difficult. While Khartoum has seen strong economic growth, many of Khartoum’s poor and vulnerable populations, including IDPs, continue to struggle with inadequate access to social services and few sustainable livelihoods.
Read full Report on Internal Displacement in Sudan
In Southern Sudan, an estimated four million IDPs and half a million refugees were displaced by the war between the north and the south. 2.24 million people are thought to have returned since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in January 2005, but they have faced numerous obstacles, including very limited access to livelihood opportunities and basic services. An estimated ten per cent of all return movements thus far have been unsuccessful. Inter-communal violence has also caused significant new displacement in Southern Sudan, with 187,000 people newly displaced in 2008.
Tensions have remained high in the "Three Areas" on the border between the north and south. In May 2008 renewed conflict in Abyei led to the displacement of between 50,000 and 60,000 people and the almost complete destruction of the town. At the end of 2008 it was estimated that over 200,000 people remained internally displaced in Blue Nile State, and more than 100,000 in Southern Kordofan.
In eastern Sudan, implementation of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) has been slow and by the end of 2008 there were still up to 420,000 people displaced within a region that is among the poorest in Sudan.
In Darfur, some 317,000 people were newly displaced in 2008, often for the second or third time since the conflict started in early 2003, taking the total number of IDPs to 2.7 million by January 2009. In the first three months of 2009 a further 65,000 people were displaced. The threats to people’s safety have imposed severe limitations on rural livelihood strategies and have led to a rapid population growth in Darfur’s major towns and IDP settlements.
Khartoum continues to host about 1.2 million IDPs from all areas of Sudan, but mostly from the south. Most are looking to settle permanently in Khartoum, but their living conditions remain difficult. While Khartoum has seen strong economic growth, many of Khartoum’s poor and vulnerable populations, including IDPs, continue to struggle with inadequate access to social services and few sustainable livelihoods.
Read full Report on Internal Displacement in Sudan
