Sudanese military forces, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, are photographed sitting on top of a tank in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 20, 2023.
– | Afp | Getty Images
While the attention of the world is focused on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, analysts have cautioned that an unprecedented number of potentially “catastrophic” conflicts are being overlooked.
Earlier this month, the International Rescue Committee released its emergency watchlist for 2024, identifying the 20 countries at the highest risk of security deterioration. These countries represent about 10% of the world’s population but account for approximately 70% of its displaced persons and 86% of global humanitarian need.
The U.N. estimated in October that over 114 million people were displaced by war and conflict worldwide, a figure that is now likely even higher.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, emphasized that for many of the people his organization serves, current conditions represent the “worst of times,” as they face climate risk, impunity in conflict zones, and escalating public debt amid dwindling international support.
“The headlines today are rightly dominated by the crisis in Gaza. There is good reason for that — it is currently the most dangerous place in the world to be a civilian,” Miliband said.
“But the Watchlist is a vital reminder that other parts of the world are on fire as well, for structural reasons relating to conflict, climate, and economy. We must be able to address more than one crisis at once.”
Isabelle Arradon, research director at the International Crisis Group, told CNBC earlier this month that conflict fatalities globally are at their highest since 2000.
“All the red flags are there, and on top of that, there is a shortage of means to resolve conflict. There’s a lot of geopolitical competition and less appetite for resolving these deadly conflicts,” she added.
Sudan
Leading the IRC’s watchlist is Sudan, where fighting broke out in April 2023 between the country’s two military factions, and peace talks in Saudi Arabia did not yield any solution.
The conflict has escalated into “large-scale urban warfare,” receiving “minimal” international attention, posing a serious risk of regional spillover, with 25 million people in desperate humanitarian need and 6 million displaced.
The Rapid Support Forces — led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti) and allegedly supported by the UAE and Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar — has launched a multi-pronged offensive from the capital of Khartoum, resulting in alleged atrocities in the western region of Darfur.
METEMA, Ethiopia – May 4, 2023: Refugees who crossed from Sudan to Ethiopia wait in line to register at IOM (International organization for Migration) in Metema, on May 4, 2023. More than 15,000 people have fled Sudan via Metema since fighting broke out in Khartoum in mid-April,
