‘All of it is really evolving, hour by hour, day by day’

An unstable 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan’s warring factions, which came into effect on Tuesday morning, is expected to end tomorrow (Thursday).

As other nations race to evacuate citizens from the country, the impact of violence between the SAF and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, which started on April 15, is beginning to be felt in neighbouring territories.

The RSF confirmed it had agreed to the ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian efforts in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum.

Noelle Fitzpatrick, a native of Kingscourt, is country director for Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in South Sudan.

Noelle, with her JRS colleagues and other aid organisations, are tentatively monitoring the developing situation, under the coordination of UNCHR, to see how best they can mobilise to provide support to those fleeing the conflict.

She told The Anglo-Celt that, following the weekend, there are reports of thousands of people, “a mixture of Sudanese refugees, South Sudanese returnees, and other refugees from other countries who have left Khartoum moving southwards to the border with South Sudan and have crossed over into Renk, which is the first major city you would reach.”

Noelle says JRS and other aid organisations operating in the region are “scrambling” their resources to be part of a “multi-agency assessment” in Renk to see what are the “priority needs” and assist UNCHR in establishing reception centres that can also double as triage units to treat any wounded.

“Logistically, there’ll have to be some transportation made available to carry people from the border area to the reception centres,” she surmised.

Noelle says, once the safety of refugees crossing over has been ensured, the focus will switch to facilitating the movement of people elsewhere.

“As the days and weeks roll on, it will become clearer what is the process of transporting people from that initial reception centre onwards. If they’re South Sudanese, it might be about facilitating their transportation to areas they would normally be returning to. So all of it is really evolving, hour by hour, day by day.”

Much of the supplies destined for South Sudan arrive via Khartoum and Noelle says the real world “implications” of what is happening will disrupt the supply of food and other goods, and, as a result, send prices skyrocketing.

“Maybe in time there will be disruption to fuel supply as well, which will also have its implications. But politically it’s too early to say what the political implications might be,” concludes Noelle who says JRS’s focus as a humanitarian organisation will remain on what they can contribute to assisting those displaced by conflict.