A man carries a child at the border town of Metema, the crossing point for thousands fleeing from Sudan into Ethiopia. (AFP)

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), along with various humanitarian organizations, has issued an urgent appeal to the global community, urging it to contribute $1 billion in aid. This financial support is aimed at assisting more than 1.8 million individuals who are expected to seek refuge in neighboring countries due to the ongoing clashes in Sudan.

This number is nearly double the initial estimate made in May, underscoring the severity of the situation, as over 1 million people have already fled Sudan.

The crisis has created a pressing need for humanitarian assistance, especially for those arriving in remote border areas, where they face dire circumstances due to limited access, inadequate services, and poor infrastructure, as stated by Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR regional refugee coordinator overseeing the Sudan situation.

Furthermore, the health conditions of Sudanese refugees are causing serious concerns, including the risk of malnutrition and outbreaks of infectious diseases like cholera and measles, as warned by the UN agency.

In response to this escalating crisis and the acute underfunding of humanitarian organizations in the region, the UNHCR is calling upon the international community to assist the host countries in addressing the growing humanitarian challenges.

The conflict in Sudan, which began with violent clashes between the regular armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in mid-April, has persisted despite several temporary nationwide ceasefires. Regrettably, none of these efforts have succeeded in resolving the conflict, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of nearly 3 million people. Among those affected, approximately 700,000 have fled the country, according to estimates from the United Nations.

Read more: Sudan: A borderless conflict