Escalating Sudan Military Conflict Edges Closer to South Sudan and Abyei, UN Envoy Warns

Conflict disrupting diplomatic dialogues and causing humanitarian crisis with over 9,000 killed, 4.5M displaced inside Sudan, and 1.2M seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

• The conflict between Sudan's army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) is approaching South Sudan and the disputed Abyei region, with the RSF recently seizing the airport and oil field in Belila near Sudan's West Kordofan State, according to U.N. special envoy Hanna Serwaa Tetteh.
• The ongoing conflict has significant humanitarian, security, economic, and political implications damaging the bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan. It has resulted in over 9,000 casualties and displaced approximately 4.5 million people within Sudan while forcing around 1.2 million to seek refuge in neighboring countries.
• Sudan descended into chaos following a coup led by military figure Abdel-Fattah Burhan in October 2021, leading to a break in the short-lived democratic transition after Omar al-Bashir's three-decade autocracy. The war started in mid-April when tensions between the army led by Burhan and RSF commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo led to open conflict.
• Despite talks aiming for resolution taking place in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah since late October, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, the conflict continues.
• The ongoing conflict has stalled the political process concerning the final status of the oil-rich Abyei region and border issues. Abyei's status has been unresolved since South Sudan's independence from Sudan in 2011, with an already fragile coexistence between the native tribes of Ngok Dinka, who favor South Sudan, and the Misseriya nomads, who favor Sudan.

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