The four-month war in Sudan has forced one million people to flee the country, the UN said on Tuesday, warning that the situation is spiralling out of control.
“Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours. Medical supplies are scarce. The situation is spiralling out of control,” UN agencies said.
The conflict, sparked by fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, a total of 1,017,449 people have fled into neighbouring countries, IOM said on Tuesday.
More than three million others are internally displaced, it added.
Fighting erupted in mid-April and has devastated swathes of the country, which remains largely without electricity since a blackout began on Sunday.
In the capital of Khartoum, 90 per cent of hospitals are out of service and only five remain open in Omdurman, doctors have told The National.
Sexual violence is rampant in Sudan and is being committed on a “sickening scale,” the UN said last week.
In a speech on Monday, army chief General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan accused the RSF of aiming “to take the country back to an era before the modern state” and “committing every crime that can be imagined”.
The RSF has accused the army of trying to seize full power under the direction of loyalists of Omar Al Bashir, the autocratic leader who was toppled during a popular uprising in 2019.
Multiple attempts to broker a lasting ceasefire have failed, despite efforts from the US and Saudi Arabia.
The conflict has also sparked tribal violence in Sudan's South Darfur state, where clashes between a tribe supporting the RSF and one refusing to take sides in the conflict have killed at least 120 people.
Hundreds more have been injured, while RSF fighters have stormed and looted homes in Nyala, according to officials.
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Match on Bein Sports
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The years Ramadan fell in May
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
