African leaders hold key to ending Sudan crisis

African leaders hold key to ending Sudan crisis

On April 15, 2023, the world was treated to a torrent of videos showing fierce air and ground fighting in Khartoum, adding Sudan to the list of rancorous flashpoints in an increasingly conflict-plagued world. The power struggle between Sudan’s two major military factions has had a devastating effect on the Sudanese population and its neighbours. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), more than one million individuals have been forcibly displaced. More than 210,000 people have crossed to Egypt and another 92,977 are South Sudanese who previously fled to Sudan as refugees but have now returned home. The other countries that are hosting thousands of refugees are Chad, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. Conflict is not new in the World. In March 2022, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres observed that the world was facing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945. This was a month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the loss of life and property, the conflict caused a significant shock to the world economy, particularly to the energy and food markets, which squeezed supply and elevated prices of oil to record highs. The countries taking in refugees require resources