By Shamsiyya Hamza Ibrahim
The fighting in Sudan between the army under the command of General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under general Mohammed Hamdan Daglo is causing huge problems for the country and its neighbours.
More than 500 people have been killed and thousands wounded as the conflict enters it third week.
International efforts for a permanent ceasefire and to bring parties to the conflict to the negotiating table has failed so far. This has further fueled concerns on the implication of the violence.
1. Anxiety of Sudan’s neighbours
Sudan is the third largest country in Africa, which is bordered by the Nile - an important river for Ethiopia and countries close to it.
The other countries bordering Sudan are Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, Eretria and, South Sudan which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
Former Nigerian ambassador to Sudan, Sulaiman Dahiru, told TRT Afrika that most of Sudan’s neighbours will suffer from the crisis rocking the country.
"The concern is that most of the countries close to Sudan are contending with security problems,'' ambassador Dahiru said.
The diplomat said countries in the region already facing attacks by armed groups including rebels are concerned about the potential worsening of their situations.
Sudan's former Prime Minisiter Mohammed Hamdok has said the conflict, if not stopped immediately, could engulf the region and become a ''nightmare for the world.''
He fears a civil war might break out if the current battle for power is not resolved.
The United Nations Secretary General has also warned that Sudan is ''falling apart'' suggesting dangers beyond its borders.
2. Refugee crisis
As it is known, once a country descends into large scale conflict there is the possibility of exodus of refugees to some other countries. So even on this Sudan issue, expert believe the crisis will increase the number of refugees from Sudan.
Sudan was already hosting 1.13 million refugees before the current conflict started. This one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. It also counts around 3.7 million already internally displaced persons, mostly in the volatile western Darfur region.
Of those, 800,000 are South Sudanese, with Eritreans the second-largest group, numbering 126,000. There are also 58,000 Ethiopians
Axel Bisschop, the UNHCR's representative in Sudan, said last week that up to 30,000 people, mainly South Sudanese refugees, had moved south from Khartoum to White Nile State, closer to their own border.
Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees are also moving closer to their own borders, he added.
The South Sudanese Permanent Representative to the African Union also confirmed to TRT Afrika that many South Sudanese are fleeing the conflict returning home.
Chadian information minister who is also the spokesperson for government, Aziz Mahamat Saleh, told reporters that over 20,000 people had been given access to move into the country from Sudan, especially in the Assoungha region in the province of Quaddai.
“Every day people are coming in, and aid opportunity have been opened,” he said
Thousands more are crossing into other neighbouring countries including South Sudan. Some of those being displaced were already refugees in Sudan due to previous armed conflicts.
3. Arms proliferation
Proliferation of arms is another likely problem to emerge from the Sudan battle as seen in previous conflicts in other countries.
In the wake of the war in Libya after the overthrow of the country’s long-time ruler Muammar Ghaddafi, many African countries including those far from Libya witnessed increase in arms proliferation.
An international relations expert Abdulhakeem Garba Funtua told TRT Afrika that "there is no complete security in the borders that connect Sudan with over five neighboring countries.''
Mr Funtua said "if something urgent is not done to put an end to the crisis in the country, new groups and spread of weapons can emerge which will harm the country and the other countries surrounding it more.''
This situation might aid ''terrorists and war can go on in the country for years."
4. Destruction of educational system
One of the main strengths of Sudan is its educational system which attracts thousands of foreign students especially from African countries. This is helping the country’s economy and increasing its development.
But experts think the ongoing crisis will cause problem for the sector - affecting both local and foreign students.
Some governments around the world have since started evacuating their nationals including students from Sudan halting their education and throwing it into uncertainty.
“Nigeria alone has over 10,000 students studying in Sudan, as it is now only God knows how the crisis in Sudan can be resolved," according to Abdulhakeem.
I similar disruption of educational system has been witnessed recently following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict - with thousands of foreign and local students affected.
5. Hunger and diseases
Violent conflicts normally have negative effects on food security - sometimes to the extent that people rely on food aid. Sudan was already heavily reliant on aid and now there are fears the situation could get worse as the fighting continues.
The operations of the UN refugee agency and the World Food Programme have been hugely affected by the ongoing conflict with the two agencies halting their services in some areas due to safety concerns.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 15.8 people in Sudan - that's a third of the population - were already facing food insecurity before the current crisis.
It says ''the humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to escalate, with a steady increase in hunger,'' adding that the ongoing violence ''has the potential to plunge millions more people into hunger.''
Announcing a temporary suspension of its operations last week, WFP said ''we are unable to deliver critical emergency food and cash assistance, provide school meals for children, prevent or treat malnutrition, support farmers to boost agriculture productivity, or help people to rebuild their livelihoods.''
The decision followed the killing of three of its staff members in Sudan in the fighting.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that as of last week around 61% of hospitals and health centers in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan had closed adding to the health problems with around 24,000 pregnant women to give birth in the coming weeks without medical services.
