At least 700 people have been killed in Sudan since the start of the fighting, most of which are civilians.

The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has allocated one million US dollars for urgent relief efforts in Sudan on Saturday, as fighting continued in the crisis-hit country despite mediation talks kicking off in Jeddah.

The Qatari donation is expected to benefit 17,000 families, including around 119,000 people, in collaboration with Sudan’s Red Crescent and Ministry of Health, the Gulf state’s news agency (QNA) reported.

QRCS said it will carry out six-months of aid interventions in Sudan as it faces its worst conflict in years. The humanitarian assistance will cover health, nutrition, water, and shelter, QNA reported.

On the same day of the announcement, QRCS shipped 22 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including medical and food supplies to Port Sudan as part of Doha’s air bridge to the country, as per directives from Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The first aid flight landed in Sudan on Friday night carrying 50 tonnes of aid before returning to Qatar with 168 evacuees onboard. On Sunday, a third Qatari evacuation flight airlifted 79 Qatar residency holders back to safety, bringing the total number of evacuees to 308.

Last month, fighting broke out between the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army that proved to be a major disruption to Sudan’s transition to civilian rule.

At least 700 people have been killed in Sudan since the start of the fighting, per the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. 

The fighting has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes, many of which have since sought shelter in Port Sudan as they eagerly await evacuation.

On Sunday, envoys from both warring factions headed to Saudi Arabia for peace talks as fighting continued in Khartoum, Reuters reported. The talks are part of a Saudi and American initiative that emerged following several failed ceasefires.

Power struggle

The RSF is led by former militia leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. He was also the leader of the Janjaweed militia during the Darfur genocide in 2003, in which the group carried out war crimes in cooperation with former leader Sudanese Omar Al Bashir.

Bashir was toppled in 2019 during a mass revolution in Sudan, during which protesters across the country demanded civilian leadership. 

However, four months into the Sudanese uprising, military leaders signed a power-sharing agreement with the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and formed a Sovereign Council.

The declaration set late 2023 as the deadline for elections to elect a civilian administration. 

In December last year, Sudanese political parties and the military signed a deal that aimed to pave the way for a two-year civilian transition period, though its fate remains in question as the flare up continues.