Resources running out in shelters for Sudan refugees, as solutions to end war prove elusive

KIRYANDONGO, Uganda: Sarah Ibrahim Abdulla and her nine children have been separated from her husband for the past two months as a brutal civil war rages on in Sudan.
They fled separate ways as bombs flew over their heads in the North African country’s Darfur region, which has a long history of ethnic violence and humanitarian crises.
The latest armed conflict broke out in April last year and shows no signs of ending. For Sudanese like Sarah, the only way to ensure her family’s survival was to flee the country – but even then, there is no guarantee of a safe or certain future.
“We got a car to a far place, a small rural area and stayed there, then I tried calling my husband, he was in another area. He said: ‘Don’t come, take the children to another place’ and he sent me small money,” she told CNA.
The family now stays in Kiryandongo refugee settlement in northern Uganda, which shares a border with Sudan.
But authorities at the camp have been struggling to find space and resources, with nearly 200 refugees arriving daily and the facility far beyond its capacity of about 400 people.
The problem is not unique to Kiryandongo and looks set to persist as Sudanese civilians continue to flee the violence and find refuge in neighbouring nations. 
Of the more than 2 million who have fled Sudan, Uganda is hosting about 50,000 as of August, according to figures from the United Nations.
Both Chad and Egypt are sheltering around 500,000 each, while other countries like Libya, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ethiopia have also taken in tens of thousands of Sudanese.
Refugee camps largely depend on international donations and the generosity of host countries.
But a surge in numbers at such settlements has greatly strained African and international resources, with even Uganda – which boasts the continent’s most generous refugee policy – running out of answers.
Regional governments, increasingly desperate for a peaceful end to the conflict, have taken several stabs at peace talks. But these attempts have suffered from a lack of coordination.
Experts have said that the involvement of outside players, such as countries that have armed and supported the opposing sides in the war, also make it less likely that an Africa-only intervention will succeed.
The current conflict stems from a violent campaign for power, largely between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
“There are lessons to learn from Libya, when weapons came in from across the world and found its way to the Sahel into Sub-Saharan Africa,” said foreign policy analyst Adib Saani, referring to the civil wars in Libya.
This means it is likely that weapons finding their way into Sudan can fall into the hands of terrorists, especially in the Sahel region, he noted.
“It’s in the interest of IGAD and other regional bodies to ensure there’s peace because what happens in Sudan will ultimately affect other countries,” Mr Saani added.
IGAD, or the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, is a trade bloc in Africa with eight member states, including governments from the Horn of Africa region.
The bloc has been working towards a ceasefire in Sudan, echoing the African Union’s call for a democratically-elected government.
The union has suspended Sudan from IGAD until a civilian-led government is formed, as well as threatened punitive measures if the country’s military leaders fail to hand over power to a civilian government.
But these calls have fallen on deaf ears so far.
Sudan’s warring parties continue to shun both regional and international peace talks, ignoring calls to compromise – even when that call comes from a powerful and influential African leader.
During an IGAD meeting in January, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni said: “Every small thing war, war … This is ideological shallowness in our view. And in our discussions, we really think the parties involved must stop these unprincipled wars.”
Criticism has grown that inaction by African and international states has had devastating consequences on the lives of the Sudanese. 
Sudan is currently facing the world’s largest displacement crisis, with nearly 11 million people forcibly displaced, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency.