Red Cross: More Than 11,000 People Reported Missing Since the Outbreak of the Sudan War

The spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Farid Al-Hamid, said that more than 11,000 people have been reported missing in Sudan since the war began in April 2023.

He noted that this figure represents only the cases registered with the ICRC and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, adding that the actual number of missing persons is likely to be significantly higher.

Al-Hamid explained that the continued conflict has intensified population displacement and led to a growing number of people seeking assistance to restore family links or learn the fate of loved ones who have lost contact with their families. He said this reflects the vast scale and profound humanitarian consequences of the war.

He added that last year the ICRC received more than 1,682 tracing requests from families inside Sudan and 2,200 requests from abroad seeking information about the whereabouts and fate of missing relatives, including confirmation of their safety or whether they were being held by any military or security authority.

The ICRC official stated that the organization was able to provide information to families regarding 846 missing persons.

Meanwhile, Sudan’s Minister of State for Social Welfare, Salima Ishaq, said that the number of women reported missing since the outbreak of the war has exceeded 600.

She added that the relevant authorities face major challenges in obtaining accurate information on the number of missing women, as many families are reluctant to report missing daughters because of social stigma.

Ishaq also noted that many women who disappeared during the conflict left behind hundreds of children of different ages.