More Sudanese refugees fleeing as far as Europe, UN refugee agency says

GENEVA: Over a thousand Sudanese refugees have reached or attempted to reach Europe in early 2025, the United Nations' refugee agency said on Friday, citing growing desperation in part due to reduced aid in the region.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that has fuelled what U.N. officials call the world's most devastating aid crisis.

While some have recently returned home to Khartoum, millions of others in neighbouring countries like Egypt and Chad face tough choices as services for refugees are being cut, including by the United States as part of an aid review.

Olga Sarrado, U.N. refugee agency spokesperson, told a press briefing in Geneva that some 484 Sudanese had arrived in Europe in January and February, up 38% from the same period last year.

Around 937 others were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya - more than double last year's figures for the same period, she added.

"As humanitarian aid crumbles and if the war does not abate, many more will have little choice than to join them," she said.

Migrant deaths hit a record last year, the U.N. migration agency said, with many perishing on the Mediterranean crossing which is one of the world's most dangerous.