The world's biggest displacement crisis is in...

In this issue, I'm keeping my promise to dive deeper into what's happening in Sudan and the DRC. Last week, with the help of journalist Ridal Carel Tchoukuegno, we shone a spotlight on the DRC. Now, it's Sudan's turn. How could I not? A recent UN report says about 10 million people are displaced. In the second deep dive, I try to break down Argentina's economy and take a look at President Milei's bold plans to tackle one of the world's highest inflation rates. Are they working? And who's bearing the brunt of these changes? This issue also brings you stories about Ethiopia's indigenous peoples in the Omo Valley, the delicious world of Chilean street food, a jazz fest in Cairo, and Egypt's version of the Lamar/Drake rap battle. Plus, I dig into what Sky TV has to do with Rishi Sunak. And so much more.

The world's biggest displacement crisis is taking place in Sudan right now, affecting some 10 million people

What happened:
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that close to 10 million people in Sudan have been forced to leave their homes because of the ongoing war. That includes about one-third of the people living in the capital, Khartoum.

Why this matters:
In just over a year, the war has killed tens of thousands of people, with some estimates saying up to 150,000. Aid groups warn that millions more could die as the situation gets worse. This is the world's biggest displacement crisis right now. More than 2 million have crossed borders into neighboring countries, mainly to Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.

Tell me more:
IOM's weekly stats show 9.9 million internally displaced people in Sudan. That's 2.8 million displaced before April 2023 and 7.1 million since. More than half are women, and over a quarter are kids under five. IOM's Director General Amy Pope said, "Imagine a city the size of London being displaced. That's what it's like, but with the constant threat of crossfire, famine, disease, and brutal ethnic and gender-based violence." The UN says 18 million people in Sudan are severely hungry, including 3.6 million malnourished children. Both sides in the conflict are blocking aid, making it hard to declare a famine officially.

Refresher: What's happening in Sudan?
Different groups in Sudan are fighting for power, mainly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese military (SAF). Both sides are accused of war crimes like targeting civilians, shelling residential areas, and blocking aid. There are also reports of widespread sexual violence. Need more details? Here's a longer explainer.

What's the current situation with the fighting?
The fighting in Sudan, especially in the city of el-Fasher, is very intense. Sudan's army just stopped a big attack by RSF on the city of el-Fasher in North Darfur. This happened right after the UN told the RSF to end their siege of the city. The army says they caused huge losses for the RSF, including killing a top RSF commander, Ali Yagoub Gibril. The RSF hasn't responded yet. In el-Fasher alone, at least 226 people have been killed and over 1,400 injured because of the ongoing fighting. Doctors are struggling to help the wounded due to continuous air raids and shelling. Plus, there are worries that the Darfur region might face another genocide at the hands of the RSF.

What now?
The UN is calling for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted aid access. The US announced $315 million in emergency aid for Sudan and warned that millions could die from hunger if things don't improve. As Damilola Banjo writes for PassBlue, Sudan's government has also accused the UAE and Chad of making the conflict worse by supplying weapons to the RSF and wants the UN to extend sanctions to these countries for violating arms embargoes.

Argentina's economy has just changed its relationship status to "It's complicated."

What happened:
Last month, inflation in Argentina dropped below five percent for the first time in more than two years. This means that the prices of goods and services didn't rise as quickly as they have been.

Why this matters:
This decrease in inflation is good news for President Javier Milei. Just last week, he also managed to get a major reform bill passed in the Senate by a very tight vote. This bill includes big changes to the economy, which he hopes will help fix some of Argentina's financial problems.

Tell me more:
Specifically, prices increased by 4.2 percent in May, which is a big improvement compared to April when they went up by 8.8 percent.However, even though inflation slowed down in May, prices have still gone up a lot this year---by 71.9 percent in just the first five months. Over the past year, prices have increased by a whopping 276.4 percent. So, while May's numbers are better, there's still a lot of work to be done to get inflation under control.

What's the government doing about it?
The country's new president is on it. When President Milei took office in December, he devalued Argentina's currency, the peso, cut public spending, reduced the number of government workers, stopped new public projects, and removed subsidies (financial help) for things like fuel and transport. The result? In April, for the first time since 2008, Argentina had more money coming in than going out. Plus, the government has renewed part of its currency swap agreement with China, and the International Monetary Fund...