As Sudan marks the grim anniversary of a year-long conflict, aid agencies have warned that the country teeters on the edge of collapse, facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has been largely ignored by the rest of the world.
Islamic Relief, a humanitarian and development agency, painted a stark picture of Sudan’s situation, warning that it is on the brink of mass famine, with young children facing the prospect of starving to death.
The situation in Sudan is dire, with over 8.4 million people, including 2 million children under the age of 5, forced to flee their homes in the wake of the conflict, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Despite these alarming figures, the international response has been woefully inadequate, with only 5% of the 2024 humanitarian response plan for Sudan funded thus far, Islamic Relief said in a statement.
“Nearly 18 million people face acute food insecurity, 14 million of them children, and over 70 percent of hospitals are no longer functional amid a rise in infectious diseases,” Türk added.
“Let me be clear: Any attack on El Fasher would be devastating for civilians and could lead to full-blown intercommunal conflict across Darfur,” Guterres warned.
A lack of response Doctors Without Borders on Friday called on leaders attending the Paris conference “to immediately scale up the humanitarian response” in Sudan.
“The warring parties in Sudan have inflicted tremendous suffering on Sudanese from all walks of life,” he said.
Aid organizations have issued a dire warning as Sudan approaches the gloomy anniversary of a year-long conflict: the nation is on the verge of collapse and is dealing with an unparalleled humanitarian crisis that the rest of the world has largely ignored.
A humanitarian and development organization called Islamic Relief presented a dire picture of Sudan’s predicament, stating that the country is on the verge of a widespread famine and that small children may die from starvation.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports that the situation in Sudan is dire, with over 8 point 4 million people—including 2 million children under the age of five—being forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict.
Only 5% of the 2024 humanitarian response plan for Sudan has been funded thus far, Islamic Relief said in a statement, demonstrating the appallingly insufficient international response in spite of these alarming figures.
“Over the past year I’ve seen my country descend into violence, madness, and destruction, neglected by the rest of the world,” Elsadig Elnour, the agency’s country director for Sudan, stated. “.
Millions of civilians have been left homeless and many more have been seriously injured or killed in the conflict, which has pitted the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
As more armed groups join the fighting and parties to the conflict arm civilians, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a warning in a statement on Monday about a potential further escalation of violence in Sudan? “.
Thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and other crucial civilian buildings have been destroyed since the civil war began, “plunging the country into a severe humanitarian crisis, and creating the world’s largest displacement crisis,” according to his office.
“More than 70 percent of hospitals are no longer operational due to an increase in infectious diseases, and nearly 18 million people—14 million of whom are children—face acute food insecurity,” Türk continued.
The country may be the scene of “crimes against humanity,” according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also said that recent reports of escalating hostilities in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, were a “fresh cause for deep alarm.”. “.
Widespread new displacement resulted from attacks and village burning by militias affiliated with the RSF over the weekend, according to Guterres. He added that fighting was still going on Monday around El Fasher.
Let me say this clearly: Any attack on El Fasher could spark full-scale intercommunal violence throughout Darfur and cause terrible harm to civilians.
breaching the “wall of silence”.
The alerts coincide with a donor conference taking place in France on Monday, which French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said was intended to assist efforts at mediation, enhance coordination amongst the international community, and aid civilians in Sudan.
“We’re here today to break this wall of silence around this conflict and mobilize the entire international community,” he said at a press conference in Paris with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock. “.
In addition to stating that the humanitarian situation in the war-torn nation is “really disastrous,” Baerbock said, “Today we demonstrate that we will not forget the suffering of the people in Sudan.”. “.
According to an investigation by CNN, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan recruited nearly 700 men and 65 children under duress during a three-month period in Jazira state alone.
In an interview with CNN at the time, Mohamed Badawi, an attorney with the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies, compared the RSF’s violent and coercive methods to a “enforced labor system,” threatening to arrest anyone who didn’t “kill for” the organization.
an absence of reaction.
Friday at the Paris conference, Doctors Without Borders urged leaders “to immediately scale up the humanitarian response” in Sudan. According to the charity, “Sudanese authorities systematically block the delivery of aid to some areas, while the RSF has looted health facilities and supplies,” and a “chronic lack of response from humanitarian organizations and the UN has made an already dire situation in Sudan desperate.”. “.
The international response to Sudan’s brutal conflict needs to change, according to Mohamed Osman, a researcher for Human Rights Watch on Sudan. “.
Leaders should hold people accountable for crimes against humanity and transgressions of international humanitarian law, Osman pleaded.”.
“People from all walks of life in Sudan have suffered greatly as a result of the warring parties in the country,” he said. “Policymakers convening in Paris ought to take action regarding the pitifully low amounts of funding allocated to humanitarian efforts, including support for first responders on the ground, and pledge to take decisive action against those who purposefully obstruct the distribution of aid to those in need. “.
US Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, stated that a specific date for peace negotiations has not yet been determined.
