The UN expressed concern on Monday over Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis, amid rising starvation, displacement, and violence against civilians resulting from the ongoing civil war.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the current humanitarian situation is critical.
Armed violence between the Sudanese military government troops and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near displacement camps earlier this week has resulted in “multiple civilian casualties” in the capital of El Fashur in North Darfur. According to OCHA, roughly 330,000 displaced people have fled to North Darfur to escape violence and famine.
Violence is compounded by starvation and a cholera outbreak. OCHA said that El Fasher “remains under siege” and blockades have prevented food deliveries by road.
The city remains “cut off from humanitarian access,” and the blockage of supply lines has increased the price of basic goods by 460 percent, rendering families unable to afford basic food items.
According to the UN, nearly 1,200 cases of cholera have been reported across Darfur, with children accounting for roughly a quarter of cases.
Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq commented that “shortages of medical supplies, clean water and sanitation services are severely hampering the humanitarian response.”
UNICEF representative Sheldon Yett raised alarm over the impact of the humanitarian crisis on Sudanese children:
Malnutrition is rife, and many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones… The few functioning health centres and nutrition treatment centres in the area are highly congested and crammed with people… Children are dying from hunger, disease, and direct violence.
They are being cut off from the very services that could save their lives.
UNICEF reported a 46 percent increase in severe acute malnutrition among Sudanese children. Earlier this year, OCHA reported that the conflict has resulted in the displacement of over 12 million people, acute hunger among 24.6 million people, “a collapse of health services… millions of traumatized children cut off from formal education… [and] relentless patterns of sexual violence.”
The UN called for support from the international community. It said that “aid organizations need $120 million” to adequately respond to shortages in food, water, and shelter, and the cholera outbreak.
The World Food Program announced that it is ready to send aid trucks to El Fasher, but requires urgent “guarantees of safe passage” from by RSF.
(Jurist)
