Tag Archives: Sudan

Sudan: You can run – but we will find you, militias warn terrified civilians

Posted on by
Reply

“People told me multiple times that when they were fleeing from Zamzam [displacement camp], armed people would threaten them while they were in flight, saying sure, ‘Flee, go to that place, run here, run there, we will follow you, we will find you’,” said Jocelyn Elizabeth Knight, a Protection Officer for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Briefing journalists in Geneva, Ms. Knight described speaking to one traumatized child at a UNHCR shelter, whose experience mirrors that of countless other youngsters across the nation.

“A tiny boy told me, ‘You know, during the day things are okay here, but I’m afraid to go to sleep at night in case the place where we’re living is attacked again’.”

UNHCR’s Jocelyn Knight speaks with UN News on the situation on the ground.

Forced into squalor

In Darfur in western Sudan, many people uprooted by violence gather in disused public buildings with few essentials to water and sanitation.  

Meanwhile, new displacement and attacks on civilians continue within Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan region, UNHCR warned, in communities “that are already devastated and have been subjected to unspeakable atrocities”.

The ongoing fighting has also severely constrained humanitarian access and disrupted aid delivery for over two years. With seasonal rains underway, many roads will be impassable for months, further complicating the delivery of aid, the UN agency noted.  

The persistent insecurity has also impeded farming, deepening deprivation in areas at risk of famine or already experiencing famine-like conditions.

Latest UNHCR data indicates that more than 873,000 Sudanese refugees have fled Darfur and crossed into Chad, which now hosts the largest number of registered Sudanese refugees since the start of the conflict. One in three people in eastern Chad is now a refugee.

Deadly disease

In addition to heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and their former allies-turned opponents – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries – that began in April 2023, civilians now face a fast-spreading and deadly cholera outbreak.

“Cholera has swept across Sudan with all the states reporting outbreaks,” said Dr. Ilham Nour, Senior Emergency Officer with the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

She noted that since last July, nearly 100,000 cases have been reported.

Lives on the line

The highly contagious disease spreads rapidly in unsanitary conditions. As of early August, 264 cases and 12 deaths have been identified at Dougui refugee settlement in eastern Chad hosting Sudanese arrivals from Darfur.

Surrounding villages have also reported suspected cases, while others have emerged in Treguine settlement, one of many UNHCR camps in eastern Chad that host Sudanese refugees.

Help to contain the disease is urgent, insisted UNHCR’s Dossou Patrice Ahouansou, Principal Situation Coordinator for Eastern Chad.

“We still have more than 230,000 refugees at the border in very difficult situation,” he said. “Without urgent action including enhancing access to medical treatment, to clean water, to sanitation, to hygiene and most important, relocation from the border, many more lives are on the line.”

As part of the response and to prevent new cases, the UN agency has suspended the relocation of refugees from border points.

UNHCR is seeking $130 million in flexible funding to provide life-saving aid to an estimated 800,000 people in Darfur. In addition, the UN agency will respond to the cholera outbreak and relocate 239,000 Sudanese refugees from the Chad-Sudan border.

Unexploded weapons alert

Meanwhile, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) confirmed fears that unexploded ordnance from ongoing battles are killing and maiming non-combatants who are unaware of the extent of the danger.

“The sad reality of this ongoing conflict is it is not happening in rural areas, it’s mainly happening in urban areas, in the areas which are highly populated,” said Mohammad Sediq Rashid, Chief of UNMAS Sudan.

Last week, six minefields were confirmed in Khartoum and three of them contained anti-personnel landmines – the first time this has been reported – he told journalists in Geneva.

“Contamination is on the roads, in homes, in schools and airstrips, medical facilities, humanitarian bases,” the UNMAS official continued.

“This is a population [that] is largely unaware of the dangers that are waiting for them…this problem is only growing every day.”

Source link

UN officials warn of starvation amid ‘gender emergency’ in war-torn Sudan

Posted on by
Reply

Particularly hard hit is El Fasher, where hunger is growing, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warning of a deteriorating situation that is putting even more civilians’ lives at risk.

OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, Edem Wosornu, who is currently in the country, said the suffering is immense, with people trapped, displaced or returning to face communities in ruins. She called for unimpeded access and urgent support to reach those on the frontlines of hardship.

Briefing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said “with increasingly alarming food shortages and spiraling prices, people in El Fasher are reported to be resorting to eating animal feed in what is an increasingly catastrophic situation.”                       

Thousands face starvation, cholera threat

El Fasher has the highest cost of basic goods nationwide at nearly $1,000 per household per month, which is far beyond the reach of most families. This includes more than $700 for food alone – more than eight times the cost of basic food items in other parts of the country, Mr. Haq said.

“These steep costs, coupled with the siege and lack of aid delivery by road for over a year, have left thousands facing starvation,” he added, noting that engagement around the calls from the Secretary-General and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator for a pause in the area is “more important than ever.

In an effort to curb public health risks in North Darfur, UN humanitarian partners and local authorities launched a sanitation campaign on 5 August targeting 11,000 people in the localities of El Fasher and Dar As Salam with a goal of preventing disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement sites during the ongoing rainy season.

They are also scaling up efforts to respond to a cholera outbreak in the locality of Tawila, which has absorbed 330,000 displaced people fleeing conflict in Zamzam and El Fasher since April.

In Blue Nile State, cholera cases have surged to nearly 2,800 since late June, with over 40 new infections recorded yesterday alone, with 14 deaths have been reported, the UN Deputy Spokesperson said.

‘Gender emergency’

Warnings also came from gender equality agency, UN Women.

“This crisis is a gender emergency,” said Salvator Nkurunziza, the agency’s representative in Sudan, told UN News.

“Displaced women and girls can be subject to the risks of exploitation and abuse, especially during the delivery of aid, where protection mechanisms are weak or absent in some locations,” he said.

According to the agency’s Unit for Combating Violence Against Women in Sudan, as of March 2025, there have been 1,138 cases of rape recorded since April 2023, including 193 children, most of whom were in conflict-affected areas, he said.

“The actual number may be higher as fear of stigma and other social and security reasons prevent accurate reporting of gender-based violence crimes,” he warned.

Women, girls ‘most affected’ by food insecurity

“Certainly, these crimes including rape and harassment can prevent women and girls from access food assistance,” he said.

Unreported gender-based violence crimes in besieged areas can be higher than shown in recent statistics, he continued, emphasising that women and girls are the most affected by food insecurity in those areas, and the situations there indicate a looming hunger crisis.

“Women are central to the survival of their households, especially in displacement settings, but their ability to access food assistance is deeply compromised,” Mr. Nkurunziza said. “Female-headed households, already three times more likely to be food insecure, are now the hungriest group in the country.”

Source link

Children are ‘skin and bones’ as Sudan marks a grim milestone

Posted on by
Reply

It is a grim milestone for Sudan, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But with insufficient funding, lack of access to key regions and intensifying violence, milestones like this have become the grim norm.  

“This is not hypothetical. It is a looming catastrophe,” said Sheldon Yett, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Sudan.

And it is a catastrophe that is unduly affecting women and children, many of whom have been displaced multiple times and lack access to even the most basic of services such as clean water, food and protection.  

“Every day the conflict continues in Sudan, innocent lives are lost, communities are torn apart and trauma continues to haunt generations,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the UN’s designated expert on human rights in Sudan.  

Emotional scar tissue 

Children in Sudan are among those most affected by the crisis – 3.2 million  children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next year.

On a recent trip Jebel Aulia, a locality in Khartoum state which is at extreme risk of famine, Mr. Yett was horrified by what he saw.  

“Many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones,” Mr. Yett said.

However, these children are not only contending with malnutrition – some of them have also been displaced four or five times, and over three-quarters of Sudanese children are out of school.  

“The emotional scar tissue is massive – children don’t know where they are going next … often feeling like aliens in their own land,” Mr. Yett said.  

He spoke with one mother in Jebel Aulia whose daughter may be forever changed by the violence.  

“Since the war started, my daughter has fallen into a state of silence, and I can feel her heart racing with fear,” one mother said.  

A gendered crisis

Around Sudan, as the food insecurity crisis spirals, women and girls are the “hungriest face of the crisis,” according to Salvator Nkurunziza, the UN Women representative in Sudan.

“With conditions now at near famine thresholds in several regions in the country, it is not just a food crisis but a gender emergency caused by a failure of gender-responsive action,” said Mr. Nkurunziza at a Tuesday press briefing in Geneva.  

A recent report further drove home the gendered nature of the crisis, revealing that women-led households in Sudan are three times more likely to experience severe insecurity than households led by men.  

This is especially concerning as the death, displacement or forced disappearance of men has left more and more women the sole bread winners. In total 75 per cent of women-led households cannot meet basic food needs.

“The data is unequivocal: female-headed households are slipping deeper into starvation, with fewer coping mechanisms, less access to income, and even more systemic barriers than last year,” the report said.  

Nevertheless, Mr. Nkurunziza reminded the international community that women are not just victims but also agents of change in crisis settings.  

Women-led organizations are on the frontlines, providing food through soup kitchens and supporting displaced families. And yet, they remain excluded from many of the decision-making processes and exposed to undue risks.  

An unchanged human rights landscape

Food security and displacement are not the only challenges that the Sudanese face. Rather, the human rights situation is also deteriorating, according to Mr. Nouicer who visited Sudan to meet key government officials in July.  

“I remain gravely concerned that civilians in Sudan continue to suffer widespread violations and abuses, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, forced displacement and arbitrary detention,” he said.  

He specifically highlighted the unique challenges that women, children and people with disabilities face when confronting displacement and violence.  

“The ongoing war has devastated civilian lives and turned daily survival into a constant struggle.”  

‘Irreversible damage’

Mr Yett said that in his most recent trip, he saw the best and worst of humanity – the devastating impact of violence and inaction coupled with the hopeful possibilities that peace and action could provide.  

“We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children, not because we lack the knowledge or the tools to save them but because we are collectively failing to act with the urgency and at the scale this crisis demands,” he said.  

The first step is ensuring access to regions of Sudan like Zamzam which have been cut off from aid. With the rainy season approaching – and some roads already impassable – this is only becoming more difficult.  

Mr. Nouicer highlighted that even if a ceasefire between the warring rival militaries happened, the level of devastation and abuse is so extreme that the future will require more than just peace.  

“The path forward demands more than ceasefires and peace talks. It requires a sustained commitment to justice, accountability, and inclusive governance.” 

Source link

Mounting civilian casualties in Sudan as fighting intensifies

Posted on by
Reply

It has now been 842 days since conflict between troops from the military government and their former allies-turned-rivals in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in Sudan, turning the country into the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.  

Heavy fighting continues in North Darfur State, with multiple civilian casualties reported in recent days – most notably during clashes in the state capital, El Fasher, on 1 and 2 August – following earlier violence between armed groups near the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, which currently hosts 25,000 residents.  

Starvation threat

One year after famine was confirmed in Zamzam camp on the outskirts of El Fasher, the city remains under siege, with no food aid deliveries entering by road, leaving residents of the regional capital increasingly facing starvation.  

Prices of food items such as sorghum and wheat are more than four times higher than elsewhere in the country, while many families are unable to afford even the most basic items.  

“Limited cash assistance continues, but it is nowhere near enough to meet rising needs,” said Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq on Monday during the daily briefing in New York.  

Cholera menace continues

Meanwhile, cholera continues to spread across Darfur, with nearly 1,200 cases reported – around 300 of them children – in the locality of Tawila since late June.  

In South Darfur, health authorities have reported more than 1,100 suspected cases and 64 deaths since late May, as “shortages of medical supplies, clean water and sanitation services are severely hampering the humanitarian response,” said Mr. Haq.  

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that the lives of more than 640,000 under-fives are at heightened risk of violence, disease and hunger in the region.

Compounded crisis

In Blue Nile State, floods in Ed Damazine displaced more than 100 people and destroyed at least 200 tents at Al-Karama camp on 1 August, further compounding the challenges facing people who fled their homes due to conflict.  

Meanwhile, in Khartoum State, the presence of deadly landmines in multiple locations adds a dangerous new layer to the threats already faced daily by civilians.  

As OCHA’s Director of Operations, Edem Wosornu, visits Sudan this week to assess the humanitarian situation, the agency has called for sustained and expanded humanitarian access along with greater international support for the most vulnerable. 

Source link

Sudan gripped by deadly crisis as hunger, disease and heat intensify

Posted on by
Reply

In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur that has been under siege for 15 months, the catastrophic humanitarian situation is worsening. Food shortages and soaring prices have forced community-run kitchens to shut down. Widespread hunger and malnutrition have reportedly caused several deaths and driven some residents to eat animal feed.

In the Tawila locality of North Darfur, humanitarian organizations have had to strengthen their responses to rising cholera cases. They have expanded the capacities of treatment centres, but needs remain dire. With medical supplies running low, clean water supplies and the construction of latrines are urgent necessities.

In East Darfur state, the Lagawa displacement site, hosting over 7,000 people, is facing severe food shortages and repeated armed attacks. Doctors are warning that the ongoing conflict continues to block the delivery of aid, so vulnerable families are left without access to food or healthcare.

Extreme heat and torrential rains

Meanwhile, floods and storms are displacing families and destroying homes across the country.  

In the Rahad locality of North Kordofan state, heavy rains on Monday displaced around 550 people and damaged or destroyed more than 170 homes.

Torrential rains in the eastern state of Kasssala have devastated the Gharb Almatar displacement site, affecting more than 6,000 people. Many tents were flooded, exposing children to cold, hunger and unsanitary conditions. Displaced families urgently need cash assistance, shelter and protection.

In the coastal city of Port Sudan, extreme heat continues to endanger lives, with three reported deaths and 50 cases of sunstroke this week amid soaring temperatures and widespread power outages.  

As temperatures reach 47 degrees Celsius (116.6 degrees Fahrenheit), overwhelmed hospitals are prompting health workers to call for urgent support, including cooling equipment, medical supplies and personnel.

Call for increased funding

With these crises compounding, international support is desperately needed. The 2025 response plan, which seeks $4.2 billion to assist 21 million of the most vulnerable people across Sudan, is only 23 per cent funded to date.

OCHA once again calls on international donors to scale up funding for the response. 

Source link

Sudan: UN sounds the alarm as health and food crises worsen across the country

Posted on by
Reply

As conflict between rival militaries rages on, millions of people keep on being displaced.

While the UN and its partners continue to provide assistance to newly displaced families in North Darfur, “nearly 60 per cent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter support,” said Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, at a daily press briefing on Monday.

In Abu Shouk camp in El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, displaced families are facing acute shortages of food and medicine, with local sources reporting four hunger-related deaths last week, as food insecurity continues to worsen across the entire country.

In North Darfur state notably, low cereal supply, poor harvests and a prolonged food deficit have severely affected food availability.

Health crisis

Meanwhile, cholera cases continue to rise in Tawila. More than 1,500 suspected and confirmed serious infections have been reported since June, with over 500 people currently receiving treatment.

While local authorities have introduced emergency measures, including market closures and a ban on public gatherings, humanitarian organizations urgently require $120 million to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the next three months.

“This funding is essential to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services,” according to OCHA.

Meanwhile, in Port Sudan, the main entry point for humanitarian personnel and supplies, a sharp increase in heatstroke cases linked to extreme temperature and prolonged power outages is raising concerns, as one death was recorded over the past two days.

Food crisis

In El Fasher, food prices continue to rise to alarming levels.  The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has  already identified famine conditions in multiple areas of North Darfur and the eastern Nuba Mountains, with more locations at risk.

In May, the average cost of the local food basket in El Fasher was more than six times the national average, as the city recorded the highest prices for nearly all essential items among assessed localities.

An IPC alert earlier this month noted that Sudan’s food security and nutrition situation is set to further deteriorate over the lean season from July to October, notably in areas of active conflict with limited access and experiencing high levels of displacement. 

Source link

Amid starvation in Gaza, Sudan, Guterres slams hunger ‘as a weapon of war’

Posted on by
Reply

The development comes as UN Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that conflict-driven hunger is spreading “from Gaza to Sudan and beyond”.

“Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,” he said in a video message to the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa. 

Meanwhile, citing reports Monday that “more children died today of hunger”, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said that it hoped to receive permission to bring in thousands of trucks loaded with food, medicine and hygiene supplies that Israel has blocked from entering Gaza for months.

“They are currently in Jordan and Egypt waiting for the green light,” the UN agency explained, adding that “at least 500/600 trucks” are needed every day to prevent more people from starving. More than 100 people have now starved to death in Gaza, UNRWA said, while local health authority reports indicate more than 40 deaths from malnutrition this month alone.

“Opening all the crossings and flooding Gaza with assistance is the only way to avert further deepening of starvation among the people of Gaza,” the UN agency maintained.

Humanitarian pauses

Its comments follow a major policy shift over the weekend when the Israeli army announced the establishment of a daily humanitarian pause from 10am to 8pm local time, in areas where its troops are not active. Child malnutrition has been on the rise in Gaza, particularly since 2 March when Israel imposed a near-total blockade, UNWRA has said.

According to a map supplied by the Israeli authorities, the humanitarian pause applies to a thin strip of Gaza encompassing Al-Mawasi in the southwest, Deir Al-Balah in the centre and Gaza City in the north. 

On Sunday, a convoy of more than 100 trucks carrying aid supplies reportedly entered the Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south.

Aid desperatedly needed

While welcoming that development, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, highlighted the staggering scale of needs on the ground in Gaza. 

One in three people “hasn’t eaten for days”, insisted Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Chief and head of OCHA. “People are being shot just trying to get food to feed their families. Children are wasting away. This is what we face on the ground right now.”

In his statement, Mr. Fletcher acknowledged “progress” on the aid front, but stressed that “vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis”. He said that UN agencies and the humanitarian community remain mobilized “to save as many lives as we can”. 

In addition to Israel’s temporary boost for increased aid in Gaza, customs restrictions on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt have reportedly been lifted. Secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys have also been designated.

“We need sustained action, and fast, including quicker clearances for convoys going to the crossing and dispatching into Gaza,” Mr. Fletcher said, underscoring the need for “multiple trips per day to the crossings so we and our partners can pick up the cargo; safe routes that avoid crowded areas; and no more attacks on people gathering for food”. 

Meeting on two-State solution

Meanwhile in New York, France and Saudi Arabia on Monday launched a new diplomatic initiative to push for a two-State solution between Israel and the Palestinian people. 

The three-day conference begins as President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will formally recognize Palestine in September, the first of the G7 nations to do so.

A UN General Assembly resolution from 1947 established the partition of Palestine – then under British mandate – into two independent states, one Jewish and the other Arab. The State of Israel was declared in 1948. 

Global collaboration grows to address crises in Gaza, Sudan, Afghanistan

Posted on by
Reply

Briefing the Security Council on Thursday, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, said the OIC remains an “indispensable” partner in efforts to promote peace, uphold international law and deliver durable political solutions in a range of crisis contexts.

Headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OIC has 57 member states and five observers, representing significant political, economic cultural and religious constituency.

“Its voice carries considerable weight in some of the world’s conflict-affected situations,” Mr. Khiari said.

“The UN values this partnership, not only as a matter of institutional cooperation, but as an essential component of our efforts to promote durable peace, inclusive governance and respect for international and human rights law.”

He emphasized that the cooperation aligns with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, which encourages partnerships with regional organizations in maintaining peace and security, and with the Pact for the Future – adopted by Member States last September to revitalize multilateralism and tackle global challenges through collective action.

Helping resolve crises

Mr. Khiari outlined joint UN-OIC work in Gaza, including the recent endorsement by the bloc and the League of Arab States of a recovery and reconstruction plan, as well as collaboration on the question of Jerusalem through an annual conference held in Dakar, Senegal.

In Sudan, where over two years of war have brought devastating humanitarian consequences, he welcomed the OIC’s backing for international mediation, including support for the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra.

Turning to Afghanistan, Mr. Khiari praised the OIC’s role in the UN-led “Doha Process,” noting its continued engagement with the Taliban de facto authorities and advocacy for the rights of Afghan women and girls – an area where the OIC’s moral and religious standing carries particular influence.

On Myanmar, the OIC remains an essential voice in global efforts to ensure a safe, dignified and voluntary return of the Rohingya to Rakhine state. He noted sustained coordination between the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy and the OIC in pushing for accountability and citizenship rights.

A wideview of the Security Council as ASG Khaled Khiari briefs members about cooperation between the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Cooperation on global issues

Assistant Secretary-General Khiari also highlighted the growing collaboration between the two organizations on elections, including training on observation and women’s political participation. A new staff exchange programme is also helping to strengthen institutional ties.

He acknowledged the OIC’s leadership in countering Islamophobia and all forms of religious intolerance, an area where the UN has stepped up efforts, including through the appointment of a Special Envoy.

Counter-terrorism cooperation has also advanced, following a March 2024 memorandum of understanding. Joint initiatives include technical support, parliamentary engagement, and rights-based prevention strategies.

“As we move forward with the implementation of the Pact for the Future,” Mr. Khiari concluded, “the UN-OIC partnership will remain critical to defusing tensions, advancing sustainable peace, and reinforcing multilateral norms and principles.”

Source link

Sudan: UN scales up response plan as humanitarian needs spiral in Tawila

Posted on by
Reply

Over 380,000 people are currently displaced there, and the plan aims at increasing assistance for communities over the next three months.

It focuses on food, healthcare, water, sanitation, shelter and protection, and requires $120 million for implementation, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA). 

Spread of diseases

The health situation in North Darfur has also been deteriorating, with humanitarian partners on the ground warning that cholera, measles, malaria and trauma cases are surging in El Fasher and other displacement camps in the region.

As insecurity has forced the over 32 health facilities in the region to close, the lack of rapid diagnostic tests and the widespread Internet outage in the El Fasher area are also severely hindering disease surveillance.

Critical shortages of surgical supplies, essential medicines and vaccines are “pushing the health system to the brink, leaving thousands without access to the care that they need to stay alive,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during his daily press briefing from New York.

Deadly civilian toll

Displacement continues to take a deadly toll on civilians seeking safety, with markets in South Darfur reeling from sharp price increases due to flooding and seasonal rivers cutting off supply routes from Chad and Northern State.  

Meanwhile, the UN remains “deeply concerned over escalating violence in the Kordofan region,” Mr. Dujarric said, after five civilians were reportedly killed and several others injured in drone strikes on fuel markets in Al Fula and Abu Zabad towns in West Kordofan state.

The UN called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel, unimpeded access across conflict lines and borders, and increased international support to address the spiraling humanitarian needs across Sudan.

Source link

Food lifeline fading for millions in South Sudan hit by conflict and climate shocks

Posted on by
Reply

Earlier this month, the UN agency began airdropping emergency food assistance in Upper Nile state after surging conflict forced families from their homes and pushed communities to the brink of famine.

Nationwide, the picture is just as alarming, with half the country’s population – more than 7.7 million people – officially classified as food insecure by UN partner the IPC platform. This includes more than 83,000 face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity.

“The scale of suffering here does not make headlines but millions of mothers, fathers, and children are spending each day fighting hunger to survive,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, following a visit to South Sudan last week. 

The worst-hit areas include Upper Nile state, where fighting has displaced thousands and relief access is restricted. Two counties are at risk of tipping into famine: Nasir and Ulang.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, gained independence in 2011. This gave way to a brutal and devastating civil war which ended in 2018 thanks to a peace agreement between political rivals which has largely held.

However, recent political tensions and increased violent attacks – especially in Upper Nile state – threaten to unravel the peace agreement and return the nation to conflict.

The humanitarian emergency crisis has been exacerbated by the war in neighbouring Sudan. 

Since April 2023, nearly 1.2 million people have crossed the border into South Sudan, many of them hungry, traumatised, and without support. WFP says that 2.3 million children across the country are now at risk of malnutrition.

Crucial, yet fragile gains

Despite these challenges, the UN agency has delivered emergency food aid to more than two million people this year. In Uror County, Jonglei state, where access has been consistent, all known pockets of catastrophic hunger have been eliminated. Additionally, 10 counties where conflict has eased have seen improved harvests and better food security, as people were able to return to their land.

To reach those in the hardest-hit and most remote areas, WFP has carried out airdrops delivering 430 metric tons of food to 40,000 people in Greater Upper Nile. River convoys have resumed as the most efficient way to transport aid in a country with limited infrastructure. These included a 16 July shipment of 1,380 metric tons of food and relief supplies. WFP’s humanitarian air service also continues flights to seven Upper Nile destinations.

At the same time, a cholera outbreak in Upper Nile has placed additional pressure on the humanitarian response. Since March, WFP’s logistics cluster has airlifted 109 metric tons of cholera-related supplies to affected areas in Upper Nile and Unity states.

However, the UN agency says it can currently support only 2.5 million people – and often with just half-rations. Without an urgent injection of $274 million, deeper cuts to aid will begin as soon as September.

“WFP has the tools and capacity to deliver,” said Mr. Skau. “But without funding – and without peace – our hands are tied.” 

Source link

World News in Brief: Houthi-Israel tensions, Sudan cholera cases rise, deadly attacks in Ukraine

Posted on by
Reply

These strikes occurred while the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement – established in 2018 to support the ceasefire between the Government of Yemen and the Houthis – was patrolling at locations to the northern parts of the Port. 

The Secretary-General also expressed deep concern about the continuing missile and drone strikes conducted by the Houthis against Israel. 

Risk of further escalation

Concerned about the risk of further escalation, the UN recalled that international law, together with international humanitarian law, must be respected by all parties at all times, including the obligations to respect and protect civilian infrastructure. 

“The Secretary-General remains profoundly concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region,” said Mr. Dujarric. 

As the UN Chief reiterated his call for “all involved to cease all military actions and exercise maximum restraint,” he also renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN and other personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthi authorities. 

Sudan: Crisis worsens as cholera and floods drive needs higher  

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to deepen as cholera spreads, flooding displaces communities, and thousands of people return to areas with little to no support, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In the locality of Tawiola, in North Darfur State, over 1,300 confirmed cases of cholera in just one week were reported on Sunday by an association of Sudanese doctors. 

While local and international partners have set up cholera treatment centres, the current capacity is far from sufficient to cope with the rising caseload.  

As Tawila hosts several hundred thousand displaced people, partners on the ground have been struggling to keep pace with the growing needs, notably as such needs are set to increase as the upcoming rainy season sets in. 

Vulnerable returnees 

Across Sudan, people returning to their communities face serious challenges, including the lack of essential services and the threat posed by explosive remnants of war. 

In White Nile State, some residents have begun returning after being displaced for a year. Yet, an assessment by OCHA and its partners last week found that health, water, sanitation and hygiene support is urgently needed, even more so ahead of the rainy season.

Similarly, in eastern Sudan, OCHA warns that many families returning to Kassala State are struggling to cope with the impact of heavy rains and flooding, as heavy rains destroyed more than 280 homes in the village of Tirik earlier in July. 

Additionally, as insecurity continues to impede the work of humanitarians, challenges faced by returnee families often lead them to return to displacement sites, undermining the sustainability of return efforts. 

In this context, OCHA called for increased international support to meet soaring needs across Sudan. 

Ukraine: At least 20 civilians reportedly killed in recent attacks  

In Ukraine, attacks over the weekend and into Monday reportedly killed over 20 civilians and injured more than 100 others, including several children, according to authorities.

The strikes affected the capital Kyiv, as well as western and front-line regions, damaging homes, schools, and a health facility.

In Kyiv, a kindergarten, metro stations, shops and residential buildings were hit. 

The Ivano-Frakivsk region in western Ukraine which hosts many displaced people and had previously been less affected by hostilities, suffered the largest attack since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.  

Frontline regions  

Meanwhile, in areas near the frontlines in the Donetsk, Dnipro and Kherson regions, hostilities caused civilian casualties and further damage to schools, a health facility, and apartment buildings. Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and other regions also reported that homes and shops were destroyed.  

With support from UN agencies, and coordinating with local authorities and first respondents, humanitarian organizations on the ground continue to provide shelter materials, non-food items, legal aid, psychosocial support and assistance for children across the country.  

Source link

Aid cuts leave refugee agency unable to shelter six in 10 fleeing war in Sudan

Posted on by
Reply

Globally, $1.4 billion of the agency’s programmes are being shuttered or put on hold, UNHCR said in a new report.

“We can’t stop water, you can’t stop sanitation, but we’re having to take decisions when it comes, for example, to shelter,” said UNHCR Director of External Relations, Dominique Hyde.

“We’re have people arriving on a daily basis from Sudan, from the Darfur regions…arriving in Chad, not able to be given any shelter.”

In an urgent appeal for flexible funding from donors, Ms. Hyde noted that up to 11.6 million refugees and others risk losing access this year to direct humanitarian assistance from UNHCR. The figure represents about one-third of those reached by the organization last year.

On the Sudan-Chad border, the UN agency is now unable to provide “even basic shelter” to more than six in 10 refugees fleeing the conflict. Thousands more vulnerable people have been left stranded in remote border locations in South Sudan, too. “If we just had a bit more support, we could get them to settlements,” she insisted.

Because of the funding cuts, basic activities have already been hit hard. These include refugee registration, child protection, legal counselling and prevention of and responses to gender-based violence.

Every aid sector hit

In South Sudan, 75 per cent of safe spaces for women and girls supported by UNHCR have closed, leaving up to 80,000 refugee women and girls without access to medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, material support or income-generating activities. This includes survivors of sexual violence, UNHCR noted.

“Behind these numbers are real lives hanging in the balance,” Ms. Hyde said.

“Families are seeing the support they relied on vanish, forced to choose between feeding their children, buying medicines or paying rent, while hope for a better future slips out of sight. Every sector and operation has been hit and critical support is being suspended to keep life-saving aid going.”

Libya influx

Many of those impacted by the war in Sudan have taken the decision to move from Chad and Egypt to Libya, into the hands of people smugglers who dangerously overload boats with desperate people seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

“What we’re observing now is that in terms of arrivals in Europe of…Sudanese refugees, [it] has increased since the beginning of the year by about 170 per cent compared to the first six months of 2024,” said UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado.

Support slashed from Niger to Ukraine

In camps hosting Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, education for some 230,000 children could now be suspended. Meanwhile in Lebanon “UNHCR’s entire health programme is at risk of being shuttered by the end of the year”, Ms. Hyde continued.

In Niger and other emergency settings, cuts in financial aid for shelter have left families in overcrowded structures or at risk of homelessness. In Ukraine, financial aid has also been slashed, “leaving uprooted families unable to afford rent, food or medical treatment”, Ms. Hyde noted.

Assistance to returning Afghans has also become another victim of the global aid cuts. Around 1.9 million Afghan nationals have returned home or been forced back since the start of the year, “but financial aid for returnees is barely enough to afford food, let alone rent, undermining efforts to ensure stable reintegration”, UNHCR said.

Legal aid halted

Overall, several UNHCR operations hit by severe funding gaps have now had to curtail investments in strengthening asylum systems and promoting regularization efforts.

In Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico, any prolonged lack of legal status means prolonged insecurity for people on the move, the UN agency said. This results in deepening poverty “as refugees are excluded from formal employment and greater exposure to exploitation and abuse,” Ms. Hyde explained.

Approximately one in three of the agency’s 550 offices around the world has been impacted by the cuts, Ms. Hyde told journalists in Geneva:

“We’re not in a position to do so much contingency planning; what we’re able to do is make decisions on priorities – and at this point the priorities as I mentioned are dramatic.”

For 2025 UNHCR needs $10.6 billion. Only 23 per cent of this amount has been provided.

“Against this backdrop, our teams are focusing efforts on saving lives and protecting those forced to flee,” Ms. Hyde said. “Should additional funding become available, UNHCR has the systems, partnerships and expertise to rapidly resume and scale up assistance.”

Source link

UN rights chief condemns the killing of scores of civilians in Sudan

Posted on by
Reply

Since 10 July, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified that the Rapid Support Forces

 (RSF) have killed at least 60 civilians in North Kordofan’s Bara locality, while civil society groups have reported that up to 300 were killed.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) also hit two villages in West Kordofan from 10 to 14 July, killing at least 23 civilians and causing more than 30 injuries.

Most recently, on Thursday, an SAF airstrike in Bara killed at least 11 civilians who were all members of a single family.

According to the High Commissioner’s statement, these deaths come amid worrying reports that the RSF is mobilising for an offensive on the capital of North Kordofan state, El Obeid.  

Continued concern for El Fasher  

At another major hotspot in the Sudan conflict, the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur state, the RSF has conducted multiple attacks recently. They include a ground attack on 11 and 12 July, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties.  

The High Commissioner subsequently “expressed continued concern for the safety of civilians in El Fasher.”

“Callous disregard for civilians’ lives and safety”

The statement stressed that the High Commissioner “deplored the killing of dozens of civilians by both parties.”

“It is distressing that more than two years since the conflict began parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to demonstrate callous disregard for civilians’ lives and safety,” he said.  

“An escalation of hostilities in North Darfur and Kordofan will only further aggravate the already severe risks to civilians and the dire humanitarian situation in a conflict that has already wrought untold suffering on the Sudanese people,”  

Mr. Türk urged those with influence to prevent further escalation and ensure parties uphold their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians.  

The High Commissioner renewed his calls for the warring parties to ensure safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid and to prevent violations of international law.  

“All alleged violations must be fully and independently investigated and those responsible brought to justice,” he concluded. 

Source link

Sudan: UNICEF condemns weekend attacks that killed 35 children

Posted on by
Reply

At least 24 boys, 11 girls and two pregnant women reportedly were among the victims of the violence, which occurred over the weekend in communities around the city of Bara, including the villages of Shag Alnom and Hilat Hamid. 

UNICEF fears that with dozens more injured and many still missing, the number of child casualties could rise further.

‘A complete disregard for human life’

“These attacks are an outrage,” Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“They represent a terrifying escalation of violence, and a complete disregard for human life, international humanitarian law, and the most basic principles of humanity.”

Former allies turned rivals – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – have been battling for control of the country since April 2023 and fighting has intensified recently in the Kordofan region which encompasses three states.

End the violence now

“UNICEF condemns the attacks in the strongest possible terms,” said Ms. Russell.

She called on all parties to end the violence immediately and to uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

The UNICEF chief stressed that civilians – particularly children – must never be targeted. Furthermore, all alleged violations must be independently investigated, and those responsible held to account.

“Impunity cannot be tolerated for violations of international law, especially when children’s lives are at stake,” she said.

Ms. Russell extended the agency’s deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to anyone impacted by this heinous violence.

“No child should ever experience such horrors,” she said. “Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now.” 

Source link

Sudan: Humanitarian needs deepen amid rising hostilities and heavy rains

Posted on by
Reply

Nearly 27 months have passed since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a former ally, the paramilitary Rapid Security Forces (RSF), creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The UN voiced grave alarm over escalating hostilities in El Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur state. 

Serious risk of renewed violence

Large numbers of RSF fighters reportedly entered the city on Friday for the first time since the siege began over a year ago.

Local sources report that recent fierce fighting, particularly in the southwest and east of El Fasher, has led to civilian casualties.

“The situation remains highly volatile and unpredictable, with a serious risk of renewed violence, as well as further displacement and disruption of humanitarian operations – which are already under severe strain,” OCHA said.

Insecurity in North Kordofan state

Meanwhile, in North Kordofan State, growing insecurity forced 3,400 people to flee their homes over the weekend, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

Local reports indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed, and homes were burned in several villages.

OCHA reminded all parties that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law, and that civilians must be protected at all times.

Rainy season constraints

Meanwhile, heavy rains have been reported in West and Central Darfur states, which may affect road conditions in some locations and worsen the challenges humanitarians are already facing in accessing people in need.

“With the rainy season continuing through October, the risk of floods, access constraints and disease outbreaks is growing – especially during this critical lean season, a time between harvests when food stocks traditionally run low,” OCHA warned.

Families return to West Darfur

The agency said that despite the crisis, signs of small-scale returns are visible in West Darfur state, where displaced families have been returning from Chad to three localities – Sirba, Jebel Moon and Kulbus – to cultivate their farms. 

Furthermore, local authorities report about 40 people returning daily to Kulbus, with 300 arriving over the past week.

OCHA urged all parties to enable safe and unimpeded access to all people in need across Sudan, and for donors to step up their support.

Some 30 million people nationwide – more than half the population – need vital aid and protection this year. 

Source link

UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan as displacement, hunger and disease escalate

Posted on by
Reply

The situation is particularly dire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, which has witnessed some of the worst episodes of the ongoing conflict between rival militaries.

Those remaining in El Fasher are facing “extreme shortages” of food and clean water, with markets repeatedly disrupted, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.

Across the city, nearly 40 per cent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 11 per cent with severe acute malnutrition.

Most of the surrounding water infrastructure has also been destroyed or rendered non-functional due to minimal maintenance and fuel shortages, Mr. Dujarric added.  

El Fasher displacement

Since April 2023, an estimated 780,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher town and the nearby Zamzam displacement camps, including nearly 500,000 in April and May of this year.

Famine conditions have been confirmed in the area since last August.

About three-quarters of Zamzam camp’s residents fled to various locations across Tawila, where the UN and its partners have scaled up critical humanitarian assistance.

Cholera outbreak continues

Mr. Dujarric further warned that the breakdown of water and sanitation services, combined with low vaccination coverage, has sharply increased the risk of disease outbreaks, including cholera.

So far this year, Sudan has reported more than 32,000 suspected cholera cases.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cholera cases continue to rise across Darfur, with over 300 suspected cases and more than two dozen deaths reported in South Darfur state last week alone.

“Conflict and collapsing infrastructure continue to drive the spread of the disease and impede response efforts,” Mr. Dujarric stressed.

Unprecedented and complex crisis

Since war erupted between the former allies-turned-rivals, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than 12 million forced to flee their homes – including approximately four million as refugees in neighbouring countries.

The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of extreme vulnerability, as the country remains highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and disasters.

From severe droughts to deadly floods, the compounded effects of conflict and environmental instability are pushing communities to the brink, leaving them struggling to survive. Famine has already been declared in some parts of the country, putting millions of lives at risk.

Lack of resources hamstring response

Despite growing needs, the $4.2 billion humanitarian response plan for 2025, which aims to assist around 21 million of the most vulnerable people, remains only 21 per cent funded, having received $896 million so far.

Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, underscored the gravity of the situation in El Fasher.

Civilians in the area remain cut off from aid and face the risk of starvation, he said in a post on social media.

Appealing for an urgent humanitarian pause, he warned that “every day without access costs lives.” 

Source link

‘A spirit of oneness’: Cooperatives cultivating peace in South Sudan

Posted on by
Reply

“Cooperatives are a system that enables the South Sudanese to improve their livelihoods, but at the same time also contributes to the economy… this is the only way for South Sudan to move out of poverty,” said Louis Bagare project manager of cooperatives at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in South Sudan.

He was speaking ahead of the International Day of Cooperatives, which is celebrated every 5 July, and which highlights how cooperatives enable people to provide for their basic needs in contexts where individuals working alone is insufficient.

A path to peace

In South Sudan, the potential of cooperatives extends beyond economic empowerment.

A farmer in South Sudan tills her land.

 “Cooperatives are one of the avenues that can bring peace and stability to South Sudan,” said Mr. Bagare.

For over a decade, South Sudan has faced many intersecting challenges. Following its independence in 2011, a civil war broke out, concluding in 2018 with a peace agreement. But this peace is more fragile than ever.

Looting and intercommunal violence, mainly perpetrated by young people, continues to be an ever-present concern for many communities which already face catastrophic food insecurity and continual climate shocks.

In this context, cooperatives provide a ray of hope.

“Cooperatives really changed the mindset of our people and brought stability to the country,” said Deng William Achiek, director for rural producers in South Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

But what is it about cooperatives that may usher in a lasting peace?

A voluntary and democratic group

Cooperatives are voluntary economic organizations in which members share in the risk, work and income.

“A cooperative is a democratic, social association of people who, as individuals, cannot improve their status of living and social status … But once they come together in a cooperative, then, they can raise the standard of their living,” said Oneil Yosia Damia, the Director-General for Cooperative Development in South Sudan.

A cooperative of women farmers in South Sudan has been trained in seed production by FAO.

FAO’s Louis Bagare believes that this sort of democratic approach to governance at a local level will trickle up to the national level and encourage more widespread buy-in to a democratic form of governance across South Sudan.

Income, not guns

In addition to providing a model of democratic governance, cooperatives also enable economic growth and development, providing communities — especially young people — a viable and sustainable alternative to looting.

“When, especially the youth, are engaged in productive activities that generate income, they will not have the interest to pick a gun to go and fight or to rob and loot,” Mr. Bagare said. 

In South Sudan, the communities which form cooperatives often do not have enough individual resources to maintain a sustainable livelihood, a reality which pushes youth towards violent looting for survival.

“When [community members] work together, when they bring ideas together, when they bring resources together, it is much easier for them to overcome their livelihood challenges,” Mr. Bagare said.

Mr. Bagare also explained that banks are more willing to invest in groups and organizations like FAO are more likely to provide support to cooperatives. But ultimately, the goal is that this will not be long-term.

“The focus is on building their capacity so that they can be able to create lives,” Mr. Bagare said.

A historic structure in the world’s youngest country

In South Sudan, there are cooperatives of every shape and size. Overwhelmingly, these cooperatives are agricultural but some also produce soap, bread and textiles. The history of South Sudan is populated with examples of this type of work.

“Cooperatives are not something which has come from nowhere. It has been part of the culture of South Sudan,” Mr. Bagare said.

Mr. Daima referred to the “golden era” of cooperatives which existed before the civil war in 2011. He said that his office within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is working diligently to get back to that time.

“I want our cooperatives to be as busy as bees. This is the spirit of oneness, of unity,” Mr. Daima said.

Mr. Bagare hopes for a future in South Sudan where cooperatives become a part of every economic sector — not just agriculture.

“If we are able to work together, we can become better people tomorrow. But the moment that we continue to only fight with each other, we will continue to destroy ourselves.”

 

Source link

Sudan: UN warns of soaring displacement and looming floods

Posted on by
Reply

At Tuesday’s regular briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric relayed warnings from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA), citing urgent concerns across the country.

“Across Sudan, we continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing fighting, which is escalating displacement and driving needs even higher,” Mr. Dujarric said.

Conflict driving displacement

Clashes between rival militaries – Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – continue to uproot civilians, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan states. Fighting in El Fasher alone has displaced more than 400,000 people since April, according to OCHA.

In June, nearly 8,000 displaced people from North Darfur arrived in Ad-Dabba, putting pressure on overstretched resources and limited access to healthcare, shelter, clean water and food.

In North Kordofan, over 16,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Bara between 26 and 29 June alone, while another 16,000 to flee Babanusa in West Kordofan on 27 June, according to the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Flood warnings

Separately, OCHA warned of increased flood risks as Sudan enters its rainy season, which runs through October. Forecasts point to above-average rainfall, heightening the threat of both riverine and flash floods – especially in areas already facing limited infrastructure and access.

“Any flooding could disrupt road access, hamper aid delivery, and heighten the threat of disease outbreaks during the ongoing lean season,” Mr. Dujarric said, noting that an ongoing cholera outbreak could worsen with the floods.

Nearly 500,000 people were affected by floods last year. With the likelihood of a repeat or worse this season, Mr. Dujarric said humanitarian agencies are ready to respond “where access and resources allow,” but warned that critical funding gaps are hampering preparedness.

UN relief visits Sudan

Mr. Dujarric also highlighted the importance of recent discussions between Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher and senior SAF and RSF officials.

Mr. Fletcher appealed for a humanitarian pause to allow lifesaving aid to reach people in El Fasher, which has been besieged by the RSF and cut off from assistance since last April.

“Our humanitarian colleagues underscore that we will continue our engagements with the aim of facilitating the swift and safe delivery of aid to all those who need it,” Mr. Dujarric said.  

Source link

Sudan: ‘Fighting shows no signs of abating,’ senior UN official tells Security Council

Posted on by
Reply

On Friday, the UN Security Council heard sobering briefings from Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, and Shayna Lewis, Sudan Specialist and Senior Advisor with Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities (PAEMA), a US-based organization.

Ms. Pobee stressed that front lines continue to shift as the RSF and SAF press on with their military objectives, warning, “the warring parties appear unrelenting in their resolve to pursue military objectives.”

She noted the growing use of advanced weaponry, including long-range drones, which have expanded the violence into previously stable areas.

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan.

Ms. Pobee further warned of the conflict spilling further into the region, citing recent reports of violent clashes in the tri-border area between Sudan, Libya and Egypt, involving the SAF, RSF and forces affiliated with the Libyan National Army.

Human rights violations

Ms. Pobee also referenced UN human rights reports documenting a tripling of arbitrary civilian killings between February and April this year.

“Entrenched impunity is fuelling these and other gross human rights violations and abuses. All parties to the conflict must be held accountable,” she stressed.

Ms. Lewis’s briefing focused on the worsening humanitarian situation, highlighting the over 15 million children now in need of assistance due to ongoing attacks on civilians.

Shayna Lewis, Senior Advisor and Sudan Specialist at Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities (PAEMA), addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan.

Returning from a recent visit to Sudan, she shared accounts of severely injured children in hospitals and stressed that up to 80 per cent of health facilities in conflict areas are no longer functioning.

She also cited examples of indiscriminate attacks on hospitals by both the SAF and RSF, including a suspected SAF drone strike on 21 June that hit a hospital in West Kordofan, killing over 40 people and destroying critical lifesaving equipment.

Both Ms. Lewis and Ms. Pobee raised alarm over the warring parties’ widespread use of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls across Sudan.

Government of Hope

Despite the ongoing violence and human rights abuses, Ms. Pobee underscored the significance of the new “Government of Hope.”

On 31 May, a new interim Prime Minister was inaugurated, announcing reform plans and immediately appointing a cabinet of professional technocrats.

Ms. Pobee also acknowledged the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, who has been engaging with the Prime Minister, civilian groups and the warring parties.

Through this crucial communication, the Personal Envoy is helping these stakeholders work toward an inclusive political resolution.

“I urge this Council – once again – to unite in lending full support to Personal Envoy Lamamra’s efforts, and to use its influence with the parties and their external backers to press for a genuine commitment to dialogue and de-escalation,” Ms. Pobee said.

Ambassadors also heard a briefing from the Chair of the Sudan Sanctions Committee, established by the Council pursuant to Resolution 1591 (2005), on the work of the Committee. Following the open briefing, the Council held closed consultations during which Personal Envoy Lamamra also briefed members.

Source link

For too long, ‘unbound horrors’ have unfolded in Sudan

Posted on by
Reply

Since civil war erupted in April 2023 between the generals of the national army and their former allies-turned rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, vast areas of the country have been left in ruins.

The conflict has fuelled the world’s largest displacement crisis, with more than 12 million people forcibly displaced, the majority of them women and children.

The recent escalation poses a grave risk of further deterioration in what is already a “brutal and deadly conflict”, raising serious concerns for civilian protection, said Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in a statement.

Displacement camps under siege

Following a year-long siege, the RSF launched a renewed assault on the displacement camps around El Fasher on Monday, after months of intensified mobilisation, including the recruitment of children across Darfur.

The operation echoed the RSF’s ground offensive on Zamzam camp in April, which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, widespread sexual violence, and a deepening humanitarian emergency.

Between 10 and 13 April alone, the RSF reportedly killed more than 100 civilians in areas around El Fasher.

Trapped civilians

In South Kordofan state, fighting between the parties vying for control of the strategic town of Al Debibat has trapped thousands of civilians.

Meanwhile, in North Kordofan state, the RSF have reportedly surrounded the city of El Obeid, which is currently held by the SAF and allied groups.

The RSF commander has announced that the group may attack the city in the coming days.

“We know where further escalation will lead,” said Mr Türk.

For too long, “the world has witnessed the unbound horrors unfolding in Sudan”, he said, “civilians must be protected at all costs.”

Duty to protect

The UN rights chief urged “the parties to ensure civilians can safely leave El Fasher, Al Debibat, and El Obeid,” as well as other locations where people may be trapped.

Mr. Türk called on all parties to refrain from “attacking civilian objects,” and to ultimately lay down their weapons and put an end to hostilities.

OHCHR also called on “all States to exert their influence to press for a durable political solution,” and to ensure that parties to the conflict respect international humanitarian law, calling for an end to the flow of arms into the country.

Source link