Sudan humanitarian crises worst in recent memory: UN
Nations warned Wednesday that the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan is fast becoming one of the worst in recent history.
The world body also slammed the international community for its lack of action.
Fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah alBurhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has since April killed tens of thousands and led to acute food shortages and a looming risk of famine.
“By all measures – the sheer scale of humanitarian needs, the numbers of people displaced and facing hunger – Sudan is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory,” said Edem Wosornu, director of operations at the U.N. Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
“A humanitarian travesty is playing out in Sudan under a veil of international inattention and inaction,” Wosornu told the Security Council on Wednesday on behalf of UNOCHA head Martin Griffiths.
“Simply put, we are failing the people of Sudan,” she added, describing the population’s “desperation.”
The United States, the top donor for Sudan, later Wednesday announced another $47 million in humanitarian assistance.
Julieta Valls Noyes, the top U.S. diplomat dealing with refugees, announced in Chad as she met Prime Minister Succes Masra, saying the aid would go to neighboring countries welcoming Sudanese refugees including Chad and South Sudan – themselves among the world’s poorest nations.
According to the U.N., the conflict has seen more than 8 million people displaced.
The Security Council earlier this month called for an immediate cease-fire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and urged better access to humanitarian aid.
But “I regret to report that there has not been major progress on the ground,” Wosornu told the Council Wednesday.
In total, more than 18 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity – a record during harvest season, and 10 million more than at this time last year – while 730,000 Sudanese children are thought to suffer from severe malnutrition.