The people of Sudan are besieged from every direction. The fighting is closing in, cholera and other diseases are on the rise, and famine and famine-like conditions have gripped many, with the situation becoming increasingly dire.
Despite over a year and a half of conflict, there is still no resolution in sight. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, with the death toll continuing and civilians repeatedly fleeing escalating violence. This is particularly evident in North Darfur, where famine has been confirmed -- the first such confirmation globally since 2017.
A humanitarian catastrophe
Sudan is the world's largest internal displacement crisis: Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, at least 10.4 million people - well over half of whom are children - have been displaced from their homes, over 2 million of which have fled to neighbouring countries.
With escalating clashes in North Darfur and other parts of Sudan, thousands of civilians are on the run yet again.
Sudan is facing the most severe hunger crisis in the world: Over half of Sudan's population--nearly 26 million people--are experiencing acute food insecurity, with 8.5 million in emergency levels of hunger. One in every two Sudanese is struggling to put food on the table, and people are already succumbing to hunger. In August, the Famine Review Committee confirmed famine in the Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in North Darfur. Famine-like conditions were also identified in 13 other areas of Sudan - primarily in Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazirah. An estimated 16 million children, or three out of every four, are experiencing "crisis," "emergency," or "catastrophe" levels of hunger--a nearly twofold increase from 8.3 million children last December.
Sudanese children are bearing the brunt of the humanitarian impact: Today, almost 19 million children in Sudan are out of school with 90 per cent of schools still closed. An estimated 14 million children in Sudan need support to overcome the horrifying impact of the conflict. More than 10 million children - or one in two children - have been within five kilometres of the frontline of the conflict, exposing them to gunfire, shelling and other deadly violence with more than 4.6 million having been uprooted from their homes.
The conflict in Sudan has been marked by grave violations against civilians, especially children, women and girls. Gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence are widespread, and have risen at alarming rates, leaving at least 6.7 million people at risk.
Sudanese women and girls face risks of sexual violence and exploitation while in transit, in temporary shelters, or at border crossings. In addition, they are forced into marriage and have limited access to sexual and reproductive health services in the neighbouring countries they have fled to. Civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers have also suffered from indiscriminate attacks. In areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), women and girls are reportedly abducted and held in inhumane and degrading slave-like conditions, where they are reported to be forcibly married or held for ransom.
The conflict has been characterized by significant access challenges: Restricted humanitarian access continues to hamper efforts to scale up response. Yet the scale of the needs is monumental. Restrictions on the movement of essential humanitarian supplies, primarily food, cash, medicine, water and fuel, and on humanitarian personnel continue to prevent aid from reaching those who need it the most.
Urgent action is needed
Sudan, being the largest humanitarian crisis, should be prioritized at the very top of the international agenda. It should concern all actors and partners. Despite several diplomatic efforts, and calls for the parties to the conflict, to respect international humanitarian and human rights laws including the protection of civilians, disregard for these laws remains widespread in the 18-months-long conflict in Sudan.
To prevent further famine, we must ensure immediate access to life-saving humanitarian assistance and scale up humanitarian presence in the most affected areas. We must continue to encourage parties to the conflict to bring an end to the fighting. Specifically:
· Safe and unhindered access across conflict-lines and borders must be guaranteed for humanitarian workers and supplies to reach the most vulnerable, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum. The barriers, including bureaucratic ones, must be removed to allow efficient aid delivery.
· Any attack on civilians and civilian infrastructure--including health facilities, patients, health workers, and ambulances--by all warring parties must immediately stop. Parties to the conflict should take all necessary steps to protect civilians, including by ensuring an end to the appalling patterns of gender-based violence. The parties must immediately spare civilians and ensure safe passage for those fleeing violence and famine.
· The use of sexual violence as a tactic of war in this conflict is abhorrent and must stop, and perpetrators must be held to account. The rights of women and girls must be upheld unconditionally according to International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law.
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· Those with influence over parties to the conflict should elevate their diplomatic engagement with them and their sponsors to the highest diplomatic level and take all steps possible to de-escalate the violence and secure a ceasefire.
· Given that the required humanitarian assistance to the Sudan crisis is barely 50 per cent funded, further resources should be mobilized--including by African Union member states--to lift the millions of Sudanese out of the misery hostilities have brought upon them.
Note:
The Humanitarian Coordination Forum (HCF), comprising of UN Agencies, International NGOs, as well as the ICRC, and IFRC with observer status, was established in October 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to facilitate coordinated, principled humanitarian action, and contribute to strengthening the African Union's leadership on humanitarian action in Africa.
Contact HCF Secretariat at: ocha-aulo-communication@un.org
