Sudan: UN Warns of Hunger, Disease, Displacement
The UN urged donors who had pledged aid to deliver on their promised contributions.
The UN urged donors who had pledged aid to deliver on their promised contributions. Meanwhile, Sudan's military ruler left the capital to visit army bases, on a rare trip since the start of the fighting.The fighting between Sudan's military and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has gripped the country since mid-April, threatens to "consume" all of the country, the UN warned on Friday.
The military, under general Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo's RSF have been locked in a deadly fight for power. Fighting has been mostly centered around the capital Khartoum and the conflict-torn Darfur region.
"This viral conflict, and the hunger, disease and displacement left in its wake, now threatens to consume the entire country," said the United Nations' humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths. He added that the conflict was "fueling a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions."
Thousands have died since the start of the war, with millions more displaced, both within Sudan and in neighboring countries. The UN estimates the number of those displaced to be around 4.6 million.
What did Griffiths say?
Griffiths warned on Friday that some places in the country have already run out of food.
"The longer the fighting continues, the more devastating its impact," he said. "Hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and at imminent risk of death if left untreated."
He said that in Kadugli, in South Kordofan state, "food stocks have been fully depleted, as clashes and road blockages prevent aid workers from reaching the hungry."
Over 42% of Sudan's population, some 20.3 million people, are facing acute food security, UN's World Health Organization figures showed.
Delayed international aid
Griffiths appealed for more funding from the international community, as well as providing access to deliver aid.
"The international community needs to respond with the urgency this crisis deserves," he said.
Earlier this year, international donors pledged $2.6 billion (approximately €2.41 billion) in aid, responding to a UN appeal. UN humanitarian agency spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva that only 26% of the sum has thus far been provided.
"We urge the donor community and those donors who have pledged [but not yet delivered]... to come through with that funding, to speed it up," he said.
Laerke added that besides the funding shortfall, "bureaucratic impediments" were affecting aid deliveries, with several stuck in containers in the eastern Port Sudan, and aid workers waiting weeks for visas.
Army general leaves Khartoum
Meanwhile, Burhan left Khartoum, the base of his forces' operations, on a rare trip away from the capital since the conflict started, on a visit to army bases on the outskirts.
Footage and photos on Thursday and Friday showed Burhan in the city of Omdurman, across the nile, visiting the Atbara artillery base north of Khartoum. Soldiers and civilians carried him and cheered on in the video.
The army general also intends to leave the country for talks in neighboring countries, two government sources told the Reuters news agency. He is also due to visit regional bases and the government's temporary seat of Port Sudan.
rmt/jcg (AFP, Reuters)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2023 11:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).