UN: A humanitarian catastrophe is looming in Sudan

If the power struggle in Sudan is not ended soon, the entire country is in danger of being destroyed by war and hunger – UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths warned of this. Not only Sudan is affected: “A protracted conflict in Sudan could plunge the entire region into a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Griffiths.

Humanitarian aid is made more difficult by bureaucratic requirements, said the spokesman for the UN emergency aid office OCHA in Geneva. At the same time, money is also missing: only 26 percent of the call for donations for Sudan in the amount of 2.6 billion dollars (2.4 billion euros) is covered.

After the USA, the EU and a United Nations emergency fund, Germany is the largest donor. “We are calling on donor countries to make the promised money available quickly,” said the spokesman.

disease and malnutrition

Fighting in the country spread from the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region to other parts of the country. Offices and warehouses with food and other supplies were looted. Humanitarian workers have been unable to reach many of those in need because of the ongoing fighting. diseases spread.

“Hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and at risk of dying if left untreated,” Griffiths said. There are also deeply disturbing reports that children are being used in the fighting.

According to the UN, more than three million people have been displaced in the country, and almost a million have fled across the borders to neighboring countries. It is becoming increasingly difficult for neighboring countries to take in the refugees.

The conflict

Since April 15, the army under de facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been fighting the paramilitary militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of former deputy ruler Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The generals had seized power together, but fell out over power-sharing issues. Mediation efforts have so far failed.