London – The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have stepped up their attacks on the Zamzam refugee camp that houses at least half a million displaced people.
According to Doctors Without Borders, there were seven deaths from the violence, and medics were unable to perform surgery and carry out programmes inside the Zamzam camp.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been going through a war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Buran and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the Rapid Support forces.
As the civil war in Sudan is approaching its second year, the country has been left with nothing but severe malnutrition, population displacement, widespread sexual violence, and chronic insecurity.
The IPC Famine Review Committee (FRC) has detected famine in at least five areas and projects that five additional areas will face famine between December 2024 and May 2025.
Speaking on Friday at a high-level humanitarian conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation in Sudan as a catastrophe on a “staggering scale and brutality.”
On Monday, the United Nations launched a response plan to provide $6 billion for 26 million Sudanese in need and the region.
“Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
The amount of relief aid being proposed barely scratches the surface.
“It is essentially $200 per person over the whole year. If we break it down even further, this is around $0.50 per day,” said United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Deputy Head of Office in Sudan, Edmore Tondhlana.
Ongoing fighting has led to a major economic collapse, resulting in a spike in food and fuel prices and basic goods becoming even more difficult for households to obtain.
What is more, Sudan’s health system is on its knees, with medical facilities being bombarded and health workers fleeing.
The Sudanese people have been forced to leave their homes for safer areas, either in other parts of Sudan, or neighboring countries, adding to regional vulnerability.
According to the UN, “the total displaced population is greater than the entire population of Switzerland.”
There are now 12.4 million forcibly displaced due to the outbreak of conflict in Sudan since April 2023, including 8.8 million internally and 3.3 million in neighbouring countries
Furthermore, women and girls are severely impacted by the conflict, with reports of rape, forced marriage, and abductions taking place.
The lack of adequate funds limits the ability of the UN to continue its humanitarian support for Sudan’s population.
The international community must increase financial support so that aid reaches the Sudanese people and the region as soon as possible before more lives are affected.
Beyond funding, diplomatic efforts need to be made to foster a peaceful resolution to the conflict – one that includes everyone at the table.
