A UN official has warned that Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory, denouncing the inaction of the international community.
UN official Edim and Soorno told the Security Council, on behalf of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths: “In every respect, the scale of humanitarian needs and the number of displaced and threatened with hunger, Sudan is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.”
“Humanitarian mockery is taking place in Sudan, behind a curtain of international neglect and inaction, and we are simply failing the Sudanese people,” Sorno denounced, referring to the population’s “despair”, where the specter of famine looms after nearly a year of war.
The UN official stressed that malnutrition “takes the lives of children,” noting that “our humanitarian partners expect about 222,000 children to die from malnutrition in the coming weeks or months,” and pointed to “the risk of vulnerable children dying from preventable diseases, while more than 70% of health facilities are out of service.”
Fighting since April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed thousands of Sudanese and displaced about eight million others.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Sudan within Ramadan and unhindered humanitarian access.
“Since then, I regret to say that little progress has been made on the ground,” she said.
“If we want to prevent Sudan from experiencing the world’s worst food crisis, coordination of efforts is urgent and necessary,” said WFP Deputy Director Carl Skau on Wednesday, warning of “the Sudanese slipping into famine.”
Algeria denounces France’s recognition of Western Sahara autonomy plan