By SUDAN TRIBUNE
January 4, 2023 (NEW YORK) – The international community must take decisive and immediate action to end the nearly nine months of a brutal civil war in Sudan, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Martin Griffiths stressed the need for boosting humanitarian relief to end the human suffering in the country.
He expressed concerns about the recent fighting between government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Al-Jazirah state, which forced more than 500,000 Sudanese civilians to flee from the state capital, Wad Medani.
According to the UN emergency relief coordinator, continuing mass displacement is also threatening to fuel the rapid spread of cholera in Al-Jazirah.
He also highlighted what he described as widespread rights violations and horrific abuses as in the capital Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan earlier in the conflict.
The official further warned that the ongoing fighting in Al-Jazirah and looting of agency warehouses and supplies across what is a humanitarian hub is a huge “blow to our efforts to deliver food, water, healthcare and other critical aid.”
He, however, said 25 million Sudanese would need help through this year but intensifying fighting may cut many off from lifesaving aid.
“Deliveries across conflict lines have ground to a halt”, warned Griffiths.
“The war has unleashed the world’s largest displacement crisis, uprooting the lives of seven million people. It’s essential now to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access and end the fighting,” he stressed.
The senior UN humanitarian official urged the parties to the conflict to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access and immediately stop the war in Sudan.
The conflict, the UN said, has unleashed the world’s largest displacement crisis, uprooting the lives of more than 7 million people, some 1.4 million of whom have crossed into neighbouring countries already hosting large refugee populations.
(ST)
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