Government failed to address Darfur’s urgent needs, Minawi says

August 6, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Minni Arko Minawi, the Governor of the Darfur region, expressed dissatisfaction with the central government’s inability to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the population affected by the war in the region.

“We have not received any response from the central government, even with the presence of aid in the Red Sea states, regarding the urgent humanitarian needs of Darfur,” said Minawi in a press statement following a meeting with several governors from Darfur states in El Fasher.

According to Minawi, approximately 5 million people have been affected by the armed conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, in addition to the long-standing displacement issue across the region’s five states.

“Whenever donors or the central government provides aid to the affected states, Darfur must receive a fair share that reflects the scale of the tragedy experienced by its population,” he added.

Four out of five states in the Darfur region have been impacted by the violent clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since the conflict erupted in Khartoum in mid-April. The unrest has since extended to include western Sudan and the state of North Kordofan.

In particular, the state of West Darfur has witnessed tribal conflicts between the Masalit and Arab tribes, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

Also, there are growing concerns that the violence might spread to other states in the region due to polarization and the dissemination of hate speech.

Nyala faces medicine shortage

Abbas Hassan Shams al-Din, the director of emergencies and epidemic control in the state of South Darfur, revealed alarming figures related to the ongoing conflict in Nyala. He stated that the death toll had reached 143 since the outbreak of the war, with an additional 305 people wounded.

The situation has been further exacerbated by the lack of essential medicines, including those for malaria treatment and other life-saving drugs, in the state. Adding to the hardship, Nyala has been grappling with power outages since April 15, the day the war erupted.

Sudan as a whole has been experiencing a scarcity of medicines after 41 pharmaceutical companies and 12 pharmaceutical factories were looted and destroyed. The Rapid Support Forces have faced accusations of involvement in these incidents.

Of particular concern is the shortage of medical supplies for patients with kidney failure, upon which 8,000 patients and 4,500 kidney transplant recipients depend. The fear is that this scarcity may lead to fatalities or severe health complications for these vulnerable individuals.

Despite local and international pressures to seek peaceful resolutions, progress in ending the conflict has been limited.

(ST)