Sudan: Nearly 25 million people need humanitarian aid, protection
August 21, 2023 (NEW YORK) – At least 24.7 million people or half of the population in Sudan need humanitarian aid and protection, a top United Nations official said.
Eden Wosornu, the Director for Operations and Advocacy Division at the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCA) revealed this while briefing member states on the humanitarian situation in Sudan on Monday.
She said the “unbearable” suffering on the people of Sudan continues unabated.
“The severity of the situation has been compounded by the widespread destruction of critical infrastructure. In the health sector alone, the fighting has rendered 80 per cent of hospitals across the country out of action,” said Wosornu.
Since April 15, the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (SAF) has reportedly killed over 3,000 civilians and displaced 4 million.
“Millions of lives have been disrupted. And thousands have unfortunately been lost. Over 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes – including 3.4 million people who have sought refuge in the relative safety of other parts of Sudan, and nearly 1 million have crossed borders into neighbouring countries,” explained the UN official.
“We also continue to hear repeated, horrific accounts of sexual violence,” she added.
There are concerns over the tense fighting is Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan where millions of civilians are trapped and unable to seek safety elsewhere.
Wosornu appealed to the donor community to strengthen financial support for lifesaving humanitarian operations in Sudan and to transfer the pledges announced during the high-level event on 19 June this year into commitment.
“We urgently need more money to fund life-saving assistance,” she stressed.
According to the UN official, of the $2.6 billion set out in the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, only 26% has been received with $658 million contributions.
“This is concerning, as millions will be left without a lifeline,” Wosornu explained.
She, however, said despite the significant security and access challenges, humanitarian partners have continued with efforts to scale up relief operations.
(ST)