War and hunger could destroy Sudan, says UN relief chief
August 25, 2023 (NEW YORK) – The war in Sudan is fueling a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions while hunger, disease and displacement left in its wake now threatens to consume the entire country, a United Nations official said.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths said intense fighting that has ravaged in Khartoum and Darfur since mid-April has spread to Kordofan.
“In South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, food stocks have been fully depleted, as clashes and road blockages prevent aid workers from reaching the hungry,” he said.
In West Kordofan’s capital, El Fula, humanitarian offices have been ransacked and supplies looted, according to the top UN official.
“I am also extremely worried about the safety of civilians in Al Jazira State, as the conflict moves closer to Sudan’s breadbasket,” he explained.
The longer the fighting continues, the more devastating its impact, Griffith warned in the statement, adding that “Some places have already run out of food”.
Hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and at imminent risk of death if left untreated.
There are also concerns that vector-borne diseases are spreading, posing a lethal risk, especially to those already weakened by malnutrition. Cases of measles, malaria, whooping cough, dengue fever, and acute watery diarrhoea are being reported across the country. Most people have no access to medical treatment.
The war has decimated the health care sector, with most hospitals out of service.
Millions of people have been displaced inside Sudan. Nearly 1 million others have fled across its borders. As more refugees arrive in neighbouring countries, host communities are struggling.
The UN warned that Sudan could tip the region into a humanitarian catastrophe.
“A long conflict will almost certainly lead to a lost generation of children as millions miss out on education, endure trauma, and bear the physical and psychological scars of war. Reports that some children in Sudan are being used in the fighting are deeply disturbing,” stressed Griffiths.
He appealed to the international community to respond to the crisis in Sudan.
More than 4.5 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan due to the conflict that erupted on 15 April between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the UN said.
(ST)