UK lawmakers want more actions over Sudan conflict
April 30, 2024 (LONDON) – A British MP has written to Foreign Secretary, David Cameron on what the UK and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are doing to resolve the deteriorating situation in war-torn Sudan.
The letter from Sarah Champion, Chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC), came after senior aid workers operating in Sudan presented “horrifying” evidence of the situation on ground.
The letter sets out the extremity of the escalating situation in the conflict-hit nation.
The evidence to IDC reportedly presented multiple stories of suffering, malnutrition, sexual violence and exploitation as the country descends into one of the worst humanitarian and hunger emergencies in recent history.
Sexual violence as a weapon of war has been widely reported, with over 5000 reports of grave violations against women and girls. Reports indicate thousands of children been killed and injured or have lost their parents. 14 million of Sudan’s 24 million children are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and 4.6 million have lost their homes, the largest displacement of children in the world.
According to the UN Children Fund (UNICEF), 18 million Sudanese children have been out of school for the past year, which is around double the number of primary and secondary school-aged children in the UK combined.
Due to the conflict, the healthcare systems in Sudan have collapsed, with more than 70% of hospitals in conflict areas unable to function. Vaccination rates have dropped and preventable or nearly eliminated diseases are taking hold.
Attacks and killings of aid workers are making addressing the imminent famine in Sudan much more difficult, agencies said, as the conflict entered its second year.
This is now the largest displacement crisis in the world, with nearly 9 million people forced to leave their homes. Millions have fled to neighbouring countries that are ill-equipped to host them, some suffering food and water shortages of their own.
Chad alone has received more than half a million Sudanese refugees and is expected to receive a million more by the end of this year, the majority of which will be women and children. There is a very real risk that if more is not done to end the hostilities in Sudan, the wider region will be destabilised.
The committee questioned what actions will the UK will take to help bring about a lasting ceasefire and a return to a civilian-led government in Sudan.
Also questioned was what specific support Britain provides to address the needs of children, women and girls in Sudan, in addition to knowing how the UK supports human rights agencies in documenting and responding to war crimes and breaches of international law committed during this conflict.
(ST)