ICRC demands access to millions in need of aid in Sudan
July 18, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for more access to people in need of assistance in Sudan.
Millions of people affected by more than a year of armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reportedly lack access to essential services such as food, water, and healthcare.
Nearly a quarter of Sudan’s population have fled their homes and lost their livelihoods while months of fighting have greatly affected civilian infrastructure.
“The humanitarian situation in towns like Al Fasher, where people have been trapped in fighting for months, is critical,” said Pierre Dorbes, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sudan.
He added, “Some areas of the country are not even reachable by phone, which makes it nearly impossible to operate. Meanwhile, throughout the country, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society volunteers have been working at great personal risk.”
With the disruption in agriculture, many will feel the impact of high food prices amid concerns that many families are likely to go without enough food to eat.
Several appeals have been made for respect to international humanitarian law, which advocates for protection of civilians, infrastructure and agricultural land.
According to ICRC, efforts have been made to directly the parties to the conflict about their obligations to ensure that people living in the territories under their control can meet essential needs, including adequate food and water supply.
In partnership with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), ICRC said it has been providing emergency assistance and helping improve access to essential services. However, difficult access, including deteriorating security and administrative challenges, continue to hamper humanitarian relief efforts.
“What we managed to do in the past six months is very little compared to the vast suffering we see every day,” Dorbes said
“People urgently need more help, and we call on the parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to do everything in their power to improve humanitarian access,” he added.
Meanwhile, ICRC in collaboration with the SRCS, reportedly collected over 900 tracing requests and more than 445 allegations of arrest from families looking for their loved ones and submitted some allegations of arrest to the parties.
The agency said it helped over 20,000 separated families re-establish contact, mainly by phone, and responded to nearly 2,500 calls through the ICRC hotline.
Additionally, ICRC said it provided food to over 56,000 people in Kassala, Blue Nile and Gadaref, and essential household items to nearly 4,800 people in West Darfur.
Cash grants, the aid agency stressed, were also provided to 71,500 people in Kassala, Blue Nile, West Darfur and North Darfur, adding that it further helped SRCS provide essential household items to some 6,000 people in Sudan’s White Nile state.
(ST)