Turkish ship carrying over 2,400 tons of relief aid in Sudan

July 22, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – A ship carrying over 2,400 tons of humanitarian aid reached Sudan from Turkey as part of efforts to tackle the dire situation.

The items, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said, includes food, hygiene products, clothing, shelter materials and medical supplies.

The consignment was officially handed over to Sudanese authorities on Monday.

The aid package, according to a statement issued on Monday, includes 1,986 tons of food, 160 tons of medicine and medical equipment, 128 tons of clothing, 90 tons of hygiene products, and 44 tons of blankets and various shelter materials.

The situation in war-torn Sudan, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), continues to deteriorate across the country as women, children and entire families have been forced to flee the violence.

Sudan, the agency noted, is currently facing the worst food insecurity in 20 years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that one in every five people in Sudan is experiencing emergency-level food insecurity amid the ongoing conflict.

“755,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger, while 25.6 million are facing acute levels,” said WHO Executive Director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The UN Children Fund (UNICEF) said Sudan is one of the worst places in the world for children as millions continue suffering from acute food insecurity and disease.

Also, millions of Sudanese children are malnourished and unable to attend school.

Last week, the aid agency, International Rescue Committee (IRC), said nearly half of the nation requires humanitarian aid due to the ongoing war, while up to 3 million people remain on the brink of famine and are likely to die from starvation.

More than 8 million people, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), have been displaced since conflict broke out between the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023.

There are also reports that the healthcare systems in the country have collapsed.

(ST)