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Sudan Conflict: A Call for Action Amid a Humanitarian Crisis

As violence escalates and civilian casualties mount in Darfur, the UN Secretary-General has urgently highlighted the need to halt foreign meddling in Sudan. This intervention, he warns, risks further fragmenting the nation into government and opposition-controlled regions.

“I am deeply concerned that weapons and fighters continue to flow into Sudan, allowing the conflict to persist and spread across the country,” the Secretary-General stated. He emphasized that “the external support and flow of weapons must end. Those with the greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan – not to perpetuate this disaster.”

A Growing Humanitarian Emergency

The conflict’s second anniversary highlights a staggering humanitarian crisis. According to UN agencies, the situation has resulted in the largest displacement crisis globally.

In Khartoum, basic infrastructure has suffered immense damage due to ongoing fighting, with aid organizations urgently calling for assistance for the estimated three million people expected to return to the capital. “The situation in Khartoum is extremely dire, especially in the areas where the conflict has been intense,” remarked Luca Renda, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) representative for Sudan, following his recent assessment in the city.

Renda detailed the devastation witnessed: “massive destruction of infrastructure, no access to water, no electricity, and of course a lot of contamination of unexploded ordnance.”

The ongoing violence, particularly incidents linked to the opposition Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies, has led to the tragic loss of approximately 400 civilians and 10 medical staff from the NGO Relief International in recent attacks in Darfur’s Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps.

As people continue to flee the violence, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicates that around 80,000 individuals have already escaped Zamzam, with projections suggesting that this number might rise to 400,000.

The conflict continues to disproportionately affect men, who are often the primary targets of violence, prompting them to seek refuge in the regional capital, El Fasher, which remains under the control of the Sudanese army despite ongoing RSF assaults.

In a somber report from Port Sudan, IOM Chief of Mission Mohamed Refaat shared harrowing accounts from women who survived sexual violence. Many recounted being attacked in the presence of their injured partners and terrified children.

This alarming situation correlates with a pronounced surge in demand for lifesaving support for survivors of sexual violence, which has increased by 288 percent. Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, expressed her concerns, stating, “We are witnessing what appears to be a systematic use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. Women’s lives and bodies are becoming battlegrounds in this conflict.”

Source
news.un.org