According to the United Nations, most of their aid camps in Sudan are empty because of looting. Now the UN is sending emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths because of the “unprecedented” situation in the country.
The United Nations is sending UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths to Sudan. UN Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Sunday that Griffiths should head to the region “immediately” given the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.
The scale and speed of events in Sudan are unprecedented, Dujarric said. “We are extremely concerned about the immediate and long-term impact on everyone in Sudan and across the region.”
Plundered many warehouses with supplies
Griffiths said before his departure that supplies of aid in Sudan were now running out. Since fighting between the army and militias broke out two weeks ago, numerous humanitarian aid warehouses have been looted.
“Most of our supplies are gone after massive looting of humanitarian organizations’ warehouses and offices,” Griffiths said. “We are urgently looking for ways to bring and distribute more material into the country.”
According to the UN, there are five containers from the World Health Organization (WHO) in the port of the city of Port Sudan. However, the helpers were still waiting for the local authorities to release the load.
Even before the fighting broke out, a third of the population was dependent on humanitarian aid, said Dujarric.
Emergency relief coordinator Griffiths said most supplies had been looted.
Red Cross delivers relief supplies for the first time
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also flown the first aid transport to Port Sudan since the fighting began, with around eight tons of medical supplies. According to the organization, narcotics, bandages and surgical material are said to have been delivered. Another machine with relief supplies should follow soon.
According to the Sudanese Medical Committee, many hospitals are no longer functional as a result of the fighting. In addition, there is a lack of medicines, medical goods and blood supplies.
healthcare before disaster
According to the WHO, the health system, which was already ailing before the fighting broke out, is even facing a catastrophe, as hospitals are being bombed and many doctors are fleeing the country. In Khartoum, only 16 percent of hospitals are fully operational, said WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed al-Mandhari. Above all, surgeons and anesthesiologists were missing.
Added to this is the growing risk of diseases such as cholera and malaria. Around four million sick or pregnant women and around 50,000 acutely malnourished children are particularly at risk. According to Al-Mandhari, around three million women and girls are also exposed to gender-based violence. Added to this is the extreme psychological pressure that children in particular are confronted with as a result of conflict and displacement.
Brittle ceasefire extended again
The UN again called on the parties to the conflict to protect civilians and infrastructure, enable safe escape corridors from the combat zone, respect humanitarian workers and medical personnel and facilitate aid operations.
A ceasefire agreed on Tuesday was extended by the conflicting parties by 72 hours on Sunday evening. So far, however, the ceasefire has not been observed. Fighting can still be heard in Khartoum, but the intensity of the fighting has decreased. The army and the paramilitary RSF militia blame each other for breaching the agreement.
USA intensifies aid for US citizens
Meanwhile, the US has stepped up efforts to assist US citizens in Sudan. A second convoy organized by the US government arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. He did not say how many people were in the convoy or what support the US was providing, in addition to evacuations.
The US Department of Defense said on Saturday it was moving naval units off the Sudanese coast to assist with further evacuations. Most of the roughly 16,000 Americans believed to be currently in Sudan also have Sudanese citizenship.
Thousands injured, tens of thousands fleeing
In the northeast African country, forces led by de facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been fighting militias since April 15 against the militias of his deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemeti, who heads the RSF.
The two generals once took over the leadership of Sudan through joint military coups. However, there was a rift between the two camps over issues of power distribution. Al-Burhan categorically refuses direct talks with Hemeti, who only wants to speak to Al-Burhan when the army stops its attacks.
According to the authorities, the fighting has already cost the lives of more than 500 people and injured almost 5,000. The actual number of victims is believed to be much higher. Tens of thousands of people are also on the run because of the fighting. According to the UN, 75,000 people have been displaced within the country of around 46 million people.