Sudan is enduring the world’s most severe humanitarian catastrophe, according to UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, who issued a dire warning Thursday.
Fletcher called out the international community’s failure to uphold promises of protection, urging action before this era is marked by “indifference and impunity.”
Over 30 million Sudanese—more than half the population—urgently need aid as indiscriminate violence from Kordofan to Darfur continues unabated.
“The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise,” Fletcher said.
He described the situation as spiralling, with rising civilian deaths, a collapsed health system and outbreaks of cholera and measles intensifying with the lean season.
Fletcher condemned repeated attacks on hospitals, infrastructure and aid convoys, including a recent deadly assault on a UN convoy in North Darfur.
“Talk has not translated into real protection for civilians,” he said. “Where is the funding? Where is the accountability?”
He urged global powers to act swiftly: ensure protection, guarantee humanitarian access, and secure funding for emergency aid.
Fletcher also called for humanitarian pauses and negotiated arrangements to reach the most vulnerable communities safely.
He concluded with a plea: “Let this time not be defined by indifference and impunity but by a revival in human solidarity.”
Sudan’s suffering, he warned, must not go unanswered by a world that once vowed never to look away.
