The United Nations disclosed on Thursday that it is facing considerable difficulties in providing assistance to 18 million people in Sudan who are in dire need, with challenges stemming from insecurity, interference by the conflicting parties, and insufficient international backing, all of which are contributing to the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe.
“We need to reach 18 million people and we will not give up on that target, but we need more international support, better access to the people who need us and safety for our operations,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.
“We’re not at this point able to have an operation that is commensurate to the scale (of needs),” she said.
In mid-April, conflict erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), giving rise to a severe humanitarian crisis and bringing the nation perilously close to the brink of civil war.
Over 4.2 million individuals have been displaced from their residences due to the conflict, with nearly 1.2 million seeking refuge in neighboring nations, placing significant strain on Sudan’s limited resources.
Nkweta-Salami stated that 19 aid workers had lost their lives, and 29 others had been injured since the conflict commenced, emphasizing that such occurrences were both unacceptable and illegal.
Bureaucratic obstacles were impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid, and she noted that a $2.6 billion humanitarian appeal made to the international community to aid Sudan’s people was only one-third funded.
“We also need to see an end to interference from the conflict parties in our operations, including forced checks of humanitarian trucks and mandatory military presence during the loading process in Port Sudan and Jazeera,” she said.
“I hope that we will see swift action to reduce the bureaucratic obstacles, including delays in visa approvals for staff as promised by Sudanese authorities in a donor meeting yesterday.”
The United Nations expresses concerns that the crisis may escalate if the conflict extends to additional regions like central Jazeera state, often referred to as “Sudan’s breadbasket.” Such fighting could disrupt food supplies, leading to significant repercussions for food security.
