Global call for accountability – ‘Sudan at a breaking point’

The UN and human rights groups demand civilian protection, more humanitarian aid, and accountability for violations, as Sudan faces the world’s most intense humanitarian crisis due to war, famine, and disease. Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs: “We sound again the alarm. This is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. 30 million people need lifesaving aid – half the population. A war that should be ended rages without mercy. From Kordofan to Darfur, it has left civilians trapped, starving, without the basics they need for their survival.”

Fletcher also warns that the attacks have severely affected Sudan’s healthcare system and have displaced millions where “indiscriminate shelling, drone attacks and other air strikes kill, injure and displace people in staggering numbers. The health system has been smashed to pieces, with cholera, measles and other diseases spreading. And now the lean season is arriving. Our appeals are pitifully supported. Where is the funding?”

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, echoed Fletcher’s alarm: “Over 30 million people need humanitarian assistance. This is not just a crisis of numbers – it is a crisis of humanity. Hunger is deepening. Health systems are in collapse. Water is scarce. Education has come to a halt for millions of children. Sexual and gender-based violence has soared,” Nkweta-Salami says.

Tom Fletcher laments: “Again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise. For their country has become a grim example of twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity.”

“Meanwhile, hospitals and displacement camps have been attacked, critical infrastructure destroyed, and aid trucks hit, preventing them from getting food and essential supplies to those in such desperate need.”

“Last week’s deadly attack on a UN humanitarian convoy in North Darfur again demonstrated the vanishing protection for civilians – including aid workers. The human cost of this war – including horrific sexual violence – has been repeatedly reported and condemned, but talk has not translated into real protection for civilians or safe, unimpeded and sustained access for humanitarians,” he concludes.