A year-long conflict in Sudan has already caused immense suffering and death, but the situation could easily worsen with news that warring parties are arming civilians, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.
One year after the outbreak of intense fighting between Sudan's rival armies, Volker Turk warned of further escalation, including an imminent attack on El-Fasher in North Darfur.
“The Sudanese people have suffered unspeakable suffering during the conflict, which has been characterized by indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areasethnically motivated attacks and a high incidence of sexual violence related to the conflict. The recruitment and use of children by parties to the conflict are also very worrying,” she stated.
And as an international donor conference for Sudan's emergency began in Paris on Monday, the human rights chief highlighted the possibility of further bloodshed, as three armed groups announced they were joining the Sudanese Armed Forces in their fighting against the Rapid Support Forces and “arming civilians.”
The conflict cannot continue
Since fighting broke out on April 15, 2023, more than eight million people have been displacedof which at least two million to neighboring countries.
“Nearly 18 million people face acute food insecurity, 14 million of them children, and more than 70% of hospitals are no longer functioning amid a rise in infectious diseases; this catastrophic situation must not be allowed to continue. “said High Commissioner Türk.
Danger of acute hunger
Echoing these concerns, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) pointed out that Some 8.9 million children suffer from acute food insecurityof which 4.9 million are in an emergency situation.
“Nearly four million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year,” including 730,000 from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition, UNICEF said in a release on Sunday.
“Almost half of the children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are in hard-to-reach areas” and where there is ongoing fighting, said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban.
“All of this is avoidable, and we can save lives if all parties to the conflict allow us access to communities in need. and fulfill our humanitarian mandate, without politicizing aid.
Civil government in the spotlight
Türk also expressed deep concern about the arrest warrants issued against former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and others on apparently unfounded charges.
“Sudanese authorities must immediately revoke arrest warrants (…) and prioritize confidence-building measures to achieve a ceasefire as a first step, followed by a comprehensive resolution of the conflict and the reestablishment of a civilian government,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian staff have reiterated that chronic hunger and malnutrition continue to make children “far more vulnerable to disease and death.”
The conflict has also disrupted vaccination coverage in Sudan and safe access to clean water, UNICEF explained, meaning that continuing outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, measles, malaria and dengue now threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of children.
“The spikes in mortality, especially among internally displaced children, are a warning of a possible great loss of life, as the country enters the annual lean season,” the UN agency said, while underscoring the need of predictable and sustained access to international aid.
“Basic systems and social services in Sudan are on the brink of collapsewith frontline workers unpaid for a year, vital supplies depleted and infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, still under attack.”
Schools closed
And in a warning that the entire country could be engulfed in fighting that has left half of Sudan's population in need of humanitarian aid, the global fund for education in emergencies Education can't wait stressed that four of the eight million people uprooted by violence are children.
The conflict “continues to claim innocent lives, with more than 14,000 children, women and men reportedly dead,” said Yasmine Sherif, executive director of Education can't wait.
Sherif echoed deep concern that Sudan is currently suffering from one of the world's worst education crises, with more than 90% of the country's 19 million school-age children without access to formal education.
“Most schools are closed or struggling to reopen across the country, leaving nearly 19 million school-age children at risk of losing their education“, said.
To date, this fund has provided nearly $40 million to support education for victims of the crisis in Sudan and beyond, in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
“Without urgent international action, this catastrophe could engulf the entire country and have even more devastating repercussions on neighboring countries as refugees flee across borders to neighboring states,” Sherif said.
