Sudanese suffering ‘worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory’, UN warns

Sudan is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history after nearly a year of war, the United Nations has warned.

Fighting between the army, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, since last April has killed tens of thousands of people, as the threat of famine looms amid international inaction.

“By all measures – the sheer scale of humanitarian needs, the numbers of people displaced and facing hunger – Sudan is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory,” said Edem Wosornu, director of operations at the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on Wednesday.

“A humanitarian travesty is playing out in Sudan under a veil of international inattention and inaction,” Wosornu told the UN Security Council on behalf of OCHA head Martin Griffiths.

“Simply put, we are failing the people of Sudan,” she added, emphasizing the population’s “desperation.”

According to the UN, the conflict has led to more than eight million people being displaced.

In early March, the Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan and urged better access to humanitarian aid. However, the ceasefire was not realized due to disagreements between the warring sides.

More than 18 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity – 10 million more than at this time last year – while 730,000 Sudanese children are believed to be suffering from severe malnutrition.