Sudan: One of the “worst humanitarian crises”, according to MSF

The war has plunged Sudan into “one of the worst humanitarian crises” in the world in decades, Doctors Without Borders said Thursday. Bombings left 18 dead in the state of North Darfur, according to pro-democracy groups.

The war which has pitted the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, against the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) of his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, since April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives. deaths and caused the displacement of more than nine million people, according to the UN, in this country in northeast Africa.

“Sudan is marked by one of the worst crises the world has seen in decades and the humanitarian response is deeply inadequate,” MSF international president Christos Christou said on X. “There are extreme levels of suffering across the country and the needs are growing by the day,” he added.

Insufficient humanitarian access

Access for humanitarian organizations to Sudan is “insufficient” and part of the population risks “dying of hunger”, warned the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi.

Since the beginning of May, fighting has been particularly violent in el-Facher, the capital of the state of North Darfur, the only large city in this region of western Sudan to escape the control of the paramilitaries. In order to capture the city, the RSF besieged it, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Late Wednesday, artillery bombardments launched by the RSF “left 14 dead and 25 injured,” said Thursday the Emergency Committee of the Abou Shouk displaced persons camp, near el-Facher, one of several groups of democracy who organize mutual aid in Sudan.

War crimes

The Resistance Committee in Kutum, 70 kilometers north of el-Facher, announced that four civilians were killed in an army airstrike on Wednesday. According to MSF, the fighting in el-Facher left more than 220 dead between May 10 and June 8.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution last week demanding an end to the “siege” of el-Facher. MSF in Sudan also indicated on and 27 injured.

Intense bombings took place around the city, according to the same source. The two belligerents have been accused of war crimes for deliberately targeting civilians, bombing populated areas and blocking humanitarian aid, despite the threat of famine hanging over millions of Sudanese.

Ethnic cleansing

Human rights groups and the United States have also accused the paramilitaries of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

The United States last week announced $315 million in emergency aid for Sudan and called on both sides to allow access to humanitarian aid.

“Never seen levels of hunger”

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said hunger in Sudan could reach levels not seen since the Ethiopian famine in the early 1980s, which left 1.2 million dead.

“We have seen mortality projections that more than 2.5 million people – about 15% of the population – in Darfur and Kordofan, the hardest hit regions, could die by the end of this month. September,” she warned.

“This is the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet, and it threatens to get worse as the rainy season approaches,” added the diplomat.

Also in neighboring countries

The UN estimates that five million people in Sudan are suffering from extreme hunger, while food is also lacking in neighboring countries where two million Sudanese have taken refuge.

Several foreign countries provided support from both sides. Sudan has expelled UAE diplomats suspected of supporting the RSF, while Egypt, Turkey and Iran have said they support the army.

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