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20 May 2024
Going the extra mile to stop poliovirus spread
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Speech
15 May 2024
Opening remarks at the Noon Briefing by Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan
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Press Release
15 May 2024
Small window remains to avert disaster in Sudan's war-torn regions, warns WFP Deputy Executive Director
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Sudan
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Sudan:
Story
09 December 2023
Sudanese women advocate for peace at conference in Uganda
We must work together to formulate a clear vision to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people, bringing back security, peace, and the establishment of a civil state where all citizens are equal, and opportunities are provided regardless of their gender, ethnic, religious, or tribal backgrounds. Those are the words of Samia Argawi, a lawyer and founder of “Women Against War” and member of the “Peace for Sudan Platform”, a peacebuilding initiative by Sudanese women-led organizations and initiatives supported by UN Women. Since fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces broke out on 15 April 2023, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured. UN reports have found that gender-based violence has increased during the conflict, and the humanitarian situation has significantly worsened, with food prices peaking and limited access to water and electricity. The Peace for Sudan Platform comprises more than 49 women-led peace initiatives, humanitarian initiatives, and civil society organizations, featuring representatives from across the different regions of the country. Soon after fighting broke out, UN Women and partners including the African Union, the African Women Leaders Network, at the request of the Peace for Sudan Platform, organized a virtual high-level solidarity mission to support and amplify calls to end the conflict, highlight its impact on women and girls, and mobilize support to women’s peacebuilding and protection efforts. In late October, shortly after the conflict passed its six-month mark, UN Women in partnership with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), African Union, and International Women's Peace Center organized a conference with Sudanese women peacebuilders in Kampala, Uganda. The conference included consultations with more than 400 women across 14 Sudanese states about their priorities and demands and aimed to build bridges between women in Sudan and in countries across the region. Women joined online from Sudan and in-person, with many refugees and exiles attending. The conference also aimed to enhance women’s leadership and highlighted the leading role Sudanese women and young women are playing in mobilizing the peace movement. A long history of peacebuilding “Sudanese women have their own narrative of resilience and determination as agents of peace”, said Adjaratou Ndiaye, UN Women’s Sudan representative. “Conflict and displacement have never shaken their mission for peace, as we witness this gathering today and recognize all the women-led peace initiatives and responses on the ground and in other parts of the world”. Many women joined Sudan’s 2019 revolution, which saw the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power. Women were able to organize protests and support young people throughout the upheaval, and their activism was highlighted by alternative media outlets that arose after the revolution. But 2019 represented just one episode in a long line of women’s work for peace and justice in the country. “Since the founding of Sudan 67 years ago, the women of Sudan have always stood out as a beacon of hope and the voice of reason during the successive crises that have faced the country”, said Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD. “Let us remember the wise words of our African proverbs: ‘When men go to war, it is women who must pick up the pieces’”, he said. “Together, we can empower the women of Sudan to be the agents of peace and rebuild our shared nation.” Calls for an immediate peace Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Suzan Hussein, a Sudanese woman activist living as a refugee in Uganda said, “This war should stop as soon as possible not just in Khartoum, but also in different areas in Sudan”. “For me, this conference means a platform and a [form of] resistance. A platform in which I can represent the diversity of women in Sudan”, Hussein said, adding that she hoped the conference could link “different groups of women in order to create a feminist agenda” and resist violence against women. Women-led organizations in Sudan have the expertise and experience to work on sensitive issues including gender-based violence and to provide services to women, girls, the elderly, and those with disabilities. “Men do not consider our participation a priority, and they do not respond to women's demands for participation in negotiations”, said one woman activist whose anonymous testimony was presented at the conference. “We are capable of representing ourselves on any platform, and we do not want men to speak on our behalf”, she said. Another woman whose name was not disclosed to protect her safety was quoted in testimony as saying that existing women’s programming was difficult to continue during the conflict. While she was formerly able to provide kits to sexual violence survivors, “now we cannot reach the survivors to assist them”. The current war is a manifestation of wider political, social, and economic forces. Argawi noted that peace was intimately tied with combating “poverty, marginalization, and discrimination, [and] creating a healthy and resilient environment”. “We also hope to work together to develop a political consensus among the components of the people, a consensus that holds the recipe for political, economic, and social success”, Argawi said. She explained that, only by developing agreements among all political actors, could the peace process “ensure the continuity of this approach, healing wounds, mending the fabric of our society, and injecting life into the nation's veins”.
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Story
08 August 2023
How a tea-seller displaced by conflict led her family away from hunger
Written by Mohamed Elamin “We fled into the unknown with no destination in mind,” says Awadeya Mahmoud, describing the night in April when the sound of an explosion woke up her family of ten. By dawn, they and the people living near them in their south-Khartoum neighbourhood decided enough was enough, and fled the capital. A worsening security situation is making it increasingly difficult for the World Food Programme (WFP) to reach the 6.3 million people it intends to this year. Since conflict broke out in the country on 15 April, it has reached 1.5 million with critical supplies, including 40,000 children aged under-5, pregnant and breastfeeding women. Two days after the bombing, Mahmoud and her children made it to Albageir village in Gezira state. “The war displaced my whole family and my children never healed from the horror they felt,” she recalls. “They refused to eat or drink. They were just crying.” At the time, the family were out of money and had to sell what belongings they could to finance their journey to safety. “I fled my home together with my neighbours to arrive in Albageir [village] before reaching Wad Madani,” says Mahmoud, who leads a cooperative of women caterers, including tea vendors like herself. “I had to sell [many of] my belongings to be able to take my family to safety,” she says. Continued fighting in Sudan poses a threat to the current planting season and to farmers who are already struggling to cope with soaring prices of fertilizers and seeds. When Mahmoud and her neighbours arrived in Madani, 186km from home, finding a place to sleep was extremely difficult. The city was already filled with displaced people from the capital, Khartoum. Luckily, the families she had arrived with found a house to cram into with a total of 37 children. With basic shelter in place, the problem of hunger persists. A third of Sudan’s population was already food-insecure before the war, according to WFP. “We seriously suffered, we had a food problem and some of the children suffered from fevers and measles,” says Mahmoud. She is among 24,606 people that WFP has assisted in Madani through its new hub in the city. Using food from WFP, Mahmoud put her skills to work and started cooking for fellow displaced people. “We are on full stomachs now,” she says of the families who escaped with hers. “I was given flour, oil, and yellow split beans. Gezira is among 14 of the 18 states where WFP has assisted people in the past few months, alongside, for the first time, the River Nile and White Nile states. While many people have made it safely out of Khartoum, thousands of families remain trapped in conflict areas with no access to food and other basic needs. “My cooperative alone has 150,000 members and I am hoping that WFP will be able to help them,” says Mahmoud. “What WFP is doing is not easy. It's what we need the most in Sudan because you’re mobilizing food around the world for people,” says Mahmoud. “Humanitarian needs have reached record levels and there is still no sign of an end to the conflict,” says Eddie Rowe, WFP’s Country Director for Sudan. “WFP is doing everything possible to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in Sudan, but insecurity and access constraints are restricting us from reaching more people, especially in Khartoum and West Darfur.” The conflict has caused severe damage to critical infrastructure nationwide, and access to food, water, cash, fuel, healthcare, and other basic services has been fractured. Moreover, razed and looted markets, broken transport networks and dysfunctional markets have strained food availability. In West Darfur, the situation is alarming with reports of ethnic violence against civilians. Insecurity is making humanitarian access to Sudan’s most food-insecure state nearly impossible. WFP urgently requires US$410 million for its operations in Sudan to ensure immediate life-saving assistance to conflict-affected people like Mahmoud and her family.
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Press Release
08 August 2023
Severe violations of children’s rights an ‘hourly occurrence’ in Sudan, warns UNICEF
PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK – As the brutal conflict in Sudan hits 100-days, UNICEF has received reports of a staggering 2,500 severe violations of children’s rights - an average of at least one an hour. As these are just the numbers reported to UNICEF sources, the true figure is likely to be far higher, and a grim reminder of the day-to-day impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable, in a country where almost 14 million children need humanitarian support.
“The scale of the impact that this conflict has had on children in Sudan in the past 100 days is almost beyond comprehension,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, who is in Sudan this week. “Parents and grandparents who lived through previous cycles of violence are now having to watch their children and grandchildren experience similar horrific experiences. Each and every day, children are being killed, injured, abducted, and seeing the schools, hospitals and the vital infrastructure and life-saving supplies they rely on damaged, destroyed or looted.”
At least 435 children have been reported killed in the conflict, and at least 2,025 children injured.
In addition to those killed and injured, UNICEF has received alarming reports of escalating attacks against health facilities in parts of Sudan. An estimated 68 per cent of hospitals in the worst-affected areas have had to suspend service and at least 17 hospitals have reportedly been bombed. Several more hospitals are believed to have been turned into military bases, and there have been repeated reports of ambulances coming under attack.
Over three months into the conflict, millions of families have been uprooted from their homes by the violence. Before the crisis, nearly 3.8 million people were internally displaced in Sudan, 1.9 million of whom were children. 1.7 million additional children have been driven from their homes and are now on the move within Sudan and crossing its borders, vulnerable to hunger, disease, violence, and separation from their families. Reports of abductions, recruitment of children into armed groups, ethnically targeted violence, and gender-based violence against women and girls are also on the rise, with 4.2 million women and girls at risk of Gender-Based Violence.
Restricted movement due to the security situation, administrative barriers and bureaucratic impediments and the denial of humanitarian access, remain key obstacles to delivering much needed aid to those in desperate need and pose a threat to aid workers. Combined with the destruction and looting of critical supplies and facilities, this has left at least 690,000 children exposed to severe acute malnutrition and 1.7 million children under the age of one risk missing critical vaccinations, raising the risk of disease outbreaks.
“The past 100 days have shown that—as in any conflict—the direct and indirect impacts for children and families are devastating, and without concerted action, including the commitment of the parties to the conflict to stop the fighting and uphold international law, severe violations of children’s rights will only worsen,” said Chaiban. “Without guaranteed, safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers, and life-saving supplies, along with urgently needed additional funding, the futures of millions of children will remain in the balance.”
Despite the challenges, over the past 100 days UNICEF, with partners, has reached over 3 million children and women with health supplies, 1.4 million people with safe drinking water, and 1.7 million children with screening for malnutrition—of which 82,000 received life-saving treatment. In addition, almost 100,000 children and caregivers are benefitting from psycho-social counselling and protection support, including through over 400 safe-spaces established across the country.
To date, UNICEF delivered over 5,500 metric tons of life-saving supplies across Sudan, including in hotspot areas in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum. However, while fighting continues, needs will only increase, with many vulnerable communities remain out of reach of humanitarian support.
As of mid-July, the UNICEF appeal for US$838 million to reach almost 10 million of the most vulnerable children in Sudan is only 9 per cent funded. UNICEF urgently needs $400 million to sustain and scale up critical life-saving health, nutrition, water, sanitation, learning and protection assistance to the most vulnerable children caught in this crisis over the next 100 days.
Media contacts Ammar Ammar Regional Chief of Communication and Advocacy UNICEF Amman Tel: +962 7 91837388 Email: aammar@unicef.org Salim Oweis Regional Communication Chief (OIC) MENARO Email: soweis@unicef.org
“The scale of the impact that this conflict has had on children in Sudan in the past 100 days is almost beyond comprehension,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, who is in Sudan this week. “Parents and grandparents who lived through previous cycles of violence are now having to watch their children and grandchildren experience similar horrific experiences. Each and every day, children are being killed, injured, abducted, and seeing the schools, hospitals and the vital infrastructure and life-saving supplies they rely on damaged, destroyed or looted.”
At least 435 children have been reported killed in the conflict, and at least 2,025 children injured.
In addition to those killed and injured, UNICEF has received alarming reports of escalating attacks against health facilities in parts of Sudan. An estimated 68 per cent of hospitals in the worst-affected areas have had to suspend service and at least 17 hospitals have reportedly been bombed. Several more hospitals are believed to have been turned into military bases, and there have been repeated reports of ambulances coming under attack.
Over three months into the conflict, millions of families have been uprooted from their homes by the violence. Before the crisis, nearly 3.8 million people were internally displaced in Sudan, 1.9 million of whom were children. 1.7 million additional children have been driven from their homes and are now on the move within Sudan and crossing its borders, vulnerable to hunger, disease, violence, and separation from their families. Reports of abductions, recruitment of children into armed groups, ethnically targeted violence, and gender-based violence against women and girls are also on the rise, with 4.2 million women and girls at risk of Gender-Based Violence.
Restricted movement due to the security situation, administrative barriers and bureaucratic impediments and the denial of humanitarian access, remain key obstacles to delivering much needed aid to those in desperate need and pose a threat to aid workers. Combined with the destruction and looting of critical supplies and facilities, this has left at least 690,000 children exposed to severe acute malnutrition and 1.7 million children under the age of one risk missing critical vaccinations, raising the risk of disease outbreaks.
“The past 100 days have shown that—as in any conflict—the direct and indirect impacts for children and families are devastating, and without concerted action, including the commitment of the parties to the conflict to stop the fighting and uphold international law, severe violations of children’s rights will only worsen,” said Chaiban. “Without guaranteed, safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers, and life-saving supplies, along with urgently needed additional funding, the futures of millions of children will remain in the balance.”
Despite the challenges, over the past 100 days UNICEF, with partners, has reached over 3 million children and women with health supplies, 1.4 million people with safe drinking water, and 1.7 million children with screening for malnutrition—of which 82,000 received life-saving treatment. In addition, almost 100,000 children and caregivers are benefitting from psycho-social counselling and protection support, including through over 400 safe-spaces established across the country.
To date, UNICEF delivered over 5,500 metric tons of life-saving supplies across Sudan, including in hotspot areas in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum. However, while fighting continues, needs will only increase, with many vulnerable communities remain out of reach of humanitarian support.
As of mid-July, the UNICEF appeal for US$838 million to reach almost 10 million of the most vulnerable children in Sudan is only 9 per cent funded. UNICEF urgently needs $400 million to sustain and scale up critical life-saving health, nutrition, water, sanitation, learning and protection assistance to the most vulnerable children caught in this crisis over the next 100 days.
Media contacts Ammar Ammar Regional Chief of Communication and Advocacy UNICEF Amman Tel: +962 7 91837388 Email: aammar@unicef.org Salim Oweis Regional Communication Chief (OIC) MENARO Email: soweis@unicef.org
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Story
25 April 2023
UN pledges to ‘stand with and work for the Sudanese people’
The UN Secretary-General on Monday welcomed the temporary relocation of hundreds of staff members and their families from the Sudanese capital Khartoum, amid the continuing intense fighting between rival military factions which has now entered its second week. Speaking in the UN Security Council, António Guterres said: “Let me be clear: the United Nations is not leaving Sudan. Our commitment is to the Sudanese people, in support of their wishes for a peaceful and secure future. We stand with them, at this terrible time.” In blunt terms, he said the violence must stop, now. "It risks a catastrophic conflagration within Sudan, that could engulf the whole region and beyond." In a statement issued earlier by his Spokesperson, António Guterres said the relocation exercise had been carried out “without incident”, adding that he appreciated the cooperation shown by Sudanese army personnel and paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), allowing safe passage to Port Sudan, on the Red Sea. “The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the parties to immediately cease hostilities and allow all civilians to evacuate from areas affected by the fighting.” Mr. Guterres affirmed “the continued dedication” of the whole UN system, “to stand with, and work for, the Sudanese people, in support of their wishes for a peaceful, secure future and a return to the democratic transition.” The warring factions had worked together since the ousting of long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir, four years ago, carrying out a military coup in a joint operation in 2021 which ended a military-civilian power sharing agreement. In recent months as negotiations over a return to civilian rule advanced, the two factions failed to agree an integration plan, on the road to the formation of a civilian government. 'Exert maximum leverage' Addressing ambassadors in the Security Council during a general debate on the importance of multilateralism, Mr. Guterres condemned the “indiscriminate” bombing of civilian areas and facilities, calling on members “to exert maximum leverage with the parties to end the violence, restore order, and return to the path of the democratic transition.” He said he was in “constant contact” with military leaders in Khartoum and has called on them to return to the negotiating table. “Civilians must be able to access food, water and other essential supplies, and evacuate from combat zones”, he said. Death toll In its latest update, the UN humanitarian coordination office OCHA, reported that after nine days of fighting at least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 injured. At least 11 health facilities have been attacked and many are no longer functioning at all in Khartoum and Darfur states. Relocation and evacuation plan In a statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission for the transition to civilian rule, UNITAMS, the Special Representative Volker Perthes, said that the relocated staff would be evacuated from Sudan, to neighbouring countries, “where they will work remotely, as a measure to minimize risks to their safety while continuing to provide assistance to the Sudanese people.” About 700 UN, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and embassy staff and their families, have arrived in Port Sudan by road, he continued. “Also, 43 internationally recruited UN staff and 29 INGO staff have already been evacuated from El Geneina (West Darfur) and Zalingei (Central Darfur) to Chad, while other operations are ongoing or planned. ‘Necessary measures’ to protect Sudanese workers Mr. Perthes said he and a small number of other internationally recruited staff, would remain in Sudan “and continue to work towards resolving the current crisis”. He said the UN was “taking the necessary measures to protect Sudanese employees and their families and is looking into all possible ways to support them.” "We are committed to staying in Sudan and supporting the Sudanese people in every way we can. We will do everything we can to save lives while protecting the safety of our people." Press Conference: The Humanitarian Situation in Sudan (20 April 2023) This article first appeared in UN News.
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20 May 2024
Going the extra mile to stop poliovirus spread
By Proscovia Nakibuuka Mbonye, Sara Awad and WHO Eastern Mediterranean RegionIt’s day one of the polio vaccination campaign in Sudan’s Red Sea State, where poliovirus was detected in sewage samples earlier in 2024. At the crack of dawn, vaccinators set off with their vaccine carriers filled with ice packs and vials of oral polio vaccine and vitamin A to reach children in their communities. Their goal: vaccinate every child aged under 5 years in the state over the 4 days of the campaign.
Since the conflict in Sudan began, in April 2023, health infrastructure and immunization services have been disrupted. Hundreds of thousands of children have been left unvaccinated and at risk of infection from vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio. This situation is made worse by the displacement of large numbers of people.
When news of the positive poliovirus samples was reported, the Federal Ministry of Health sprang into action with the support of WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). After carrying out detailed investigations and risk assessments, a team of technical experts were deployed to identify various high-risk areas across Sudan requiring a response.
By the time the campaign was launched in Red Sea State, communities were well aware of its aims. Social mobilizers had seized every chance to visit and sensitize communities to polio vaccination. Messages played on the radio and from loudspeakers on vehicles echoed across villages, urging parents and caregivers to vaccinate all children aged under 5 years in the upcoming polio vaccination campaign. Health teams also worked with partners to reach children in displaced families. At the Agig Health Centre, Mahmoud, a health worker and vaccinator for 10 years, collects vaccines for the catchment area he is covering on day 3 of the campaign.
He plans to reach the mobile and hard-to-reach communities in Barqiq valley, in the mountains and along the border with Eritrea, where the nearest health facility is 40 km away. Until the start of May this year, these mobile communities will remain in the mountains. Come summer, they will travel to the countryside of Kassala State. "With these populations always on the move, there is a very real possibility that their children may miss out on vaccination activities,” says Mahmoud. “This means we have no time to waste in reaching these children."With the vaccines stored safely in cool boxes and vaccine carriers to maintain the optimum temperature, the team embarks on the journey from Agig to Barqiq valley. They first travel by car but switch to camels and donkeys for the last 2 hours, as the roads get rougher and narrower. Drop by drop, children are protectedWhen Mahmoud and his team arrive, parents and caregivers are patiently waiting in a makeshift straw-roofed shelter. They all share one thing in common – the desire to protect their children from preventable life-threatening diseases.
Fatima, mother to 4-year-old Mohammed, visited the health centre a few months ago. While her malnourished child received treatment, she was told about the upcoming polio campaign. She didn’t think twice about vaccinating her children, because she knows this is the best gift she can give them.
“Every time the vaccinators arrive, I take my children out to receive vaccines, and they are all doing well,” Fatima says.
Drop after drop, the team administers the oral polio vaccine to one child and then another, with the aim of protecting all the children in the shelter from polio. The disease can cause paralysis and even death if children are not vaccinated enough times.
By the end of the day, the team had covered 180 children, including 29 infants aged under 12 months and some zero-dose children, who had never previously received any vaccines. Impressed by the numbers reached, Mahmoud shares that the change in behaviour among this community didn’t just happen overnight. It is the result of years of regular health education efforts by health promoters, health workers and volunteers.
“We consistently engaged them through health education and awareness-raising sessions,” says Mahmoud, speaking of parents and caregivers. “We informed them that vaccination is a form of protection and provided examples of children from the community who did not receive vaccinations and how they suffered from diseases. As a result, they have become more accepting of vaccination.”
This was also coupled with the engagement of community leaders, like the local mayor of Barqiq valley, who have since become advocates for child health, including vaccination drives.
“These are our people and children, so we make every effort to include them in the health campaigns and routine immunizations,” says Mahmoud, a front-line hero for immunization efforts.
In total, the 4-day Red Sea State campaign provided polio vaccine and vitamin A to more than 200 000 children aged under 5 years. Similar campaigns in 8 other high-risk states of Sudan will begin in late May 2024 to ensure that all vulnerable, accessible children are protected, no matter where they are. Background to GPEI efforts in SudanAmid the war in Sudan, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners such as UNICEF and WHO have supported the country to prevent the further spread of its polio outbreak.
UNICEF is procuring and delivering vaccines and leading social mobilization activities at the community level to increase uptake of vaccination services. It is also orienting key campaign stakeholders, such as social mobilizers, religious and community leaders and the media, on their roles.
WHO has been technically supporting the development of microplans, the capacity-building of vaccinators, and intra- and post-campaign monitoring for vaccination campaigns. This is part of WHO’s ongoing efforts to support surveillance of poliovirus and the technical response to prevent its spread and boost children’s immunity, including through the rollout of polio vaccination campaigns.
Since the conflict in Sudan began, in April 2023, health infrastructure and immunization services have been disrupted. Hundreds of thousands of children have been left unvaccinated and at risk of infection from vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio. This situation is made worse by the displacement of large numbers of people.
When news of the positive poliovirus samples was reported, the Federal Ministry of Health sprang into action with the support of WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). After carrying out detailed investigations and risk assessments, a team of technical experts were deployed to identify various high-risk areas across Sudan requiring a response.
By the time the campaign was launched in Red Sea State, communities were well aware of its aims. Social mobilizers had seized every chance to visit and sensitize communities to polio vaccination. Messages played on the radio and from loudspeakers on vehicles echoed across villages, urging parents and caregivers to vaccinate all children aged under 5 years in the upcoming polio vaccination campaign. Health teams also worked with partners to reach children in displaced families. At the Agig Health Centre, Mahmoud, a health worker and vaccinator for 10 years, collects vaccines for the catchment area he is covering on day 3 of the campaign.
He plans to reach the mobile and hard-to-reach communities in Barqiq valley, in the mountains and along the border with Eritrea, where the nearest health facility is 40 km away. Until the start of May this year, these mobile communities will remain in the mountains. Come summer, they will travel to the countryside of Kassala State. "With these populations always on the move, there is a very real possibility that their children may miss out on vaccination activities,” says Mahmoud. “This means we have no time to waste in reaching these children."With the vaccines stored safely in cool boxes and vaccine carriers to maintain the optimum temperature, the team embarks on the journey from Agig to Barqiq valley. They first travel by car but switch to camels and donkeys for the last 2 hours, as the roads get rougher and narrower. Drop by drop, children are protectedWhen Mahmoud and his team arrive, parents and caregivers are patiently waiting in a makeshift straw-roofed shelter. They all share one thing in common – the desire to protect their children from preventable life-threatening diseases.
Fatima, mother to 4-year-old Mohammed, visited the health centre a few months ago. While her malnourished child received treatment, she was told about the upcoming polio campaign. She didn’t think twice about vaccinating her children, because she knows this is the best gift she can give them.
“Every time the vaccinators arrive, I take my children out to receive vaccines, and they are all doing well,” Fatima says.
Drop after drop, the team administers the oral polio vaccine to one child and then another, with the aim of protecting all the children in the shelter from polio. The disease can cause paralysis and even death if children are not vaccinated enough times.
By the end of the day, the team had covered 180 children, including 29 infants aged under 12 months and some zero-dose children, who had never previously received any vaccines. Impressed by the numbers reached, Mahmoud shares that the change in behaviour among this community didn’t just happen overnight. It is the result of years of regular health education efforts by health promoters, health workers and volunteers.
“We consistently engaged them through health education and awareness-raising sessions,” says Mahmoud, speaking of parents and caregivers. “We informed them that vaccination is a form of protection and provided examples of children from the community who did not receive vaccinations and how they suffered from diseases. As a result, they have become more accepting of vaccination.”
This was also coupled with the engagement of community leaders, like the local mayor of Barqiq valley, who have since become advocates for child health, including vaccination drives.
“These are our people and children, so we make every effort to include them in the health campaigns and routine immunizations,” says Mahmoud, a front-line hero for immunization efforts.
In total, the 4-day Red Sea State campaign provided polio vaccine and vitamin A to more than 200 000 children aged under 5 years. Similar campaigns in 8 other high-risk states of Sudan will begin in late May 2024 to ensure that all vulnerable, accessible children are protected, no matter where they are. Background to GPEI efforts in SudanAmid the war in Sudan, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners such as UNICEF and WHO have supported the country to prevent the further spread of its polio outbreak.
UNICEF is procuring and delivering vaccines and leading social mobilization activities at the community level to increase uptake of vaccination services. It is also orienting key campaign stakeholders, such as social mobilizers, religious and community leaders and the media, on their roles.
WHO has been technically supporting the development of microplans, the capacity-building of vaccinators, and intra- and post-campaign monitoring for vaccination campaigns. This is part of WHO’s ongoing efforts to support surveillance of poliovirus and the technical response to prevent its spread and boost children’s immunity, including through the rollout of polio vaccination campaigns.
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Story
08 March 2024
Enhancing the capacities of women in agriculture in Sudan
“I am feeling happy because I no longer have to buy maize from the market to feed my children” she said., Hawa is one of about 150 other women farmers in the area called Al-Saffarah in Al-Qalabat, about 20 kilometers southeast of Gedaref state. According to FAO -Women represent 49% of the farmers in the irrigated sector and 57% in the rainfed traditional sector in Sudan. Women in the rainfed sector are primarily subsistence farmers but they also work as seasonal wage labourers in the rainfed mechanized sector, and as hired or unpaid family labourers in the irrigated sector. Although women play a crucial role in agriculture, contributing to both the GDP and to household food security, their contribution to agriculture and the overall economic development process continues to be undervalued.Hawa comes from a poor background with nine family members. She rented land and grew agricultural produce to protect herself and her family from hunger and misery. She used to produce about 3 bags of sorghum per year, but she couldn’t plant for two years due to the difficult economic conditions. In 2023, Hawawas finally able to plant after receiving seeds and agriculture equipment from UN WOMEN in collaboration with FAO and AICS under the WE_RISE project... She planted about one and a half hectares and harvestedfour bags of a sorghum in 2024. Hawa added that the biggest challenge for her was the weed called “Buda”, which is common in the area. She had a lot of trouble fighting and eradicating it and preventing its harvest until the end of the season.Hawa is one of the beneficiaries of the WE_ RISE project, having received seeds along with 30 other women farmers in her village as part of a program funded by the European Union aim to create an environment that promotes the economic empowerment of women living in the most basic conditions in the States of Khartoum, Kassala, Gedaref and the Blue Sea.D. Awatif Nahar, Economist and Gender specialist said, “The increase in the productivity in the current humanitarian crisis is substantial to reducing the food insecurity risk and enhancing the local economy growth”.The program also aims to encourage women's economic empowerment, contribute to gender equality and women's rights by promoting social health and strengthening national capacities.
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08 March 2024
A Celebration of Women Who Stayed to Serve-Sudan
Women continue to play a critical role in the recovery and reconstruction of Sudan despite being the largest population disproportionately affected by the protracted conflict. To date, the conflict has displaced and impacted 8.1 million people out of which 69% are women, which amounts to 12.4% of the total population of Sudan. Though a grave situation in the country, the women’s resilience has not been waived. One inspiring success story of a woman working in a conflict-affected area is about Nada Bashir, a project manager for UNOPS in Sudan. Nada’s journey is a testament to the resilience, courage, and commitment of women. Nada Graduated from Khartoum University with an Architectural Engineer and has more than 21 years of experience in the field of project management, 9 of which were in UAE where she became the first female to be allowed to work inside the National Drilling Company site. She is passionate about project management and was the first Sudanese Project Management Professional holder since 2005 (Colorado - USA).In 2021, Nada decided to go back to Sudan as she became increasingly aware of the challenges faced by women and children in her country. At that time she hadn't even secured any job - but her decision was based on her passion and interest in serving the people of Sudan. After the war broke out in 2023, despite the danger and the challenge, she kept working and was determined to make a difference in her community. “I knew my people were in need more than ever, so I decided to continue working as long as the situation allows me,” Nada says. With a unique combination of technical competencies and managerial abilities acquired during demanding roles in complex multi-million construction projects, Nada is currently focused on health infrastructure. To address the inadequate health infrastructure in Kassala, UNOPS Sudan and the Italian Government have been working together to implement a $10.5 million project. In 2023, UNOPS rehabilitated the diagnostic centre, renovated the blood bank, and constructed the Saudi Maternity Hospital’s new technical building as well as its public facilities blocks. With a population of around 2.8 million, Kassala town serves as the capital of Kassala State in Eastern Sudan. As a result of civil unrest, Kassala state is currently receiving an increasing number of IDPs which is growing daily. “When the war erupted, I had two open sites with unfinished works. Mobilizing the contractors to complete the work was not an easy task. In addition to the psychological pressures, we didn't have an internet connection, telephone lines were cut off, and much more… Against all odds, we managed to complete and hand over the first phase of the project. These health facilities are the main and only facilities of its nature which are currently serving not only Kassala residents but more than 175,000 IDPs. Now when I see the smiles of the facilities managers and the satisfaction of the beneficiaries while using those completed buildings, I couldn't be happier!” Nada proudly says. She continues explaining: “You know that out of the 2.8 million beneficiaries, 24.8% are women, 15% are children below five years old, and 4.9% are people living with disabilities - I believe I have not only contributed to the success of the project but also saved the lives of countless women and children. The project has contributed to the broader goal of rebuilding a more resilient and inclusive society in Kasalah, Sudan.” “I say to all the women out there working in a challenging environment, believe in what you are doing, and no matter how difficult it is, it is not impossible,” Nada concludes. Going forward, UNOPS will complete the General Surgery Unit, operation theaters and construction of the two main roads of the Kassala Health Citadel with external pavement and rehabilitation of the external areas between the blood bank and the diagnostic centre.
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Story
27 February 2024
As Sudan’s war rages, fallout spreads to nearby countries
Marie-Helena Laurent. Eloge Mbaihondoum and Elizabeth Bryant Kadidja Abakar is haunted by the people she left behind, after fleeing her home in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region. “We saw dead bodies along the way,” recalls the mother of six. “The wounded lay in their blood, crying for help. But there was nobody to assist them.” Today, Abakar and her children are safe, after having crossed into eastern Chad last July. Other family members have since joined them at an overcrowded tent camp in the border town of Adre. But that is their only comfort. Tens of thousands of fellow Sudanese refugees in Adre lack water, shelter and proper hygiene. There is just one latrine for every 300 or more people.
And while the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food and nutrition assistance to hundreds of thousands of people arriving here from Sudan, funding cuts and impending rains – cutting off access to remote places – may dramatically shrink that support. “Only the luckiest have one meal a day,” says Abakar, her brightly colored gown contrasting sharply with the desolate desert landscape. “I can’t imagine how our situation would be if WFP stopped distributing food in the camp.” The dearth of funds – also faced by other humanitarian partners – is deepening and widening the nearly year-old Sudan crisis. Fighting that erupted and spread from capital Khartoum last April has uprooted nearly 8 million people. Of those, some 1.8 million have fled to neighboring countries, mostly to Chad and South Sudan. While WFP has mounted a massive humanitarian response, the funding crunch is now forcing us to cut assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in both countries. “The impact of this conflict spans three countries – Sudan, South Sudan and Chad - and has created the world’s largest displacement crisis,” said WFP Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa, during a recent visit to the South Sudanese border town of Renk. “The children and women who are crossing to South Sudan or Chad are hungry and arriving with no resources.”Nothing to eat Chad has seen its refugee population double over the past year, with more than half-a-million people crossing the border from Sudan. Many arrive injured and acutely hungry, with horrific tales of their journeys and the war. Like Abakar, a large chunk come from Darfur, just across the border.“Armed men hit us and chased us. They burnt our homes and stole all our belongings,” says grandmother Macka Adam, who fled the West Darfur city of El-Geneina. Her brother and a cousin died in the unrest. Other family members went missing. “Until now, we don’t know what has happened to them,” she says.
WFP distributes cereals, pulses, iodized salt and oil to the new arrivals, as well as specialized nutritious food to young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. But insufficient financing has forced us to cut food assistance to more than 300,000 hungry people, including longstanding refugees from other parts of Africa. Without new funds, those cuts will affect even more people, including those who fled Sudan. The consequences could be catastrophic. Already, some 2.9 million people are projected to face acute hunger in Chad during the lean season between harvests this year, expert findings show – the highest level ever recorded for that period. The refugee population in eastern Chad, along with other fragile communities, counts among the most vulnerable. Funds are needed swiftly so WFP can position food ahead of June rains, which risk cutting off routes to remote communities.“To avoid disaster, we urgently need US$224 million to build up food stocks before rising rivers cut off roads,” said Pierre Honnorat, WFP’s Country Director in Chad.In Adre, refugee Abakar sold the few belongings she arrived with to help feed her large family. But those funds quickly ran out. Even with WFP food assistance, her children cry from hunger. She is weak from nursing her youngest. “The days when there is nothing to eat are the most difficult,” she says. Fears of a forgotten crisisThe situation is similarly dire in South Sudan. More than half-a-million people have arrived from Sudan since last April. Many are South Sudanese returnees, but increasing numbers are from Sudan. “What we need is food,” says Sudanese refugee Mehida Ibrahim, a mother of three who arrived in Renk, South Sudan’s overcrowded border crossing. “The immediate support we need is to eat, to be able to survive.” These refugees are arriving in a country where WFP has already slashed food rations, as a funding crunch bites. Almost 60 percent of South Sudan’s population faces crisis or worse levels of food insecurity, but we can only support those experiencing the most critical hunger emergency. As the number of refugees and returnees from Sudan continues to grow, it’s putting additional pressure on already-stretched resources. Desperate people are arriving to face a desperate context. “People crossing the border into South Sudan are exhausted,” says Aachal Chand, WFP's head of nutrition and school feeding in South Sudan. “They are really desperate for assistance. They are desperate for a safe place to escape the crisis in Sudan.” Despite the funding constraints, WFP continues to provide fortified biscuits and enough cash assistance for a week, as well as nutrition support for women and young children. But many people are staying in Renk far longer than the week our cash support covers. Malnutrition deepens the longer they stay, running through their resources. Indeed, the Sudanese arrivals account for more than one-third of those facing catastrophic hunger in South Sudan – even though they make up only 3 percent of the total population. “Sudan and its impact on South Sudan are becoming forgotten,” Chand says of international attention, as other calamities capture news headlines. “We must make sure we do not forget this crisis.” Such fears are also expressed in Chad, where grandmother Macka Adam worries about relatives still caught up in Sudan’s fighting – and about the future. “Even if I’ve found security and peace in Chad,” she says, “my heart is still in Sudan.”
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Story
31 May 2023
UN humanitarians complete first food distribution in Khartoum as hunger, threats to children, intensify
For the first time since fighting broke out in Sudan on 15 April, humanitarians have been able to reach desperate families trapped in the conflict’s epicentre, Khartoum, with food assistance, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. WFP’s Country Director in Sudan, Eddie Rowe, told reporters in Geneva that in a major breakthrough, the agency distributed food assistance to 15,000 people in both Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled areas of Omdurman, part of the Khartoum metropolitan area, beginning on Saturday. Speaking from Port Sudan, Mr. Rowe highlighted other recent food distributions, in Wadi Halfa in Northern State to reach 8,000 people fleeing Khartoum and on their way to Egypt, as well as to 4,000 newly displaced people in Port Sudan. Rapidly scaling up support In total, WFP has been able to reach 725,000 people across 13 states in the country since it resumed its operations on 3 May, following a pause brought on by the killing of three aid workers at the start of the conflict. Mr. Rowe said that WFP was rapidly scaling up its support, which they expected to expand depending on progress in negotiations for humanitarian access for all regions, including the Darfurs and Kordofans, strongly impacted by violence and displacement. Hunger on the rise In addition to the 16 million Sudanese who were already finding it “very difficult to afford a meal a day” before the fighting started, Mr. Rowe warned that the conflict compounded by the upcoming hunger season, could increase the food insecure population by about 2.5 million people in the coming months. With the lean season fast approaching, WFP’s plan was to reach 5.9 million people across Sudan over the next six months, he said. He stressed that WFP needed a total of $730 million to provide required assistance as well as telecommunications and logistics services to the humanitarian community, including all of the UN agencies operating in Sudan. 17,000 tonnes of food lost to looting He also reiterated the humanitarian community’s call on all parties to the conflict to enable the safe delivery of urgently needed food aid, and deplored that so far, WFP had lost about 17,000 metric tonnes of food to widespread looting across the country, particularly in the Darfurs. Just two days ago, he said, the agency’s main hub in El Obeid, North Kordofan, came under threat and looting of assets and vehicles was already confirmed. Over 13 million children in need The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that “more children in Sudan today require lifesaving support than ever before”, with 13.6 million children in need of urgent assistance. “That’s more than the entire population of Sweden, of Portugal, of Rwanda,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva. According to reports received by UNICEF, hundreds of girls and boys have been killed in the fighting. “While we are unable to confirm these due to the intensity of the violence, we also have reports that thousands of children have been maimed,” Mr. Elder said. ‘Death sentence’ He also pointed out that reports of children killed or injured are only those who had contact with a medical facility, meaning that the reality is “no doubt much worse” and compounded by a lack of access to life-saving services including nutrition, safe water, and healthcare. Mr. Elder alerted that “all these factors combined, risk becoming a death sentence, especially for the most vulnerable”. UNICEF called for funding to the tune of $838 million to address the crisis, an increase of $253 million since the current conflict began in April, to reach 10 million children. Mr. Elder stressed that only 5 per cent of the required amount had been received so far, and that without the therapeutic food and vaccines which this money would allow to secure, children would be dying. Healthcare under attack The dire situation of healthcare in the country has been aggravated by continuing attacks on medical facilities. From the start of the conflict on 15 till 25 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) verified 45 attacks on healthcare, which led to eight deaths and 18 injuries, the agency’s spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said. He also cited reports of military occupation of hospitals and medical supplies warehouses, which made it impossible for people in need to access chronic disease medicines or malaria treatment. Mr. Jašarević recalled that attacks on healthcare are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop. Keep borders open: Grandi The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded a three-day visit to Egypt on Tuesday, with an urgent call for support for people fleeing Sudan – and the countries hosting them – insisting that the borders must remain open. More than 170,000 people have entered Egypt since the conflict started – many through Qoustul, a border crossing that Grandi visited close to the end of his trip. The country hosts around half of the more than 345,000 people who have recently fled Sudan. Mr. Grandi met newly arrived refugees and Egyptian border officials, to get a sense of the hardships being endured. Loss ‘on a huge scale’ “I heard harrowing experiences: loss of life and property on a huge scale,” Grandi said. “People spoke of risky and expensive journeys to arrive here to safety. Many families have been torn apart. They are traumatized and urgently need our protection and support.“ The UNHCR chief also held talks with the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, and discussed how best to support refugees and mobilize resources for host countries, not least Egypt. “I commend Egypt for its long-standing commitment to providing a safe haven to those fleeing violence,” Mr. Grandi said. “The Government, the Egyptian Red Cresent and the people, have been very generous in supporting arrivals. We urgently need to mobilize more resources to help them to maintain this generosity.” Prior to this conflict, Egypt was already host to a large refugee population of 300,000 people from 55 different nationalities. After registering with UNHCR, refugees and asylum-seekers have access to a wide range of services including health and education. UNHCR’s emergency cash assistance programme started during the last week. This article first appeared in UN News.
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Press Release
16 May 2024
Small window remains to avert disaster in Sudan's war-torn regions, warns WFP Deputy Executive Director
“The situation is desperate and quickly deteriorating. WFP is currently reaching some 2.5 million people. We have the capacity to scale up and expand our assistance, but for that we need all parties to facilitate access – both across the warring front lines, as well as cross-border from Chad and South Sudan,” said WFP’s Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau following a mission to Sudan this week. “Only a few weeks remain to stock up food supplies in parts of Darfur and Kordofan before the rainy season starts and many roads become impassible. Farmers also need to safely reach their farmlands to plant ahead of the rains,” he added. At least 5 million people in Sudan are on the brink of starvation (IPC4). WFP experts warn that number may have significantly increased since the last Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) assessment in December 2023. A preliminary WFP analysis has identified 41 hunger hotspots that are high-risk of slipping into famine (IPC5) in the coming month, most of them in access constrained areas where conflict is raging including in the Darfur and Kordofan region and Khartoum. In Port Sudan, Deputy Executive Director Skau met with a senior member of the Sudan Sovereignty Council, the Sudan Federal Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, and Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture. They recognized the severity of the situation and committed to facilitate cross-line deliveries, more flexibility in using the Tine border crossing from Chad into North Darfur, and to consider allowing WFP convoys to cross via the currently-closed Adre border crossing. As progress is currently being made with SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) on humanitarian access, facilitation of access to the Kordofan region, including through a cross-border route from South Sudan, is also anticipated.In addition, commitments were given that the WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service could open an airbridge to Kassala from Port Sudan, and that WFP would be able to bring additional ITC equipment to ensure connectivity for the humanitarian system in remote field locations. “These indications are welcome steps to improve the humanitarian operating environment in Sudan. Commitments made by all parties to facilitate humanitarian access urgently need to be translated into realities on the ground,” said WFP’s Deputy Executive Director. Escalating fighting in North Darfur’s capital El Fasher in recent days has resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries, damaged the only operational hospital in the state, and hampered humanitarian access to the city and beyond. “I urge the warring parties to uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and to stop the fighting,” he added. WFP has repeatedly been warning that Sudan could become the world’s worst hunger crisis as the conflict enters its second year. The window to prevent famine is rapidly closing without immediate action. “The situation in Sudan has not been given the attention it deserves. That must change now. Concerted diplomatic efforts and more resources are urgently needed to protect civilians and to strengthen the humanitarian response. WFP is committed and ready to do its part,” WFP Deputy Executive Director said. ###CONTACTFor more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):Leni Kinzli, WFP/Sudan, Mob. +249 91 277 1269 / +254 769 60 2340
Deborah Nguyen, WFP/ Nairobi. Tel, +254 734554021Annabel Symington, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 342 1884921
Nina Valente, WFP/ London, Mob. +44 (0)796 8008 474
Martin Rentsch, WFP/Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30
Shaza Moghraby, WFP/New York, Mob. + 1 929 289 9867
Steve Taravella, WFP/ Washington, Mob. +1 202 770 5993
Deborah Nguyen, WFP/ Nairobi. Tel, +254 734554021Annabel Symington, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 342 1884921
Nina Valente, WFP/ London, Mob. +44 (0)796 8008 474
Martin Rentsch, WFP/Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30
Shaza Moghraby, WFP/New York, Mob. + 1 929 289 9867
Steve Taravella, WFP/ Washington, Mob. +1 202 770 5993
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Press Release
14 May 2024
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on Sudan
The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and calls on them to allow the civilian population to move to safer areas. He also requests that all parties facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need in El Fasher, across Darfur and the Sudan. Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and willfully impeding humanitarian relief for civilians in need may constitute war crimes.The Secretary-General urges the parties to immediately stop the fighting and resume ceasefire negotiations without further delay. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
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Press Release
12 May 2024
Sudan's Humanitarian Coordinator calls for immediate ceasefire in Al Fasher to safeguard civilians
I am gravely concerned by the eruption of clashes in Al Fasher despite repeated calls to parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking the city.I reiterate - the violence threatens the lives of over 800,000 civilians who reside in Al Fasher.I am equally disturbed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry and attacks in highly populated areas in the city center and the outskirts of Al Fasher, resulting in multiple casualties.Wounded civilians are being rushed to Al Fasher Hospital. Civilians trying to flee are trapped in fierce fighting.Already months of escalating violence around the city has hampered the sustained flow of aid and basic commodities, pushing people to the brink of famine. The capacity of health facilities is severely depleted.It is heartbreaking to see this nightmare unfolding – conflict continuing to spread engulfing large parts of the country.And again, civilians – men, women and children, paying the highest prices – their lives.This must stop.My plea to all parties engaged in the fighting is to uphold their international law obligations to protect civilians and stop the fighting.The world is watching as this tragedy unfolds.
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Press Release
05 May 2024
WFP warns time is running out to prevent starvation in Darfur as violence in El Fasher escalates
Civilians in El Fasher and the wider Darfur region are already facing devastating levels of hunger, yet deliveries of food assistance have been intermittent due to fighting and endless bureaucratic hurdles. The latest escalation of violence around El Fasher has halted aid convoys coming from Chad’s Tine border crossing – a recently opened humanitarian corridor that passes through North Darfur’s capital. Meanwhile, restrictions from the authorities in Port Sudan are preventing WFP from transporting assistance via Adre, the only other viable cross-border corridor from Chad. The route can serve West Darfur and other locations in Central, South and East Darfur. These access constraints are jeopardizing WFP's plans to provide vital assistance to over 700,000 people ahead of the rainy season when many roads across Darfur become impassable. “Our calls for humanitarian access to conflict hotspots in Sudan have never been more critical: WFP urgently requires unrestricted access and security guarantees to deliver assistance to the families struggling for survival amid devastating levels of violence. We must be able to use the Adre border crossing and move assistance across frontlines from Port Sudan so we can reach people throughout the Darfur region,” said Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa. The recent surge in violence in El Fasher is exacerbating critical humanitarian needs in Darfur, where at least 1.7 million people are already experiencing emergency levels of hunger (IPC4). El Fasher had been a relative safe-haven for families, hosting many IDP camps that pre-date the current conflict. Yet conditions were already critical with reports of children dying of malnutrition. Now many are being forced to flee El Fasher and surrounding areas – some for the second or third time – and are becoming increasingly vulnerable. On top of the impact of the escalating violence, WFP is concerned that hunger will increase dramatically as the lean season between harvests sets in and people run out of food. “The situation is dire. People are resorting to consuming grass and peanut shells. If assistance doesn't reach them soon, we risk witnessing widespread starvation and death in Darfur and across other conflict-affected areas in Sudan," said Dunford. Over the last six weeks, WFP has delivered emergency food and nutrition assistance to over 300,000 people in North, West, and Central Darfur using the Tine and Adre border crossings and a crossline route from Port Sudan. These breakthroughs followed lengthy negotiations. But the progress appears to have been short-lived with all routes now blocked. WFP and the rest of the humanitarian community needs to be able to deliver humanitarian assistance consistently and at scale to prevent a worsening of the crisis. One year of conflict in Sudan has created an unprecedented hunger catastrophe and threatens to ignite the world’s largest hunger crisis. With almost 28 million people facing acute food insecurity across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad, the conflict is spilling over and exacerbating the challenges already faced by its neighbours. The window to avert the worst is rapidly closing. A concerted diplomatic effort by the international community is needed to push the warring parties to provide access and safety guarantees and adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law. # # # For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Leni Kinzli, WFP/Sudan, Mob. +254 769602340 Deborah Nguyen, WFP/ Nairobi. Tel, +254 734554021 Annabel Symington, WFP/ Rome, Mob. +39 342 1884921 Nina Valente, WFP/ London, Mob. +44 (0)796 8008 474 Martin Rentsch, WFP/Berlin, Mob +49 160 99 26 17 30 Shaza Moghraby, WFP/New York, Mob. + 1 929 289 9867 Steve Taravella, WFP/ Washington, Mob. +1 202 770 5993
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Press Release
28 April 2024
Note to Correspondents: On Sudan (the situation in El Fasher)
The Rapid Support Forces are reportedly encircling El Fasher, suggesting a coordinated move to attack the city may be imminent. Simultaneously, the Sudanese Armed Forces appear to be positioning themselves.An attack on the city would have devastating consequences for the civilian population. This escalation of tensions is in an area already on the brink of famine.The Secretary-General reiterates his call on all Parties to refrain from fighting in the El Fasher area.The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, is engaging with the Parties to de-escalate tensions in El Fasher.****************************New YorkOffice of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
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