United Nations officials and agencies warned Wednesday of a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, amid escalating battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the collapse of relief operations, and rising violations against civilians.
Following his meeting with Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Port Sudan, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said that the humanitarian situation in Sudan remains at a critical level under the current conditions, noting the UN’s readiness to operate in all parts of the country.
For his part, Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to expanding assistance to reach the most hard-to-access areas in Sudan. He added that the WFP will support local farmers and help revive markets in Khartoum and other regions.
The UN Office for Human Rights in Sudan warned that about 25 million Sudanese are facing acute food insecurity, stressing that the conflict has created a severe human rights crisis and one of the largest humanitarian emergencies in the world.
The office reported that thousands have been killed, hundreds of cases of sexual violence have been documented, and countless violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws have been committed. It said that around 12 million people have been displaced since April 2023, making Sudan the site of the world’s largest displacement crisis today.
In related remarks, the UN Women office revealed harrowing testimonies from displaced women in El-Fasher, who described systematic killings, rapes, and child abductions, confirming that rape is being used as a weapon of war.
“Women have endured horrors beyond what anyone can bear,” said Anna Mutavati, UN Women’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, speaking to journalists in Geneva via video link. She stressed that violence is widespread and that there is clear evidence of rape being used deliberately and systematically as a weapon of war.
Last week, the UN Security Council condemned the RSF attack on the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, warning of its devastating impact on civilians and calling for accountability for all those responsible for violations.
