The humanitarian situation in Sudan is deeply alarming, according to Joyce Msuya, the acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Msuya made these comments public through a press release on Wednesday during a High-Level Side Event at the 79th Session of the General Assembly in New York.
In her presentation, “The Cost of Inaction: Urgent and Collective Support to Scale Up the Humanitarian Response in Sudan and the Region,” Msuya noted that the people of Sudan continue to suffer due to a war marked by egregious violations of human rights.
She claimed that sexual assault has become a weapon of war, particularly against women and girls, and that hundreds of civilians are being killed in attacks on residential areas.
Attacks motivated by ethnic tensions, along with reports of rape, summary executions, and forced relocations, are prevalent in West Darfur.
“And now, we have witnessed a dramatic escalation of violence in El Fasher in North Darfur, inflicting further death and destruction, with confrontations also continuing to directly harm residents in numerous other areas,” Msuya stated. The fighting began during the rainy season and has persisted even after the devastating floods subsided.
She further stated that this conflict has led to one of the worst displacement crises in history, leaving 25.6 million people—more than half of Sudan’s population—severely food insecure.
Last month, starvation was documented in the Zamzam displacement camp near El Fasher. Similar conditions are likely present in other neighboring sites, putting many areas at urgent risk.
Acute malnutrition already affects approximately 5 million children under the age of five, as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Msuya explained that the already dire situation has been exacerbated by significant restrictions on humanitarian access due to a precarious security scenario that complicates the movement of supplies and endangers humanitarian personnel.
A wide array of administrative and regulatory barriers further complicates and delays the distribution of goods and the mobility of humanitarian workers. Access to critical regions is often denied, she claimed.
Additionally, Sudan has recently experienced intense rains that have damaged bridges, highways, and a vital dam, facilitating the rapid spread of cholera and other diseases.
Msuya appealed to the global community to act quickly and decisively to protect and assist civilians in Sudan.
“First and foremost, we urge member states to take every possible action to stop the heinous transgressions against international humanitarian law and violations of human rights legislation.”
“Secondly, a coordinated diplomatic effort is required to bring about a significant improvement in humanitarian access, ensuring the expedient, safe, and effective distribution of relief through all available channels—both cross-border and cross-line,” she declared.
Msuya urged UN members to support efforts to increase the volume of assistance through these crossings and to extend this lifeline beyond the initial three-month period without imposing new processes that may further delay operations. She welcomed the recent announcement made by the President of the Sovereign Council of Sudan to reopen the vital Adre crossing from Chad.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been at odds in the conflict that has been ongoing since April 2023. Thousands of people have died as a result, and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes and live in camps for internally displaced persons or as refugees in neighboring countries. Despite various attempts to resolve the conflict, all sides remain focused on achieving a military victory.
