Sudan: UN Official Calls for Unimpeded Humanitarian Access

Clementine Nkweta-Salami UN Humanitarian Coordinator speaks to the media on October 5, 2023.

August 1, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – The humanitarian community in Sudan is appealing for urgent resources and unimpeded humanitarian access following a new report confirming localized famine conditions in North Darfur state.

An assessment by the Famine Review Committee (FRC) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded that famine conditions are prevalent in parts of North Darfur, including the Zamzam camp in El Fasher.

“The United Nations and its partners in Sudan take note of these findings, which reflect the gravity of the humanitarian situation on the ground,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.

She added, “The people of Sudan have suffered relentlessly since conflict broke out more than 15 months ago. This is a man-made crisis, one which can be resolved if all parties and stakeholders uphold their responsibilities and commitments to the populations in desperate need. The humanitarian community in Sudan has been ringing the alarm about the unfolding hunger catastrophe and the risk of famine while conflict has raged on, causing displacement, disrupting basic services, destroying livelihoods and severely restricting humanitarian access.”

In its report, the FRC analysis concluded that famine conditions are ongoing in Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp in North Darfur as of June and July 2024 and are likely to persist into August through October 2024.

The FRC further said it is also plausible that similar conditions are likely affecting other IDP sites in the Al Fasher area in North Darfur, particularly the Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps, saying there is an urgent need to assess these locations.

People are likely experiencing similar conditions in the other 13 areas at risk of famine that were listed in the IPC analysis released in June 2024. The analysis highlighted that Sudan faced the worst levels of acute food insecurity in its history, with more than half of its population in acute hunger.

That includes more than 8.5 million people facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4), as well as more than 755,000 people who are in catastrophic conditions (IPC 5) in Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Al Jazirah, and Khartoum.

“We have been scaling up our response over recent months, but the needs are immense – and there isn’t a moment to waste,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.

“The humanitarian community is pushing ahead on multiple fronts, including urgently moving food, nutrition and health supplies and agricultural inputs to the highest risk areas; ramping up cash assistance to communities in need; and scaling up presence where hunger is most acute,” she added.

The officials said the guns needed to be silenced to enable humanitarians to reach the people in need.

“We need an urgent injection of funding for the aid operation as well as safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, including across borders and battle lines,” stressed Nkweta-Salami.

More than 125 humanitarian organizations are on the ground, having supported nearly 8 million people with some form of humanitarian aid between January and June 2024.

Also, aid workers continue to face major humanitarian access challenges, including active conflict, insecurity and systematic obstructions such as deliberate denials of access.

According to the UN official, the ongoing rainy season is further constraining access; Tine crossing – the only cross-border route available for humanitarian movements from Chad into Darfur since the Adre crossing was closed in February 2024, is largely impassable due to flooding.

The Sudan humanitarian appeal, seeking $2.7 billion, is reportedly just 32 per cent funded, leaving major funding gaps, including for local organizations who are on the forefront of response efforts.

“To stop a large-scale famine from taking hold, donors must urgently scale up their financial support while using diplomatic means to push for opening up of humanitarian access,” stated the humanitarian coordinator, adding “If not, we will see an even more catastrophic situation unfold.”

There are concerns that restrictions on humanitarian access, including intentional impediments imposed by the active parties to the conflict, have severely restricted the capability of aid agencies to effectively scale up their response efforts.

These obstructions have critically hindered the delivery of necessary aid and exacerbated the food crisis, driving some households into famine conditions.

In addition, basic human needs for health services, water, food, nutrition, shelter, and protection are not being met due to a multi-sectoral collapse in the country.

(ST)