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Press Release
19 July 2024
Statement of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, after the conclusion of the Geneva Proximity Talks
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Video
16 July 2024
WHO: Hunger forces more displacement as UN-hosted talks continue
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Press Release
12 July 2024
UN expert raises alarm at dire human rights situation
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Latest
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:
Publication
21 July 2024
United Nations in Sudan Annual Report 2023
This report focuses on 2023, another challenging year for Sudan as political crises escalated and remained unresolved. As of April 2024, one year into the devastating country-wide conflict, half of Sudan’s population, 25 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Additionally, 8.6 million people are displaced inside and outside Sudan, and over 14,000 women, men, and children have reportedly been killed.The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Sudan responded to the outbreak of violence in April 2023 by relocating many programmes and agencies to Port Sudan. We quickly adjusted programmatic and funding priorities to open new offices and warehouses to meet the most immediate needs in an ever-changing and worsening situation. The need for shelter, food, water, sanitation, protection, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention, trauma care and other assistance continues to increase throughout the country.In 2024, UN partners appealed for US$4.1 billion through the 2024 Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the 2024 Sudan Refuge Response Plan to address the most urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan and neighbouring countries hosting large populations of Sudanese refugees. This represents a significant increase from the 2023 appeal of $2.56 billion which was the largest appeal for the country at the time, highlighting the severity of the situation on the ground.Insecurity and looting of partners’ assets and supplies have challenged the humanitarian response, as have floods and other destruction of infrastructure. Nonetheless, several key achievements were realized through UN programmes and interventions, including: 15.4 million children screened for malnutrition; 8.5 million children under-five vaccinated against polio; 6.2 million people benefitted from food assistance; 313,400 children received lifesaving malnutrition treatment; nearly 200,000 children and women accessed GBV risk mitigation, prevention, or response interventions; over 150,000 people learned about mine and UXO risk and peacebuilding; nine human rights forums organized; and the Darfur Permanent Ceasefire Committee established and operationalized.I thank our partners and the dedicated UN staff in Sudan and elsewhere for their dedication, commitment and contributions amidst this challenging environment. The UN is committed to continuing and expanding our lifesaving work, with a focus on returning to political negotiations and alleviating human suffering.Clementine Nkweta-SalamiDeputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan
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Story
05 May 2023
Escaping Sudan: Home alone, with warplanes overhead
When fighting erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, 25-year-old Arafa was at home alone with her two young children.
“I spent the night in fear, unable to go out of my house, as people were being killed everywhere,” she said, worrying about how she would protect her five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.
Panicked by the sounds of shooting and warplanes flying overhead, she tried calling her husband at work, only to learn from friends that he had been shot dead.
No time to mourn
With no time to mourn and no clear plan, she fled Khartoum with her two young children in a desperate bid to escape. Setting out by bus, she arrived in Madani, a city 135 kilometres southeast of Khartoum, where a local man offered to help them leave the country.
Together with five others, they were driven to Port Sudan, the country’s main eastern seaport. From there they walked for a whole day before finding transport towards the Egyptian border.
“I was scared, tired, and without hope,” she said, noting that she spent 80 hours without food or water. “The road was difficult, and the continued sound of gunfire was deafening. I did not think we would make it. I was holding my children in my arms, fearing the war, the journey to asylum, and the long road ahead.”
Nowhere else to go
After crossing the border, they were eventually driven to Cairo and dropped off in a square in the unfamiliar city. With nowhere else to go, Arafa and her children spent the night on the street.
Arafa said that in the morning, a South Sudanese woman was passing by and saw her.
“She advised me to go to the office of UNHCR and register with them,” she said, adding that her family is now registered for assistance with the agency and is living with the kind South Sudanese woman.
‘We are together, with the refugees’
Like the other countries neighbouring Sudan that have been impacted by the conflict, Egypt already hosts a large refugee population.
With UNHCR operations in these countries already acutely underfunded, the refugee agency said increased support will be vital to respond to the humanitarian needs of those fleeing the violence.
That includes about 60,000 Khartoum residents that have fled the city for safety.
Randa Osman, an assistant field officer with UNHCR, provided an update from the Shagarab Refugee Camp in eastern Sudan.
“Despite the ongoing conflict, we are together, hand by hand, with the refugees, listening to them, and being with the people we serve in all situations in Sudan,” she said.
Amid airstrikes, armed attacks, and urban warfare, more than 100,000 Sudanese have already reportedly escaped into neighbouring countries, with their harrowing stories echoing the plight of tens of thousands of others who are frantically fleeing, since fierce fighting between rival military groups began on 15 April.
Devastating chaos
For Marwa, who was preparing breakfast for her 11-month-old son in their home near Khartoum airport on that morning, life changed in an instant. The humanitarian worker had planned on that Saturday to welcome home her husband from a trip ahead of Eid celebrations.
Instead, after days of devastating chaos, shooting, and violence, she wended through embattled streets to find a way to escape.
Grabbing a few belongings, including some medication and some clothes, she joined thousands of other families fleeing for safety.
Her journey from Khartoum to Egypt was a stressful, exhausting mix of heat, hunger, fear, sleepless nights, and mosquito bites, she said.
Now in a safe place, Marwa said she feels helpless, unable to help those who have remained behind.
“As a person working in the humanitarian field, it was very hard for me to see this situation but be unable to help,” she said. “My husband is still in Kassala, and we have no idea how we’ll be reunited. We’re still trying to work that out.”
Fleeing with nothing
“We fled Sudan for Chad,” said Halime Issakh Oumar, who is now a refugee. “We want to be safe. There is no security. We came with nothing, not even food or something to drink.”
The stories of Arafa, Marwa, and Halime mirror those of almost 21,000 Sudanese who sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. Another 10,000 Sudanese have fled to Central African Republic, and, as of Thursday, 47,000 have escaped to safety in Egypt, according UN reports.
In these countries as well as neighbouring Ethiopia and South Sudan, thousands of men, women, and children are arriving, some after perilous journeys, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and other UN entities.
Assisting growing numbers of refugees
Africa’s second largest refugee-hosting country, Sudan hosts more than 1.14 million refugees. Before the onset of the conflict, more than 3.7 million people were internally displaced, and now, there are many more, UNHCR said.
As the warring military factions have repeatedly broken fragile ceasefire agreements, several UN agencies say the numbers of refugees will continue to grow.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is currently recording more than 1,000 daily arrivals in Ethiopia, where the majority – 39 per cent – are returning Ethiopians, and 17 per cent are Sudanese and third country nationals from more than 50 other countries.
Raghuveer Sharma, who moved to Sudan from India in 2021, had worked at a steel plant outside Khartoum at the outset of the conflict. For a full week, armed groups had entered the premises daily, looting and firing weapons indiscriminately, taking a hostage, and demanding vehicles and mobile phones, he told UN News.
“We made a plan that as soon as armed groups entered the guest house, we would not let them come inside,” he said. “As long as we had vehicles and mobile phones, our lives would be spared.”
Grateful for being evacuated, he said he hopes the situation in Sudan returns to normal soon.
A ‘perfect storm’
The UN estimates that as many as 270,000 Sudanese could end up crossing the seven international borders of the 48 million-strong nation – the third largest country in Africa.
UNHCR said on Thursday that the agency is expecting an outflow of 860,000 refugees and returnees from Sudan.
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned of “a perfect storm” in Chad, where the influx of refugees is unfolding weeks before the onset of the lean season between harvests, which is expected to leave an estimated 1.9 million people severely food insecure.
Pounding rains arriving about the same time, threaten to turn swathes of desert into rivers, imperiling deliveries of key food assistance to the refugees and other vulnerable groups, the agency said.
“It’s a perfect storm,” said Pierre Honnorat, WFP Country Director and Representative in Chad. “The lean season coming in June, and the rainy season that will cut off all those regions.”
Everything lost ‘in the blink of an eye’
The Sudanese people’s stories paint a somber picture of how conflict can instantaneously shatter lives.
A 16-year-old Sudanese girl had made it across the Chadian border to safety.
“I would love to go back to my country,” she said, “but only if we are safe there.”
While many have managed to escape the fighting and reach safety, Arafa said her own family’s future feels far from secure.
“I can’t believe I am here in Egypt now, but I am still afraid of everything,” Arafa said. “I need help. I am afraid of the future. I lost my home, my husband, and my country in the blink of an eye. I don’t want to lose my children too. I want them to be safe.”
UN in action
Across the border towns lacing Sudan, UN agencies are working to help those in need. Here is a snapshot of some of what is happening on the ground:
In Chad and Sudan, UN agencies are bringing in more than 70,000 core relief items from its global stockpiles.
In Egypt, the UN is conducting an assessment mission on the needs of people fleeing Sudan.
The UN and the Egyptian Red Crescent are delivering water, food, wheelchairs, and hygiene and sanitary kits to new arrivals.
A social media account and website run by UNHCR offers up-to-date information for refugees in Egypt.
UNHCR launched a preliminary inter-agency regional refugee response plan on Thursday to address urgent financial needs as soon as possible, which requires $445 million to support the displaced until October.
At border crossings, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) provides families with essential items and medical services.
IOM is providing such support services as transportation and accommodation to refugees and returnees at border areas, where the agency has set up transit centres.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to support partners to provide life-saving health care, distribute supplies for safe births, and to manage obstetric emergencies through a network of midwives.
WFP provides assistance in the region, and it is urgently appealing for emergency funding, including at least $145.6 million to continue supporting newly arrived and existing refugees in Chad, along with host communities.
This article first appeared in UN News.
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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
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
10 June 2024
Empowering Sudan’s communities to fight malaria
Sudan stands out for its unique social fabric and complex malaria landscape. Despite the conflict that has raged for more than a year, as well as many political and economic challenges, Sudan continues to try to respond to malaria. Community engagement initiatives have proved crucial to this effort.Gedaref state hosts close to 500 000 internally displaced people and bustles with volunteers and civil society organizations. Here, efforts by community members have been vital in navigating the chronic malaria burden and curbing other epidemics that have ensued since the conflict began in April 2023.For nearly 2 decades, Abdalla Adam, a teacher and farmer from Om Bileil, a malaria-stricken village in Gedaref, has been at the forefront of community efforts to alleviate malaria. “Gedaref is synonymous with malaria,” said Abdalla. “We see other diseases too: kala-azar, polio, cholera and, more recently, dengue and chikungunya. But these come and go, while malaria has been here for as long as I can remember.”He explained how community service is a strong part of his Sudanese upbringing, culture and identity: “My early days with community service were largely a spontaneous extension of my upbringing. I come from a small village and nafeer* is customary for us. We would gather to clean the neighbourhood and spray ponds with insecticides.”Abdalla shared how the scope of efforts in Om Bileil grew considerably through community awareness raising. Ms Wejdan Abdulbagi, Manager of the Malaria Control Programme in Gedaref, educated the community about vector control and the free malaria services at primary health care centres. People had previously seen cost as a major barrier to seeking health care for malaria.During vector control campaigns, each member of Abdalla’s neighbourhood is responsible for spraying the homes of their extended family. “We also conduct regular health promotion campaigns to spread life-saving messages, like ‘If you have fever, don’t just sleep on it. Go see a doctor, it’s free!’ I think we’re doing well but a lot more can be achieved with sufficient training.”Ms Abdulbagi said that malaria indicators have improved with community engagement initiatives: “It has become standard practice for us to involve the local community given the significant burden of malaria and the limited resources to battle it.“Last year, the ministry was running its therapeutic efficacy study and Gedaref’s Al-Salam Hospital was selected as a sentinel site. We were already seeing considerable improvement in the care-seeking behaviour thanks to [the volunteers’] efforts, but I wanted to ensure we finish within the designated time frame, so I reached out to Abdalla. A health promotion campaign was swiftly commenced, and data collection concluded in a timely manner”.Gedaref’s example reflects a broader shift taking place across Sudan, whereby communities are increasingly seen as pivotal in improving their own well-being. The Federal Ministry of Health is moving to institutionalize grassroots health initiatives by adopting a community health strategy. Community members are thus set to play an integral role in both the prevention and case management aspects of malaria control in Sudan.
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Story
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
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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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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Press Release
21 July 2024
Statement of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, after the conclusion of the Geneva Proximity Talks
In Resolution 2724 (2024), the Security Council mandated me to use my good offices with the parties to the conflict in Sudan, complementing and coordinating regional peace efforts. Security Council Resolution 2736 (2024) reiterated the Council’s concern over the situation in Sudan. It urged the parties to de-escalate in and around El Fasher, to allow and facilitate unfettered humanitarian access across the country and ensure the protection of civilians. It further called on the parties to the conflict to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable resolution of the conflict, through dialogue.
Resolution 2736 (2024) also requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Sudanese authorities and regional stakeholders, to make further recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan, building on the existing mediation and good offices mechanisms.
To contribute to these recommendations, and building on my previous engagements with the parties, I addressed letters to General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, Chairperson of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, inviting them to nominate senior delegations to discuss the following issues:
1) measures to be undertaken to ensure the distribution of humanitarian assistance to all the Sudanese population in need;
2) options to ensure the protection of civilians across Sudan.
I invited the delegations appointed by both parties to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to participate in discussions in “proximity format”, in which I would separately engage the delegation of each party, supported by a United Nations integrated technical team providing relevant expertise. These discussions took place from 11 to 19 July 2024. During this period, my team held a total of around 20 sessions with the parties’ delegations, including technical and plenary meetings. We interacted with each of the delegations in the context of their respective mandates.
Throughout these engagements, the delegations expressed their positions on key issues of concern, in light of their responsibilities, allowing us to deepen our mutual understanding. We then explored avenues to address these issues to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population in Sudan. I am encouraged by the willingness of the parties to engage with me on these critical matters, as well as by the commitments made to respond to some specific requests we presented to them.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains catastrophic and is deteriorating every day. Urgent action is needed to ensure that humanitarian assistance safely reaches all those in need and to guarantee the protection of all civilians in Sudan. I count on the parties to promptly translate their willingness to engage with me into tangible progress on the ground. The United Nations will continue to make every effort to support the civilian population throughout the country.
The discussions held in Geneva are an encouraging initial step in a longer and complex process. Although unilateral commitments by the parties do not constitute agreements with the UN, I welcome the commitments announced today by one of the two parties to enhance humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians. I intend to remain in close contact with the leadership of the two parties, to follow up on the implementation of commitments and to engage them on critical issues. I remain at their disposal for the desirable continuation of this process. I urge both parties to step up their engagement for peace for the sake of the Sudanese people and the future of the country.
Resolution 2736 (2024) also requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Sudanese authorities and regional stakeholders, to make further recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan, building on the existing mediation and good offices mechanisms.
To contribute to these recommendations, and building on my previous engagements with the parties, I addressed letters to General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, Chairperson of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, inviting them to nominate senior delegations to discuss the following issues:
1) measures to be undertaken to ensure the distribution of humanitarian assistance to all the Sudanese population in need;
2) options to ensure the protection of civilians across Sudan.
I invited the delegations appointed by both parties to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to participate in discussions in “proximity format”, in which I would separately engage the delegation of each party, supported by a United Nations integrated technical team providing relevant expertise. These discussions took place from 11 to 19 July 2024. During this period, my team held a total of around 20 sessions with the parties’ delegations, including technical and plenary meetings. We interacted with each of the delegations in the context of their respective mandates.
Throughout these engagements, the delegations expressed their positions on key issues of concern, in light of their responsibilities, allowing us to deepen our mutual understanding. We then explored avenues to address these issues to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population in Sudan. I am encouraged by the willingness of the parties to engage with me on these critical matters, as well as by the commitments made to respond to some specific requests we presented to them.
The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains catastrophic and is deteriorating every day. Urgent action is needed to ensure that humanitarian assistance safely reaches all those in need and to guarantee the protection of all civilians in Sudan. I count on the parties to promptly translate their willingness to engage with me into tangible progress on the ground. The United Nations will continue to make every effort to support the civilian population throughout the country.
The discussions held in Geneva are an encouraging initial step in a longer and complex process. Although unilateral commitments by the parties do not constitute agreements with the UN, I welcome the commitments announced today by one of the two parties to enhance humanitarian assistance and the protection of civilians. I intend to remain in close contact with the leadership of the two parties, to follow up on the implementation of commitments and to engage them on critical issues. I remain at their disposal for the desirable continuation of this process. I urge both parties to step up their engagement for peace for the sake of the Sudanese people and the future of the country.
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Press Release
14 July 2024
UN expert raises alarm at dire human rights situation
“Since the start of this senseless conflict last year, the civilian population in Sudan has been exposed to unprecedented levels of violence and suffering. As always in times of war, it is civilians who are bearing the brunt. The scale and magnitude of human rights violations and abuses committed in Sudan are appalling,” said Nouicer in a statement at the end of a five-day visit to Port Sudan. Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict since 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, and their respective allied armed groups. During his visit to Port Sudan, Nouicer met with Sudanese authorities, including the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and key acting Ministers, with whom he engaged in frank and transparent discussions, in an atmosphere of mutual respect. “In my meetings, I urged authorities to immediately take action on four key priority areas”, Nouicer said. “First, to ensure the protection of civilians in the context of hostilities by refraining from indiscriminate attacks, including through the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas. Second, to allow unhindered humanitarian access – including by speeding up administrative processes – to allow for humanitarian assistance to be delivered to those in need. Third, to refrain from arbitrarily arresting and detaining people, including civil society actors; and fourth, to ensure accountability for all human rights violations and abuses, regardless of the perpetrators.” Nouicer added: “I also heard directly from displaced communities and witnessed first-hand the impact of the conflict on their lives. I was appalled by the conditions in which people have been obliged to live, under scorching temperatures, with limited access to essential services such as water, sanitation and hygiene, including female hygiene products, food and health care.”Nouicer stressed that the conflict in Sudan has resulted in an unprecedented protection crisis. “It is high time for the Sudanese leadership to cease hostilities and to engage in a comprehensive and inclusive peace process. Every country that has influence or leverage should aim to reach and support this goal,” he said. “I also recall that all actors should comply with the arms embargo measures as stipulated in Security Council resolution 1556 (2004). Further, under international human rights law, arms-exporting countries may be held responsible for their failure to take reasonable steps to prevent, investigate, punish, and ensure reparations for human rights violations and abuses resulting from arms transfers. To read the full end of mission statement, click here ENDS For more information and media requests, please contact: In GenevaLiz Throssell - + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or Jeremy Laurence - +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org In KampalaWalaa Salah (English & Arabic) -+256 771372221 / walaa.abdelrhman@un.org
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Press Release
30 June 2024
Sudan is facing an unprecedented hunger catastrophe, say UN agency chiefs
Joint FAO/UNICEF/WFP News ReleaseRome/New York - Alarming new food security projections for Sudan published today show that Sudan is facing a devastating hunger catastrophe on a scale not seen since the Darfur crisis in the early 2000s, warn the heads of three United Nations agencies. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have been warning of rapid deterioration in conditions for the people of Sudan, particularly children, as food security is torn apart by war that has ravaged the country for more than a year. Collectively the agencies have mobilised a large-scale humanitarian response inside Sudan and in neighbouring countries where more than 2 million refugees have sought safety. An immediate ceasefire and renewed international efforts – both diplomatic and financial – as well as unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, are urgently needed to enable the humanitarian response to be further expanded and to allow the agencies to deliver at the speed needed.The rapid deterioration in food security in Sudan has left 755,000 people in catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5) with a risk of famine in 14 areas, according to the latest Snapshot data released by the Integrated Phase Classification. The worst conditions are in the areas hardest hit by fighting and where people displaced by the conflict have gathered. A total of 25.6 million people are in the high levels of acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+). This means that for half of Sudan’s war-battered population, every single day is a struggle to feed themselves and their families.This is the first time that catastrophic (IPC Phase 5) conditions have ever been confirmed in Sudan since the IPC’s inception in 2004. Unlike the Darfur crisis of twenty years ago, the present crisis spans the whole country, with catastrophic levels of hunger even reaching the capital Khartoum and Gezira State, once Sudan’s breadbasket.This new data shows also a stark deterioration for Sudan’s population from the last projection, released in December 2023, that showed 17.7 million people facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3+). This included nearly 5 million people in emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4). Today, 8.5 million people are projected to be in emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4).“The new IPC analysis revealed a deepening and rapid deterioration of the food security situation in Sudan with millions of people’s lives at risk,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “We are now delivering life-saving seeds for the main planting season. The clock is ticking for Sudan’s farmers. FAO urgently requires $60 million to meet unfunded parts of its Famine Prevention Plan to ensure that people – especially those in inaccessible areas – are able to produce food locally and avert food shortages in the next six months. We must act collectively, at scale, with unimpeded access, for the sake of millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance”.“WFP’s team in Sudan is working day and night in perilous conditions to deliver lifesaving assistance, yet these numbers confirm that time is fast running out to prevent famine. For each person we have reached this year, another eight desperately need help,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “We urgently need a massive expansion of humanitarian access and funding so we can scale-up our relief operations, and halt Sudan’s slide into a humanitarian catastrophe that is threatening to destabilize the wider region.”“The latest snapshot illustrates the devastating impact the conflict in Sudan is having on the country's children," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Hunger and malnutrition are spreading at alarming rates, and without concerted international action and funding, there is a very real danger the situation will spiral out of all control. There is no time to lose. Any delay in unfettered access to vulnerable populations will be measured in the loss of children's lives."FAO, UNICEF and WFP are leading multi-sectoral famine prevention efforts reaching people across Sudan.WFP has reached over 3 million displaced and vulnerable people in Sudan so far this year and is ramping up assistance to reach an additional 5 million people by year end. WFP is urgently working to expand access and open new humanitarian corridors – from neighbouring countries and across frontlines. WFP has this year delivered food and nutrition supplies for around half a million people in the Darfur region via convoys crossing from Chad – and more convoys carrying food and nutrition supplies for around 250,000 people are planned in the coming weeks. WFP is also pre-positioning assistance at key crossings and supply routes as the rainy season starts when many roads in Darfur and other regions across the Sudan become impassable.After reaching 3.8 million people in the first half of the year through winter seed distributions and vaccination, FAO is now preparing to support more than 1.8 million farming and pastoral households in Sudan, equivalent to 9 million people, to resume livelihood activities and produce food locally. FAO has purchased almost 8,000 tons of cereal seeds (sorghum and millet) and will reach over 870,000 farming households across Sudan, including in Darfur and Kordofan, where food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels. FAO's experience shows that even in conflict settings, when farmers can access land and inputs, they will produce food.Since the conflict started in April 2023, UNICEF has reached close to 5.5 million children with nutritional screening and more than 322,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with lifesaving treatment. UNICEF is scaling up multi-sectoral response alongside humanitarian partners to prevent more child deaths, reaching over 5 million people with access to safe water, and vaccinating over half a million children against measles in the first five months of this year. UNICEF is also getting children back into learning, providing cash to over 350,000 pregnant and lactating women and their families, and making all efforts to protect children from violence, separation, and trauma. ContactIrina Utkina
FAO News and Media (Rome)
+39657052542irina.utkina@fao.orgEilaf Abdelbasit
FAO/Sudan
+249123213203eilaf.abdelbasit@fao.orgLeni Kinzli
WFP/Sudan
+249 91 277 1269leni.kinzli@wfp.orgAlessandro Abbonizio
WFP/ Nairobi
+254 723 001 639alessandro.abbonizio@wfp.orgEva Hinds
UNICEF SudanEHinds@unicef.orgJoe English
UNICEF New York
+1 917893 0692
jenglish@unicef.org
FAO News and Media (Rome)
+39657052542irina.utkina@fao.orgEilaf Abdelbasit
FAO/Sudan
+249123213203eilaf.abdelbasit@fao.orgLeni Kinzli
WFP/Sudan
+249 91 277 1269leni.kinzli@wfp.orgAlessandro Abbonizio
WFP/ Nairobi
+254 723 001 639alessandro.abbonizio@wfp.orgEva Hinds
UNICEF SudanEHinds@unicef.orgJoe English
UNICEF New York
+1 917893 0692
jenglish@unicef.org
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Press Release
11 June 2024
At least six children reportedly killed in escalating violence in Sudan’s El Fasher as thousands more young lives hang in the balance
AMMAN – “We have received harrowing reports that at least six children have been killed and many more injured as fighting continues to escalate in El Fasher, North Darfur state since last Friday. “The reported deaths come as one of the city’s last functioning hospitals - The Southern Hospital in El Fasher, which was repeatedly hit by mortars and shelling in May – has been forced to close after a direct attack on the facility. The attack caused physical damage, injured medical personnel, and resulted in the looting of essential medicine and supplies. It is yet another devastating blow to vulnerable children in the region. “In El Fasher, the lives and well-being of approximately 750,000 children hang in the balance. Thousands of children, including those living in large displacement camps, are trapped in the middle of the increased fighting and are not able to reach safety. “The continuous attacks, displacement, and severe shortages of essentials such as food, water, and medicine across Sudan are putting the lives of the children at high risk. “We urge all parties to immediately deescalate the situation, allow the safe and voluntary movement of civilians, and ensure the protection of civilians, including children and women, and civilian objects.“Grave violations against children are unacceptable. Children should never be targets and this brutal war on them must end. Children have already seen and experienced far too much suffering. Now is the time to say ‘No more.’” Media contactsEva Hinds, UNICEF Syria, Tel: +963 950044304, Email: ehinds@unicef.orgJoe English, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 893 0692, Email: jenglish@unicef.orgAmmar Ammar, UNICEF Amman, Tel: +962 791 837 388, Email: aammar@unicef.org
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Press Release
09 June 2024
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - on Sudan
The Secretary-General urges all parties to refrain from any attacks that could harm civilians or damage civilian infrastructure. The Secretary-General expresses his deep concern regarding the immense suffering of the Sudanese population as a result of the continued hostilities. He stresses that it is high time for all parties to silence their guns across Sudan and commit to a path towards sustainable peace for the Sudanese people. The Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, is continuing his engagements to advance peace efforts in Sudan. The United Nations remains committed to supporting international mediation efforts and to working with all relevant stakeholders to help bring an end to the conflict. Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General New York, 6 June 2024
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Latest Resources
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Resources
16 June 2022
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