Statement by Eddie Rowe, Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in Sudan on World Humanitarian Day 2023

Port Sudan - Since conflict erupted across Sudan in mid-April, the country has become one of the world’s most dangerous and difficult places for humanitarians to work, with 19 aid workers killed in 17 attacks this year alone. Ahead of World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, we mourn the loss of our beloved colleagues, call for perpetrators of attacks on aid workers and assistance to be held accountable, and once again remind parties to the conflict that humanitarians and the aid they deliver should never be a target.



The fighting that erupted in Sudan on 15 April immediately led to tragic consequences for the humanitarian community: That very day, three United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) staff who had been out in the field delivering emergency cash assistance were killed in Kebkabiya, North Darfur. Two other WFP employees were injured alongside them. And in the violent weeks that followed, humanitarians – all of them Sudanese – continued to lose their lives in the line of duty.



Their deaths are yet another sign that Sudan is being pulled back into one of the grimmest chapters in its history. Not since the height of the Darfur conflict between 2003 and 2006 has Sudan seen so many fatal attacks on aid workers. Humanitarian facilities have also been repeatedly attacked, with at least 53 warehouses looted, 87 offices ransacked, and 208 vehicles stolen as of 13 August.



International law is clear: The targeting of humanitarians is against the rules of war. Aid workers are neutral and impartial in conflict. Their role is to relieve the suffering of people caught up in crisis. Their safety – and that of the civilians they serve – must be guaranteed.



As the fighting in Sudan continues, humanitarians in the country remain committed to doing all we can to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in need, despite the challenges. We will continue to support local responders who are working tirelessly to provide food, water, shelter, education, health care and other essential services to their neighbours.

We will also continue to remind the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law, enshrined in the Declaration of Commitments signed in Jeddah on 11 May. They agreed then to protect the civilians of Sudan and to protect humanitarian personnel and assets. They affirmed that it is prohibited to attack, harass, intimidate, or arbitrarily detain personnel, or to attack, destroy, misappropriate, or loot relief supplies, installations, material, units, or vehicles. They must honour this commitment.



This World Humanitarian Day, we honour those who have fallen and the dedicated aid workers who continue to put their lives at risk every day to serve people in need. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian action and to protect those who deliver it.



For further information, please contact:

Amanda Price, amanda.price@un.org, +1 917 853 2839

Leni Kinzli, leni.kinzli@wfp.org, +1 917 242 8707