Sudan: ‘We cannot work under the barrel of a gun,’ says the UN relief chief
“For three months now, the people of Sudan have endured unspeakable suffering amid the violence that is tearing their country apart,” Martin Griffiths, UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Response Coordinator, said in a word
“As the conflict enters its fourth month, the battle lines are hardening, making it increasingly difficult to reach the millions of people who urgently need humanitarian assistance,” he added.
More than 3 million people have been displaced by conflict within Sudan and across its borders; The conflict, which took place in mid-April has reportedly killed more than 1,100 people and injured over 12,000, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Health workers and facilities have also been hit, greatly reducing access for those in need, and with the onset of the rainy season, the increased risk of outbreaks of water- and vector-borne diseases, compounded by the challenges in waste management and shortage of resources.
Children are among those worst affected, with an estimated 13.6 million – roughly half the number who died in Sudan – in urgent need of aid.
‘The hardest place in the world’
Describing Sudan as “one of the most difficult places in the world for humanitarian workers to work,” Mr. Griffiths emphasized the collaborative efforts of local organizations and international aid organizations in delivering life-saving supplies.
However, that work cannot be done when the relief workers themselves are at risk.
“But we cannot work under the barrel of a gun. We cannot restore the stores of food, water and medicine from the threat of looting if these products continue. We cannot deliver if our staff is prevented from reaching the people who need it.”
He stressed that ultimately, the suffering of the Sudanese people will end only when the conflict stops, and he called on the parties involved in the conflict to adhere to the Declaration of Commitments they signed in Jeddah to protect the citizens and respect the law world humanitarian.
Every day ‘the sorrow deepens’
Every day the fighting continues, the misery deepens for the people of Sudan.
Referring to the recent discovery of mass graves in West Darfur, Mr. Griffiths stressed the fear of a revisit of the genocide in the region.
“Every day the fighting continues, the sadness deepens for the Sudanese people […] “We must all redouble our efforts to ensure that the conflict in Sudan does not turn into an irreconcilable conflict and civil war with dire consequences for the region,” the UN official stressed.
“The Sudanese people cannot afford to wait,” he concluded.
