WFP resumes operations in Sudan, in the midst of a full-scale humanitarian “catastrophe”.
WFP has suspended its life-saving operations after three workers were killed in North Darfur on 15 April, the first day of fighting between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Security Forces (RSF).
Safety first
Mrs. McCain said food distribution is expected to begin in four states – Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile – in the coming days.
As the security situation is still very insecure, WFP is considering situations where humanitarian access is guaranteed, while also taking security, energy and access-related considerations into account.
“We will take great care to ensure the safety of all our staff and partners as we move to meet the growing needs of the most vulnerable,” he said.
The family is expected to rise
Mrs. McCain emphasized the need to end the conflict, noting that more than 15 million people were facing severe food insecurity before the conflict.
He warned that the numbers were expected to “grow significantly” as the conflict continued.
“It’s times like this that WFP and our UN partners need the most,” he said.
‘Breaking point’ looms
In light of the deepening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday sent a top aid official to the region.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths has arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, and is expected to travel to Sudan soon.
Before heading to the region, he said the situation in Sudan was “reaching a breaking point”, as people struggled to access essentials such as water, food, fuel and medical care.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the UN and partners held a virtual conference on Monday to update the international community on the humanitarian response to the crisis.
‘a big accident’
With a population of 48 million, Sudan is the third most populous country in Africa.
About a third of the population, nearly 16 million, needed humanitarian assistance before the conflict, and some 3.7 million are displaced, mostly in Darfur.
The conflict is turning this humanitarian crisis into “a huge disaster”, Abdou Dieng, the top UN aid official in the country, told delegates attending the conference.
Hundreds of people have been killed since the conflict began two weeks ago. Thousands have fled to safety, inside and outside Sudan, while millions more are confined to their homes, unable to access basic services.
Mr. Dieng said that despite the dire conditions, humanitarians continue to provide life-saving assistance. Through partners, they have been providing health as well as distributing supplies, medicine, water and fuel to hospitals, for example.
‘Unparalleled’ humanitarian commitment
“Our commitment to the Sudanese people is unwavering,” he said, speaking from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. A UN special team is now based in the city following the transfer and movement of staff last week from the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.
However, he noted that the humanitarian force has been greatly affected by the conflict, with many offices, cars, shops being stolen and destroyed. WFP alone lost 4,000 metric tonnes of food in Nyala, South Darfur.
In Chad, food is distributed to people who have been displaced from Sudan in an operation organized by WFP.
Negotiating safe access
Mr. Dieng said that humanitarians are assessing how they can work under the current conditions in Sudan.
They are developing a plan to scale operations that will also cover issues such as moving emergency supplies and personnel into Port Sudan and other access areas, and negotiating safe access for aid delivery.
A crisis response center has also been set up in Nairobi, Kenya, to support operations. The team, which includes experts in civil-military coordination, is ready to deploy once Sudan’s borders reopen.
“After the large scale of robbery and violence, we work to identify ways to bring in the national supply to restore our stocks, so that we can help those in need once it is safe to do so,” he said.
Establishment stability is important
The top UN official urged Member States to prioritize ending the moratorium. He also stressed the need for “financial flexibility” to ensure that the humanitarian response would continue.
“We ask the donors to accept the increased risk that may be associated with this in the short term so that we can save lives,” he said.
People displaced by the conflict in Sudan are queuing for aid when it arrives in Chad.
Concern over environmental impact
Meanwhile, regional spillover effects of conflict still remains a major concern. The conflict has displaced Sudanese citizens but also South Sudanese refugees and third-country nationals living in the country.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that some 73,000 people have already fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Some 815,000 may flee
Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, warned that the numbers could increase unless the crisis is resolved quickly.
“In consultation with all the governments involved and partners, we have reached a proposed number of 815,000 people who could flee to the seven neighboring countries,” he said.
UNHCR estimates that the majority, 580,000, will be Sudanese, with 235,000 South Sudanese seeking to return home “in what we would label as dire conditions”.
A man who fled violence in Sudan arrived in Chad.
Chad welcomes more refugees
Mr. Mazou thanked the neighboring countries that took in people who fled the conflict in Sudan.
So far, 30,000 have found refuge in Chad, which already hosts some 400,000 Sudanese refugees. The new arrivals are mainly in villages close to the border.
UNHCR is coordinating its response jointly with the Government and partners, and immediately deployed emergency teams to the area.
The agency also increased supplies of essential relief materials, such as sleeping mats, soap and cooking utensils, and had increased operations in the areas of registration, security and border monitoring.
South Sudan returns
More than 20,000 new arrivals were registered in South Sudan on Saturday. About 90 per cent are nationals who have returned home, although the overall numbers may be higher.
UNHCR is also working with partners, in particular the UN migration agency IOM, to respond to the influx and prepare for larger numbers if the conflict in Sudan continues.
Exodus to Egypt
Mr. Mazou estimates that Egypt has received about 14 thousand[14,000]a refugee until now.
UNHCR and partners have established a humanitarian operation site at the southern border providing logistics and material health, and humanitarian support.
“The Egyptian Red Cross responds to 1,000 people who arrive every day, and the needs are mainly related to water, food and health,” he added.
Sudanese refugees
Meanwhile, Sudan is already hosting 1.3 million refugees before the fighting began – one of the largest refugee populations on the content.
Most are from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria, and they live in the host region and urban areas, although others stay in camps in eastern Sudan, White Nile and Darfur.
Due to insecurity, UNHCR has been forced to temporarily suspend operations in Khartoum, Darfur states and elsewhere in the country, although staff have been in contact with some leaders and members of the refugee community.
