Sudan Events – Correspondents
A high-level meeting to address Sudan’s humanitarian needs took place in New York on Wednesday, attended by all Geneva coalition partners except for the UAE, which was excluded from the meeting. The United Nations and its member states issued an urgent call to intensify efforts to end the war in Sudan and accelerate the humanitarian response in the region.
A statement about the meeting said, “The ongoing hostilities across Sudan have displaced more than 10 million people since April 2023, half of them children. This includes more than 2 million people who sought safety in neighboring countries.”
Half of the country’s population—about 26 million people—are facing high levels of acute hunger. Famine has been confirmed in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, with many other areas at risk.
According to the statement, the ministerial meeting was hosted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Refugee Agency, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, the African Union, and the European Union.
Joyce Msuya, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that relief organizations had warned of a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions in Sudan, which threatens to deteriorate into a catastrophe without urgent international action. “The nightmare that has unfolded has surpassed our worst fears,” she said. “The people of Sudan continue to bear the brunt of a relentless war filled with appalling violations.”
Msuya pointed out that despite the courageous efforts of local and international humanitarian organizations, adequate levels of assistance cannot be provided due to challenges including lack of funding, an unstable security situation, bureaucratic and administrative restrictions, and recent heavy rains that have damaged roads and bridges.
She warned, “Let us not find ourselves here again in a year’s time, mourning another 12 months of death, destruction, and unbearable suffering.”
Msuya announced a $25 million allocation from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to address famine and acute food insecurity in Sudan and expressed hope that this would encourage donor partners to increase flexible funding for Sudan.
