Faced with an “unprecedented” situation in Sudan, where clashes continue, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decided on Sunday to send his chief for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths, to the region “immediately”. his spokesperson announced on Sunday.
“The scale and speed at which events are unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented,” the UN chief’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement, saying he was “extremely concerned.”
Antonio Guterres thus decided to send “immediately to the region” the head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) Martin Griffiths “in the light of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Sudan”, where, since the April 15, a ruthless war between two generals ensnares millions of Sudanese.
Martin Griffiths said in a separate statement on Sunday that the “humanitarian situation is reaching breaking point” in the country. “I am on my way to the region to explore how we can provide immediate relief to the millions of people whose lives have changed overnight,” he added.
The massive looting of humanitarian offices and warehouses has “depleted most of our stocks. We are looking for quick ways to get and distribute “additional supplies,” said Martin Griffiths, for whom the “obvious solution” is to “stop the fight.”
In Sudan, families are struggling to access water, food, fuel and other essential resources, and residents are unable to move due to high transport costs, said the head of OCHA.
Health emergency services are “severely limited, which increases the risk of death” even for those who could have been avoided, he explained, mentioning the presence at the dock in Port Sudan (northeast) of five containers of emergency supplies, including intravenous fluids, awaiting approval by authorities.
“We are very concerned about the immediate and long-term impact (of this crisis) on all Sudanese and for the region as a whole,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Antonio Guterres’ spokesman.
“Once again, we call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and infrastructure, allow safe passage for those fleeing combat zones, respect humanitarian workers and their means, facilitate aid operations and respect medical personnel, their facilities and means of transport,” the spokesperson continues.
Violent clashes continue in Khartoum as the army and paramilitaries announce on Sunday the extension of a truce little respected but which allowed the evacuation of foreigners and to continue negotiations.
According to the UN, 75,000 people are internally displaced and in total up to 270,000 people could flee fighting in 12 of the 18 states in this country of 45 million people, one of the poorest in the world.
The war has left 528 dead and 4,599 injured, according to vastly understated official figures, while both sides accuse each other of violating the truce.
