In a joint statement published on Tuesday 24 September, representatives of the UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Sudan called on the EU to step up its efforts in the country, in the face of “the most serious and neglected humanitarian emergencies in the world”. The agencies are warning that concerted attention is needed.
“The combination of the ongoing conflict, restricted humanitarian access and recent flooding has turned the situation into multiple crises rolled into one. Without urgent attention and support the consequences of inaction will continue to extend far beyond Sudan’s borders”, according to UNHCR representative Kristine Hambrouck.
“This is the worst hunger crisis recorded in Sudan since the war in Darfur in the early 2000s. Yet today this catastrophic situation is not just confined to one region of the country”, deplored Rainatou Baillet, Deputy Director of the WFP.
With almost 10.5 million displaced people, including 2.3 million refugees in Sudan’s neighbouring countries, urgent needs include water, food, shelter, healthcare and education. Famine has been confirmed in the Zamzam camp (see EUROPE 13488/18) and there are continuing reports of sexual violence, including against children who are affected by the conflict.
On Tuesday, Ireland expressed its concern about this humanitarian situation at a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has asked for the issue to be discussed at the European Council. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)