Constant movement of civilians fleeing attacks in Sudan complicating humanitarian assistance delivery: UN
Port Sudan, Sudan (PANA)- The United Nations on Saturday again complained that repeated attacks on displaced civilian populations in Darfur have created situations where international humanitarian organisations stand helpless to render assistance the internally-displaced persons (IDPs).
The UN recently issued a strongly-worded statement when over 400 civilians, including children and humanitarian workers, were killed following what it described as concerted attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against a huge camp hosting hundreds of thousands of IDP just outside Al-Fashir, the main town in North Darfur still under the control of government forces,
“The humanitarian community in Sudan is facing critical and intensifying operational challenges in North Darfur State, driven by the forced and large-scale displacement of civilians away from established infrastructure and humanitarian services. These challenges have severely disrupted existing humanitarian operations and exponentially increased the vulnerability of hundreds of thousands of people," Ms. Clementine Nowata-Salami, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said in a statement.
She said the current mass displacement – particularly from Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and other displaced camps – has pushed an estimated 400,000-450,000 people toward Tawila, areas surrounding Jebel Marra, and further.
“These population movements are increasingly fluid, unpredictable, and fuelled by ongoing hostilities and fears of a broader offensive on Al Fashir. The situation is further compounded by rising levels of food insecurity, with displaced populations increasingly cut off from supply chains and assistance, placing them at heightened risk of epidemic outbreaks, malnutrition and famine.”
She explained that the humanitarian community is facing multiple operational challenges, preventing the UN and humanitarian NGOs from responding appropriately.
Nowata-Salami said that despite the UN's repeated appeals, humanitarian access to Al Fashir and surrounding areas remains dangerously restricted.
“The UN and NGO actors must be granted immediate and sustained access to these areas to ensure that life-saving support can be delivered safely and at scale. Proximity-based humanitarian assistance must be delivered and sustained through already established infrastructure, which is far better equipped to respond comprehensively and effectively.”
Preserving access to these systems is critical to prevent further forced displacement and to ease the burden on already overstretched areas like Tawila and surrounding host communities.
The UN official has said that the humanitarian system was currently overstretched. "We urgently call on donors to provide flexible, front-loaded funding through mechanisms such as the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. This funding is critical to support first responders, mobilise life-saving supplies, and sustain emergency response operations.”
She said that the scale and gravity of reported violations, including direct attacks on IDPs and humanitarian personnel, are unacceptable. "Civilians must never be a target. Forced displacement must never be a precondition for accessing life-saving aid,” Ms. Nowata-Salami added.
The UN called on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and allow safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians in need. Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian workers must be allowed to carry out their work without threat or obstruction.
It further asked donors for immediate support as this is critical to continue mobilising resources and capacity for this emergency response.
“We call for exceptional, rapid funding support to maintain the humanitarian response in North Darfur. The humanitarian community stands committed to respond to this crisis with urgency,” Ms. Nowata-Salami said,
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