Top U.N. humanitarian officials on Friday warned that Sudan is teetering on the edge of collapse, describing it as the site of the world’s worst displacement crisis and urging urgent international intervention to prevent an even greater catastrophe.
Briefing reporters virtually following a recent joint visit to Sudan, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Deputy Director General for Operations Ugochi Daniels described Sudan as being on the brink.
"Now, in its third year of war, Sudan is the world's worst displacement crisis," Daniels said.
Over 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, she said, adding that 4.3 million people are displaced across borders in neighboring countries.
"This is made all the worse by food insecurity, disease outbreaks, flooding, grave human rights violations, widespread damage to the infrastructure and the near collapse of most of the most essential services, and that's why an inter-agency approach is critical," Daniels stressed.
Kelly Clements, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deputy high commissioner, said she returned from a five-day trip to Sudan, where she visited Port Sudan and Khartoum.
"We know that the Sudanese people continue to bear the heavy cost of the fighting," she said, adding that since April 2023, 12 million have been forced to flee their homes-inside and outside the country. "That’s one in three Sudanese displaced."
Clements voiced concern about rising protection risks, especially for women and girls, condemning rape, which is used as "a weapon of war."
"The protection risks for women and girls in this conflict are as infuriating as they are heartbreaking. The use of rape as a weapon of war, the trauma from horrific human rights violations are producing scars that may never heal," she said.
She also warned of increasing anti-foreigner sentiment in Khartoum, which threatens Sudan’s long-standing tradition of hosting refugees.
"We remain committed along other partners, to work with officials to ensure that refugees receive continued protection aid and are treated with dignity and respect, without safe access and adequate and a political solution is absolutely needed. They need peace, and they need it now," Clements added.
- 'Children are paying the highest price'
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's deputy executive director, said Sudan is the "world's largest humanitarian crisis."
"The conflict is escalating and children are paying the highest price every day," Chaiban said, adding that 1.4 million children live in areas of famine or at risk of famine.
"What Sudan needs is unfettered access funding and the political way towards the end of the conflict," he added.
Valerie Guarnieri, World Food Program (WFP) assistant executive director, said Sudan is "clearly a top priority" for the organizations.
"It was a really grave moment when famine was first confirmed in parts of Sudan, and given the scale and growing intensity of the crisis, we have all been investing significant effort in enhancing our operational capacity to meet the huge and growing needs," she said.
The WFP has reached over 4 million people each month with urgent food and nutrition assistance, double last year's reach, Guarnieri added.
On Thursday, the four UN agencies released a joint statement that said over 30 million people are in dire need of urgent humanitarian assistance in Sudan amid a raging conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Sudanese army and the RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
