UN Warns Humanitarian Efforts in War-Torn Western Sudan on Brink of Collapse

"Relief Convoys in Unstable Situation
Access Severely Restricted"

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that humanitarian relief operations in North Darfur, western Sudan, devastated by civil war, are on the verge of collapse.

Refugees fleeing in Al Fasher, western Sudan, on the 29th of last month (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to the Associated Press and other sources, the IOM stated in a press release on the 11th (local time) that if the safe delivery of relief supplies is not ensured, humanitarian support activities could come to a complete halt. The IOM explained, "Warehouses are almost empty, convoys transporting relief supplies are in a highly unstable situation, and access is restricted, so the delivery of relief items continues to be blocked."

According to aid organizations and United Nations officials, after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group seized Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the government’s last stronghold in the west, on the 26th of last month, hundreds of people have died and around 90,000 have fled. Tens of thousands have arrived at an overcrowded refugee camp in Tawila, about 70 kilometers from Al Fasher, but there is a severe shortage of tents, food, and medical supplies.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that the malnutrition rate in the Tawila refugee camp is dangerously high. According to MSF, more than 70% of children under five who arrived in Tawila by the 3rd of this month after RSF took control of Al Fasher were suffering from acute malnutrition, and more than one-third were experiencing severe acute malnutrition. MSF stated, "The real crisis could be much worse."

In response to the civil war crisis, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks with General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the Sudanese military, in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast on the same day. According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Minister Abdelatty condemned the atrocities committed by the RSF in Al Fasher and emphasized the need to implement the Sudan peace plan announced in September by the United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The peace plan calls for an initial three-month humanitarian ceasefire, followed by a permanent ceasefire, a nine-month transitional period, and a subsequent transition to a civilian government.

The RSF announced on the 6th that it agrees to the humanitarian ceasefire proposal brokered by the United States and others. The Sudanese military welcomes the proposal but maintains that it can only agree if the RSF withdraws from civilian areas it has occupied and surrenders its weapons. Tom Fletcher, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, also met with General Burhan in Port Sudan on the same day, saying, "We welcome constructive dialogue" and added, "We hope this will ensure the continued delivery of relief supplies throughout Sudan."

Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has experienced frequent civil wars and political instability. The civil war between the government forces and the RSF began on April 15, 2023, and has continued for more than 30 months. According to the United Nations and other sources, nearly 50,000 people have died across Sudan due to the conflict, and over 12 million have been displaced. Of these, around 4 million are estimated to have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.