UN seeks humanitarian crisis to end as Sudan military factions resume talks with Saudis
Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 31st Oct. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on Monday said that the UN has welcomed the resumption of talks in Jeddah to end the months-long conflict between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force which killed thousands and turned Sudan into the worst humanitarian crisis.
Martin Griffiths in a statement issued on Sunday “The Jeddah talks cannot have started soon enough. More than six months since the start of the crisis in Sudan, the humanitarian tragedy in the country continues to unfold unabated”.
He praised the resumption of the talks and thanks Saudi Arabia for hosting also underscored the dire situation “Thousands of people have been killed or injured. One in nine people has fled their homes. Nearly one-third of the population could soon become food insecure.”
The Sudan conflict broke out in mid-April, when tensions between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force erupted into open warfare in Khartoum, and elsewhere across the eastSudan.
Grifiths said that Sudan’s health system is in tatters, with the specter of disease outbreaks, including cholera and a generation of Sudanese children risk missing out on a full education.
Mr. Griffiths stressed that the humanitarian community is doing everything possible to meet these ever-increasing needs.
“Since mid-April, we have provided assistance to 3.6 million people, but this represents only 20 percent of the people we hope to help,” he explained.
He noted that humanitarian workers “are paralyzed by fighting, insecurity and red tape, making the operating environment in Sudan extremely difficult.”
He stated that Jeddah talks are critical: We need the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to break the bureaucrat“ic logjam,” he stated.
Mr. Griffiths added: “We need them to fully adhere to international humanitarian law. We need them to secure safe, sustained and unhindered access to people in need, be it in Darfur, Khartoum or the Kordofans.”
He stressed that in light of the “colossal humanitarian crisis” OCHA, will facilitate the humanitarian aspect of these negotiations.
UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan welcomed the resumption of talks in Jeddah, which are being facilitated by Saudi Arabia, US, African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
The Mission said that it hoped “this new round of negotiations results in the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, signed on May 11, 2023, and in a comprehensive ceasefire, all of which are two crucial factors in alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people.”
It welcomed current initiatives from a wide range of civilian actors calling for an end to the war, emphasized the urgent need for a solution that would lead to a resumption of the democratic political transition.
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