IN a stark joint statement, top UN officials have raised alarm about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, where more than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes amid a devastating conflict that shows no signs of abating.
UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou and UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban painted a grim picture of a country on the brink, where 13 million people face acute food insecurity and fourteen regions teeter on the edge of famine.
“The humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to spiral, with millions of people in desperate need of assistance,” the UN leaders stated. “We are witnessing the collapse of vital infrastructure, while access to basic services – such as safe water, health care, and shelter – is severely limited.”
Of particular concern is the confirmation of famine conditions in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp. The officials highlighted the devastating impact on children, with 3.7 million under-fives projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year alone.
“These children are already weakened by hunger,” they warned. “If not reached soon, these children are 11 times more likely to die from preventable diseases than their healthier peers inside Sudan.”
The statement emphasized the critical challenges in delivering aid, with bureaucratic and security obstacles hampering humanitarian efforts. The officials called for immediate action to remove these barriers, including the re-establishment of UN offices in Zalingei and Kadugli, and the simplification of approval procedures for aid shipments.
“Sudan is now home to one of the world’s largest and most pressing displacement crises,” the UN leaders emphasized, noting that more than 10 million people have been displaced within Sudan, with an additional 800,000 refugees hosted within its borders.
The officials expressed particular concern about the widespread violence against civilians, especially women and children. “Civilians are enduring grave violations of their rights, including sexual and gender-based violence, exploitation, and attacks on their safety and dignity,” they stated. “These heinous acts, including the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, must end immediately.”
While UNHCR, UNICEF, and their partners continue to provide critical services, the officials stressed that humanitarian assistance alone cannot resolve the crisis. They called for sustained international backing and emphasized the urgent need for a political solution to the conflict.
“The people of Sudan need our collective action now,” they concluded. “We must respond with the urgency and scale that this crisis demands.”
The joint statement represents one of the strongest warnings yet from UN leadership about the deteriorating situation in Sudan, as the international community grapples with mounting humanitarian challenges in the region.
