People receive rations of flour, vegetable oil, salt, and yellow-split beans. | Photo-OCHA-Ala-Kheir |
One year since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Sudan, the response from the international community has remained woefully inadequate even as the civilian death toll rises in the country, Amnesty International said.
In a statement extended to Golden Times, Amnesty International said the people of Sudan have been neglected and ignored as they bore the brunt of violent clashes between the SAF and the RSF.
“Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to end violations, protect civilians, provide sufficient humanitarian aid, or hold the perpetrators of war crimes to account,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
“The international community has not exerted sufficient pressure on the warring parties to stop violating the human rights of people caught up in this war. The African Union, in particular, has not displayed the required level of leadership nor taken concrete actions that match the scale and gravity of the conflict,” Chagutah added.
According to Chagutah, It took almost a year for the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution on Sudan that called for the immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian access, but despite the resolution, fighting continues throughout the country, with no measures in place to protect civilians from harm.
Will Carter, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director for Sudan said one year since the start of the war in Sudan, the civilians endured starvation, mass sexual violence, large-scale ethnic killing, and executions.
“Today marks a milestone of shame for the warring parties in Sudan, as much as for the international community that has allowed this catastrophe to worsen. The looming famine should have forced warring parties to allow aid to flow, but the reality on the ground is that aid remains obstructed and global powers remain indifferent,” Carter said.
“One year on, we now have the world’s worst displacement risking becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis on our watch, with paltry levels of funding for the humanitarian response. We need world leaders to step in and provide essential funding to save the lives of millions from imminent famine and ongoing bombardment. We need all the diplomatic influence possible on the warring parties to avert further catastrophe and protect civilians,” Carter added.
In October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council established a Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, with the mandate to investigate and establish facts and root causes of human rights violations and abuses committed in the conflict.
A catastrophic humanitarian crisis
Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, fighting has intensified across the country. More than 14,700 people have been killed, including in deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Approximately 10.7 million people have been displaced by the conflict, marking it as the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. At least 14 million children— half the country’s children — require humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that the international humanitarian response to Sudan remains woefully underfunded despite humanitarian organizations warning of famine. As of the end of February, the UN’s appeal was only 5 per cent, which seriously undermines the delivery of crucial emergency aid and services.
Sudan’s museums, cultural centres, and research facilities have also been looted and destroyed.
On 15 April 2024, Amnesty International, Sudan Democracy First Group, and the NGO International Film Festival will hold an art exhibition in Nairobi bringing together Sudanese artists in solidarity with the Sudanese civilians most affected by the conflict.
The Golden Times | South Sudan
