Over 20 people interviewed by Amnesty International said they continue to face challenges communicating with their friends and family members since the beginning of the communication blackout in early February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has created anxiety among Sudanese communities outside the country who are unable to connect and communicate with their loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) must refrain from shutting down the internet as this is a lifeline for civilians,\u201d Sarah urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have been unable to communicate with my family members in Khartoum for over two weeks now. I am so worried about their situation. I can only hope that they are well. The internet outage is keeping me worried about my family every day,\u201d a Sudanese based in exile said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human rights monitors and defenders who are monitoring the situation in Sudan are also unable to carry out meaningful documentation of rights violations because of the internet shutdown. Over 15 human rights defenders interviewed by Amnesty International in Kenya and Uganda said they have struggled to document ongoing violations in most of Sudan since the beginning of the communication blackout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amnesty International researchers have also found it extremely challenging to communicate with people in Sudan, particularly in the cities of Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impact on emergency services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The work of frontline humanitarian aid providers has also been severely impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One such group of providers is the Emergency Response Rooms (ERR) which were spontaneously created to help coordinate support for Sudanese impacted by the war and provide life-saving services to communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The virtual rooms consist of Sudanese in the diaspora and volunteers on the ground who process requests from the public via WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These humanitarian requests include evacuation needs, identification of safe routes and exits, transportation options, access to food, water, electricity, shelter, and other basic needs. Because of the internet shutdown, the ERR\u2019s important work is on the verge of paralysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five ERR coordinators interviewed by Amnesty International said they are finding it difficult to coordinate with their colleagues on the ground to deliver food and other basic needs to the communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause of the internet shutdown, we are unable to communicate with our volunteers, we are unable to buy food, and medicine and deliver these services to those in need. Most of our soup kitchens in the greater Khartoum are cut off and therefore not working. We are also unable to purchase and deliver medicine and other medical equipment to the very limited health facilities that are still operating in the city,\u201d a representative in exile said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impact on mobile money transfers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the internet shutdown, Sudanese in the diaspora and those coordinating emergency responses in the country are unable to send or transfer money to Sudan and within Sudan via mobile banking applications, one of the few remaining means of transferring funds to and within Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some cases, when money is transferred, recipients are unable to access the funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cE-wallets require internet connectivity to complete transactions. Lack of internet connectivity freezes E-wallet transactions, and no funds means no delivery of most of the ERR work including delivery of food and other necessities,\u201d a humanitarian worker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A near-total communication blackout in Sudan following all network and internet shutdowns in early February poses serious risks to the coordination of emergency assistance and humanitarian services to millions of people caught up in the conflict, Amnesty International on Friday said. The continued shutdown has limited millions of people\u2019s ability to communicate with their families, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,24,7,8],"tags":[25,22,17,26,19,16,18,27,20,23],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image1170x530cropped-1024x464.jpg\")
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