Sudan – where fighting rages on between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – has drawn widespread criticism with the latest coming from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Sixteen months of war, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, puts the Sudanese health system near collapse and “insufficient action” makes it “the perfect storm of crises, which the world is largely ignoring”.
He told reporters in Port Sudan the conflict had so far killed more than 20 000 people – “though the number is likely higher” – and sparked the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. Over 10 million fled their homes with a further two million crossing borders to neighbouring countries.
His comments are supported by the European Union (EU) with Vice President Josep Borrell on record as saying a UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) report provides “additional proof that SAF and RSF, as well as their affiliated militias, are responsible for large-scale violations of human rights and international law”.
“Many violations amount to international crimes and there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have committed war crimes,” a 9 September EU statement reads, in part.
The UNHRC report, compiled by an international fact-finding mission for Sudan, notes the situation in the east African country is “appalling” and “indiscriminate and direct targeting of civilians” is ongoing.
Reporting on the Ghebreyesus media briefing, the world body has it that “following 500 days of fighting, in addition to the mounting death toll and soaring numbers of internally displaced people, catastrophic seasonal floods have further harmed vital infrastructure, disease outbreaks such as cholera and malaria are on the rise, numerous cases of conflict related sexual violence have been reported and famine is occurring in some areas of the country”.
“Despite these sobering statistics and WHO sounding the alarm since the conflict began while working with partners to meet some of the challenges, the international community has seemingly forgotten about Sudan and is paying little heed to the conflict tearing it apart, with repercussions in the region.”
@DefenceWeb