The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is worsening due to famine and cholera

According to the WHO, the death toll from the war in Sudan exceeds 20 thousand victims.The situation is aggravated by famine and the cholera epidemic.

The budget of war underway in Sudan from April 2023 caused more than 20 thousand deaths.So he declared Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), he declared, during his official trip to Port Sudan in early September.Nineteen months after the start of the war they are dead more than 23 thousand people, according to the latest report from the Armed conflict location and event data project (Acled), which considers this figure an underestimate.

The conflict created the largest humanitarian crisis by number of refugees in the world. Second the International Organization for Migration (Oim), more than 13 million people have fled from their homes since the fighting began, of which over 2.3 million have taken refuge in neighboring countries.

This war, in addition to having affected the entire national territory very quickly, is characterized by accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in the region of Darfur. Both factions in conflict were accused by the International Criminal Court that they are committing serious violations, including mass rape, ethnic cleansing and conscription child soldiers. At the beginning of September, a team of UN-backed human rights experts urged the creation of an “independent and impartial force” to protect civilians and the expansion of the arms embargo to protect civilians in the escalation of the conflict, and underlined that in the last month it has been achieved a new record of violence.

Famine worsens the humanitarian situation

The conflict between the generals al-Burhan And Hemedti they brought the country into the worst famine in 40 years.In these 19 months of conflict, both sides have used food and humanitarian aid as a weapon of war.Due to the conflict, 25 million people, more than half of the country's population live in conditions of acute hunger.According to several humanitarian agencies, more than two million Sudanese could die by the end of the year.

In areas where food is available, extortion and attacks traders at checkpoints were forced to increase their prices. They are different the testimonies of women forced to have sexual relations with soldiers of the regular army, the Saf, in exchange for food.

The famine was declared In the Zamzam camp, which houses approx 500 thousand displaced close to the besieged city of El Fasher, the state capital of North Darfur, the region has been under siege for months and the RSF is blocking the arrival of humanitarian aid.There is a realistic possibility of famine in other areas of Sudan as well, but precise figures are difficult to confirm.Last month, the regular army he accepted Of open the Adré border crossing from Chad for a period of three months, but international humanitarian agencies they reported that the army complicated the arrival of aid giving authorizations that ensure entry to only a few shipments.

The dramatic humanitarian situation is been discussed in these days at the United Nations General Assembly. Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (Ocha), called on Member States to exert all the influence possible to end the crisis in Sudan.Msuya urged states to take diplomatic action to ensure assistance and access to humanitarian aid is increased through the open border crossing with Chad, without introducing new procedures which could hinder operations.

Cholera outbreaks

To aggravate the already dramatic situation in the country there is thecholera epidemic which hit the Central and eastern Sudan, leading to further health risks and fatalities.The Sudanese authorities have declared an outbreak of the epidemic in August in the states of Kassala, Gedaref, Nile, Al Jazirah and the capital Khartoum.According to the Ministry of Health, have been reported over 18 thousand cases and 545 deaths.In the second half of August, weekly cases multiplied by four.

In the summer months, the central and eastern area of ​​Sudan has been affected by heavy floods that displaced 27 thousand people and they have worsened the state in which the already displaced populations live.Floods and inadequate access to drinking water have created the conditions for the spread of cholera. In Kassala, For example, heavy rains and river flooding have destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, putting internally displaced communities and Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees in the area in even more dire living conditions.

Cholera adds aanother challenge to the crisis in Sudan and a further burden on the decimated health system, which is already struggling with growing child malnutrition, the high number of war wounded and diseases.Regularly hampered by both warring sides, the humanitarian response remains far below what is needed.