Responding to the Sudan Regional Crisis

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces is soon to enter its sixth month, with over 5.4 million people displaced within Sudan. While conflict is concentrated in Khartoum and Omdurman it continues to spread deeper into the country. The violence is compounded by climatic shocks, with heavy rains and flooding reported in North Darfur, Northern and White Nile states. RI operations have been impacted with one health facility being badly damaged by flooding and another was hit by an air strike in early September.

In spite of the fighting, RI is working to ensure timely delivery of primary health, nutrition, and WASH services in North Darfur, Blue Nile, and Al-Jazira, and is scaling up procurement and delivery of additional medical supplies into Sudan. This will augment health and nutrition supplies already received from WHO and UNICEF. Key support provided through RI-supported health facilities since mid-April include: treatment of 2,621 trauma-related cases, 110,793 medical consultations, antenatal care consultations, and over 100,000 measles vaccinations. Malnutrition screenings are also taking place, with over 49,000 children under the age of five being screened.

RI staff members in Sudan continue to advocate for an urgent and credible ceasefire. This would allow humanitarian access to reach the most vulnerable communities. The provision of timely support is more critical than ever with the onset of rains and flooding. Greater advocacy for the movement of medical supplies from Chad to Sudan to enable the continuity of the humanitarian response in the Darfur region, and scaled up assistance to villages in Sudan along the Chadian border. Refugees and returnees in neighboring countries, particularly women and children, as well as host communities, are at risk of being overlooked due to a lack of resources.

Scaled up resources for the regional response and for those along Sudan’s borders is critical. RI urgently appeals to donors to boost financial support to humanitarian agencies for Sudan as resourcing will be critical beyond December. RI is actively seeking further funding to widen its operations in Sudan as well as the region, and to maintain provision of essential humanitarian and nutrition supplies which are rapidly depleting.

Links:

• Sitrep Update