Senior UN officials delivered remarks, including humanitarian affairs chief Tom Fletcher, who said “Sudan is a laboratory of atrocities,” citing sieges of towns such as El Fasher in Darfur, denial of food, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Civilians and aid workers killed
“Drones have killed 700 people this year alone and 130 aid workers have died in three years.”he continued.
“I often have to call the families of those who died and they always ask me if our relatives died in vain.”
The war that broke out exactly three years ago between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its former allies, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has created the world’s worst humanitarian and displacement crises.
Approximately 34 million people – two-thirds of the population – need humanitarian assistance. Nearly 14 million people have been displaced, 19 million are hungry and some 10 million children are out of school..
Impacts of the Gulf crisis
“The Middle East conflict is adding a new level to this challenge,” Fletcher said, pointing to rising food and fuel costs, as well as freight costs, which have risen 25 percent.
“Half of Sudan’s fertilizers come from the Gulf“And we are approaching the main growing season in April and May,” he added.
The UN and its partners are seeking $2.2 billion to reach 14 million people across the country this year within an overall goal of 20 million.
He stressed the need to “keep access routes open,” referring to the Adre border crossing from eastern Chad – critical for delivering aid to millions of people in the Darfur region – while calling for safer routes to the Kordofans and Blue Nile State.
“We need to expand our presence in Darfur,” he added, noting that there are now 93 employees in the region, a three-fold increase since October.
‘This nightmare must end’: Guterres
UN Secretary-General António Guterres thanked the international community for uniting once again in solidarity with the people of Sudan.
“This nightmare must end,” he said in a video message. “That requires unity and urgency..”
He insisted that civilians must be protected, aid workers must be able to safely carry out their life-saving work and aid operations must be fully funded.
“But let us be clear: financing alone cannot replace peace,” said the Secretary-General.
“An immediate cessation of hostilities is essential. The external interference and flow of weapons that fuel this war must finally end. And A credible path must be opened towards an inclusive, civilian-led political process “That reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.”
Responsibility for atrocities
For his part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stressed that “we need urgent joint action to hold those responsible accountable. That is the only way to end the violence and prevent new atrocities.”
His Office “has proposed a set of human rights-based confidence-building measures that reinforce accountability as a central component of any path to peace,” which have been shared with parties to the conflict, key Member States and others.
Mr. Türk stated that “Behind the destruction in Sudan lies a complex web of strategic and economic interests, and enormous profits..”
The warring parties “are exploiting the country’s gold, livestock and gum arabic to pay for their war” and “external powers are providing advanced weapons systems and financing, while promoting their own agendas.”
He urged all countries to fully comply with the arms embargo on Darfur, end arms transfers and refer the overall situation in Sudan to the International Criminal Court (ICC).