Sudanese People Trying to Survive Humanitarian Disaster

The fighting, which has been going on for more than three weeks, has exacerbated one of Sudan's greatest humanitarian problems: if the fighting continues, Khartoum risks becoming a city of the dead, literally covered in corpses. International agencies have suspended their work here indefinitely, forcing refugees to take extremely dangerous routes to avoid the fighting areas.

Sudanese locals told Sputnik about what is happening in the country and how they find themselves in a life or death situation.

Safi Muhammad, a coordinator of civil society organizations in Sudan, said that a ceasefire of several days was needed to bring civilians to safe areas.

"Because of the incessant fire, local aid groups cannot get the wounded out and help them or bury the dead. And the bodies in the houses and in the streets are already decomposing, the stench is real. At the same time, the survivors who remain in the houses are essentially without food or water. Many of them are also dying," Muhammad explained.

In his opinion, it would take at least 10 days for all humanitarian procedures - including the opening of corridors for civilians - to be completed.

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"Our humanitarian duty is to demand an end to the escalation. The two forces that should be protecting our citizens are killing them instead. That is why we are asking them on social networks at least to help the victims - and this request is popular with civilians. But the fighters on both sides do not hear it," the Sudanese human rights activist summarized.

Approaching Catastrophe

"The country is moving with incredible speed to the edge of the abyss, the humanitarian catastrophe is approaching not with each passing day, but with each passing hour. There will soon be no bread in Sudan. Basic goods are already so expensive that most people simply cannot afford to buy them. If this continues, the entire Sudanese people will be on the brink of extinction," said Mustafa, a humanitarian worker in Sudan.

In fact, there is no one and nowhere to bake bread in the country: there is no flour and most of the bakeries are ransacked or closed.

"It's not just the bakeries. Even in the pharmacies, you can't buy anything cheaper than 5,000 Sudanese pounds ($8.35). Even those who weren't poor were left without money: they simply couldn't get it out of their bank accounts. Hospitals are empty - there are practically no doctors in them now. Getting to them is also a problem - we're running out of fuel," he added.

Dangerous Conditions

Samah Ali Khamis, a member of the medical committee of Sudanese civil society organizations, said that thousands of Sudanese are suffering from a lack of medical care, even in hospitals - doctors and medical professionals were among the first to leave the war zone.

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"We lack almost everything for medical care, not just hands. We have no life-saving drugs, no painkillers, no blood-transfusion kits. People often die because we have nothing to help them. At the moment, there are only 26 hospitals in Sudan - and they function only sporadically. They are in danger of closing because of a lack of staff, medicines, electricity and water," he continued.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) estimates that 72 percent of local hospitals are not functioning. Pharmaceutical factories were looted in the first days of the fighting, leaving the remaining hospitals and pharmacies without even local medicines. Some pharmaceutical factories have even been bombed.

No to War

Ishraka Hamdeen, spokesman for civil society organizations in Sudan, spoke about the present situation and the near-impossibility for civilians to flee to safety, adding that civil society organizations have issued a call to the country's military leaders, saying "No to war and yes to peace". Hundreds of Sudanese citizens, despite their dire situation, have called on both sides of the conflict for a ceasefire and negotiations.

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