There have been calls for help to stop the war and initiatives for compassionate relief for civilians, including women, children and the elderly, but there are no ears to hear this humanitarian tragedy.
While the world remains distracted, the people of Sudan are either displaced, refugees, or trapped in their homes, unable to leave, without food, water, or medicine. It has become difficult to describe.
When will the world listen to the cry of the Sudanese people and put pressure on the warring parties to stop the violence and prevent the biggest humanitarian disaster Sudan has ever seen?
Harsh Conditions
Since the beginning of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15 last year, millions of Sudanese are still suffering from displacement, deteriorating living conditions and insecurity in a possibly unprecedented way, Adel Abdelbagi Ali, head of the Sudan Crisis Resolution Initiative of civil society organizations, said in an interview with Sputnik.
He added that with the passage of time without a solution, the conflict is spreading across the length and breadth of the North African country, and civil society organizations, through their offices and various bodies, have been monitoring the processes of displacement and the harsh humanitarian conditions experienced by the civilian population.
The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, from where the first spark of war broke out, was home to 14 million citizens before the war and has been the most affected.
Living Under Bombardment
"According to the annual report prepared by civil society organizations, the number of camps and shelters since the outbreak of the war has exceeded 3,000 shelters and camps, and despite the harsh and even tragic conditions, nearly 7 million civilians are still living under bombardment. The parties to the conflict have committed grave humanitarian violations against them," Abdelbagi said.
The head of the initiative pointed out that statistics compiled by civil society organizations indicate that the percentage of children among the victims since the outbreak of the war is 58 percent, while the percentage of women is almost 32 percent, and that these violations continue to take place in Khartoum and the states of Darfur, Kordofan, al-Jazira, Sennar and the Red Sea as the conflict continues.
Facilities and Services
Abdelbagi explained that the ongoing violence and armed clashes have had a negative impact on the healthcare system, with about 72 percent of hospitals and health centers in Sudan out of service.
In addition, there is a severe shortage of medical equipment and staff, and movement to reach patients is difficult due to the intensity of the fighting between the two warring parties. The situation deteriorated further after international humanitarian organizations left the country at the beginning of the conflict.
The head of the initiative pointed out that 6.3 million Sudanese inside the Sudanese capital Khartoum are suffering from difficult humanitarian conditions, especially after the recent developments taking place in several areas inside the capital Khartoum, including a lack of social services, health, food, water, rations, fuel and electricity.
"The suffering of defenseless civilians in the clash areas is worse and catastrophic in the truest sense of the word, as in many cases there is no way to get out of the house to buy food or necessary materials from the markets, and some vital facilities have been completely destroyed. Humanitarian organizations try to reach the stranded when they have security guarantees from all parties to the conflict," Abdelbagi said.
'Stop the War'
The head of the Sudan Crisis Resolution Initiative called on the United Nations and peace-loving countries to work as soon as possible for an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities, even if it's only for two weeks, to open safe corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid to defenseless civilians, and to provide protection and access for local and international humanitarian organizations and relief agencies in areas controlled by the warring parties.
In addition, the systematic targeting of refugee camps by aerial bombardment and heavy weapons must cease.
Abdelbagi warned of the negative and dangerous consequences of the indiscriminate arming of different communities, which has become a threat to the social fabric and security in Sudan.
External Relief
For her part, Aisha Abkar, an official in the relief organizations in al-Jazira State, says that the conditions of displaced children, the elderly and women are tragic because there are not enough humanitarian supplies and external aid is almost non-existent. Residents of the area where the displaced are settling are trying to provide them with what food, blankets and medicine they can afford.
She added in an interview with Sputnik that the situation of people living in hunger, fear and loss of hope in life is very distressing, and the most painful thing is to see a patient dying in front of you for lack of medicine or medical equipment and there is nothing you can do.
Meanwhile, Fatima Elias, coordinator of civil society organizations in the Red Sea State, told Sputnik that "the number of displaced people in the state is close to 800,000, according to our data."
"Their conditions are miserable, and aid is not reaching them due to theft or obstruction. We can only appeal to the authorities and those in charge of relief operations to ensure that this aid reaches the right place," she said. "The problems of the displaced are many, and we are trying to alleviate them with little effort, but we have little."
Most Dangerous Stages
"Since April 15, 2023, we have been closely following the bloody events in Sudan between the army troops and the Rapid Support Forces, which led to the death of thousands, displacement, asylum and starvation of millions of Sudanese, and we hope that peace and stability will prevail in the country in the near future," the Sudanese civil society organizations said in a statement seen by Sputnik.
The statement added that "the war is entering its tenth month, and the suffering of displaced people and civilians is increasing day by day after the circle of fighting expanded in different states. We have yet to see any effective international or regional response to the crisis, and we have submitted a memorandum and initiatives to both the IGAD countries, the UN Security Council and the League of Arab States. What we have seen is an international and regional procrastination in resolving the crisis in Sudan."
"The war is now heading towards an ethnic, racial and regional path in particular, and this may lead Sudan into a long-term cycle of internal war and may have an impact on neighboring countries and the diaspora in general," the statement warned.
The statement also called on "the international and regional community to hold emergency meetings to discuss the latest developments in Sudan, accelerate the cessation of war, establish social and communal reconciliation, and send international relief organizations to the camps and shelters for the displaced."
Violent clashes between the Sudanese army and RSF broke out in April. Since then, the parties to the conflict have declared a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires, but none have helped to resolve the conflict. Both sides have been implicated in allegations of war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, torture, and arbitrary detention of civilians, with the RSF in particular accused of ethnically motivated mass killings, looting, and sexual violence.
Despite international efforts, including those by IGAD, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, to mediate between the warring parties, the resolution remains elusive.