GENEVA: The lack of security in Sudan’s civil war combined with meagre international funds is hampering efforts to help millions in need in the country, the United Nations said Thursday.
“We need to reach 18 million people and we will not give up on that target but we need more international support, better access to the people who need us and safety for our operations,” the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami told a press conference in Geneva.
She recalled that 19 members of humanitarian organizations have been killed since the conflict erupted in mid-April, while 29 others have been injured.
While she did not wish to be drawn on whether they had been specifically targeted, she noted that “in many instances, our efforts are being hampered,” despite care being taken to indicate “where it is we will be, and what we will be doing.”
The fighting in Sudan broke out on April 15. The army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a power struggle.
Nearly 7,500 people have been killed in Sudan since the conflict broke out, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.
Battles have displaced almost 4.3 million people within Sudan, in addition to around 1.2 million more who have fled across borders, UN figures show.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Sudan has seen its health system brought to its knees by the conflict.
Humanitarian aid has been attacked and looted by armed gangs and criminals.
The UN is combating this complex humanitarian crisis despite a funding shortage.
“The $2.6 billion humanitarian appeal is just one-third funded,” said Nkweta-Salami.
“The population of Sudan is balancing on a knife-edge as their country is gradually consumed by this conflict.”