While battles for power have already left more than 200 dead in the country, institutions and associations have called for guaranteeing humanitarian access to people in need in Sudan.
The Red Cross and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called on warring parties in Sudan to ensure humanitarian access to people in need.
“Thousands of volunteers are ready, able and trained to provide humanitarian services. Unfortunately, due to the current situation, they are unable to travel,” said the head of the delegation of the International Federation of Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), Farid Aiywar, to journalists in Geneva by videoconference from Nairobi.
“We have ambulances, people capable of providing first aid and psychosocial support, but this will only be possible when the humanitarian corridors are guaranteed by all parties”, he insisted, stressing that “the organizations humanitarian workers felt very frustrated” at not being able to do their job.
The paralyzed country
UN staff can also no longer work. “We have around 4,000 staff working in the country (including) 800 international staff. We are of course concerned for their safety,” said UN spokeswoman in Geneva Alessandra Vellucci.
Despite calls from G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan, the UN and the United States “to end the violence immediately”, fighting continues in Sudan, where a deadly power struggle between two generals . The recent hostilities have already caused nearly 200 deaths according to the UN.
The inhabitants remain cloistered at home without electricity or running water and see their food stocks melting.
“We are getting calls from all over, from people who want basic things, food for their family, reunite children with their parents, and yet we cannot move, we cannot provide them with basic services. such as a bottle of water or a meal for a child,” explained Farid Aiywar.
The health system is severely disrupted and “if this continues, it risks collapsing”, he also warned.
“Attacks” against infrastructure
“Many of the nine hospitals in Khartoum receiving wounded civilians lack everything…blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids, medical equipment and other basic necessities,” added a door. -WHO spokesperson in Geneva, Margaret Harris.
In addition, the WHO denounces the attacks against health infrastructures. Three attacks have so far been recorded by the WHO “but we know there are many more,” said Margaret Harris.
“The parties must ensure that care can be provided, which is not possible if staff, ambulances and supplies cannot move safely,” she insisted.
A little later, during his weekly press conference, the Director General of the WHO, Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that “supplies distributed by the WHO to health facilities before the recent escalation of the conflict are now exhausted”.
“There are disturbing reports of the looting of some health facilities and the use of other facilities for military purposes. There are also reports that some hospitals are already closed or about to be closed due to the attacks and the lack of personnel and medical supplies,” he added.
The shortage of fuel for hospital generators and water and electricity cuts also affect the functioning of health facilities.
