The International Red Cross and the Red Crescent said it was “almost impossible” to provide aid in the capital Khartoum in Geneva on Tuesday. From Khartoum they received calls from organizations and people to initiate evacuations, explained Farid Abdulkadir from the umbrella organization IFRC. Sudan’s health system is already on the verge of collapse, Abdulkadir said.
According to Abdulkadir, the Red Cross societies of Sudan and many other countries are ready with thousands of helpers on site. There is water and food for distribution, but the security situation does not allow the volunteers to work, he said. Only around 240 Red Cross helpers support the staff in hospitals. “We require humanitarian corridors for our mission,” he said. The IFRC hopes the fighting will end soon. “Of course we have hope, without hope there is nothing.”
Trapped in your own house
In North Darfur, according to the aid organization Doctors Without Borders, all hospitals have had to close, either because they are near the fighting or because the staff cannot get into the facilities because of the violence. Patients could therefore not have been referred for further treatment. “This is one of the reasons why 11 people died from their injuries in the first 48 hours of the conflict alone,” said Cyrus Paye, MSF project coordinator in al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Tuesday that thousands of civilians were trapped in their apartments and houses because of the ongoing shelling. They often have neither electricity nor the possibility to get food, water or medicine.
Fast 200 Tote im Sudan
The power struggle between the army and paramilitary forces in Sudan continues. A convoy of US diplomats and the EU ambassador to Sudan were also attacked.
Too little food available
The World Health Organization (WHO) also commented accordingly and reported three attacks on health facilities in which at least three people were killed. Nine hospitals in the capital Khartoum lack everything, there are not enough blood supplies, medicines and bandages. Due to ongoing fighting, it is not possible to supply the hospitals. The power goes out all the time and there is not enough food for the patients. In some places, military forces have occupied health facilities. “These attacks must stop,” demanded a WHO spokeswoman.
The United Nations has a total of 4,000 staff in Sudan, including 800 foreign nationals. A UN spokeswoman in Geneva declined to comment on whether there are plans for evacuations. In any case, the intention is to remain on the ground and to fulfill the UN’s humanitarian mandate. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken to both generals and is trying to reach a ceasefire, the spokeswoman said.
Little hope of ceasefire
It is unclear whether a ceasefire will last in the crisis-ridden country, as there were contradictory statements on Tuesday. Both sides had initially signaled their readiness for a 24-hour ceasefire, and an agreement had already been announced. But a spokesman for the armed forces later denied it. In addition, after the planned start of the ceasefire, explosions and shots could be heard again. Agreed three-hour ceasefires had already failed on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday evening there were renewed reports of gunfire.
Fighting broke out on Saturday. According to observers, the conflict was triggered by a dispute over the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the military as part of the transition to a civilian government. The army staged a coup in October 2021 and has ruled the country ever since. The new fights are intended to decide the supremacy between military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. According to the UN, at least 270 people, both civilians and combatants, were killed and 2,600 injured in the fighting.
Attacks on diplomats
Since Saturday there have been attacks with heavy weapons on military facilities in several parts of the country, some in the immediate vicinity of residential areas. Observers warn of high civilian casualties. Public life in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, has come to an almost complete standstill since the fighting began. A US diplomatic convoy also came under fire. Previously there had also been an attack on the residence of the EU ambassador.
