Red Cross warns of obstacles to humanitarian aid delivery in Sudan

By Alexandra Sirgant

After fifteen months of conflict in Sudan, peace negotiations have stalled. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), recently ended dialogue with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, and their allied militias.

According to the UN, at least 15,500 people have been killed, and 2 million have fled the country since the war began on April 15, 2023.

The humanitarian crisis is worsening, with 25 million people facing acute food insecurity.

However, obstacles on the ground prevent NGOs and institutions like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from reaching civilians. Several independent UN experts condemn the use of famine as a "weapon of war" to starve civilian populations.

Speaking to Vatican News, Pierre Dorbes, head of the ICRC delegation based in Port Sudan, now the administrative capital of the country, warned that "crossing front lines to access conflict zones, whether in Wad Madani or Khartoum, becomes significantly more challenging because obtaining agreements from the parties, which is necessary for security, is tough."

The situation is similar in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the only capital of the five Darfur states not under RSF control.

"El Fasher is currently under complete siege; nothing gets in. In other central areas, telecommunications are down, making it impossible to deliver aid or even understand the real situation," he said.

A report from Human Rights Watch in May warned of possible ethnic cleansing against the Massalit and other non-Arab communities by the predominantly Arab RSF in El-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.

Beyond the danger zones, the Red Cross also faces issues with obtaining authorisations for humanitarian workers to carry out their missions.

"The international community needs to negotiate and pressure conflict actors to simplify administrative processes, grant visas, and facilitate aid delivery and access to the country, even across front lines," emphasised Mr. Dorbes, who has been in post since October 2023.

In his thirty-year humanitarian career, Pierre Dorbes says he has never seen a crisis of this scale.

"With 10 million displaced people within the country, that represents 20 to 25% of the population," he stressed.

Sudan is facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, yet the conflict "is not making headlines."

The lack of media attention explains the underfunding of the humanitarian response. For instance, the UN mission responsible for Sudan is seeking $2.7 billion to aid Sudanese people, but only 15% of the needed funds have been raised.

"Donors are much less generous towards Sudan compared to more publicized crises, which significantly limits the humanitarian response both within the country and in neighboring countries," he said.

Of the 2 million people who have fled Sudan, 35% have sought refuge in South Sudan and 33% in Chad, both of which are also facing severe food crises.