UN Sending Relief Chief to Sudan Over ‘Unprecedented’ Situation

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Facts

  • Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, is sending his emergency relief chief, Martin Griffith, to Sudan amid the "unprecedented" situation there, as warring parties continue fighting despite agreeing to extend a 72-hour ceasefire originally set to end at midnight Sunday.1
  • Witnesses reported continued clashes on Sunday evening and said fighter jets had been seen above Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River. The civil aviation authority announced Sudan's airspace would be closed until May 13, except for aid and evacuation flights.2
  • Griffiths said families were struggling to access commodities such as water, food, and fuel. Some were unable to relocate from the worst-hit areas because of transportation costs, he said, adding that urgent medical care was severely limited, "raising the risk of preventable death."3
  • More than 500 people have been killed and tens of thousands forced to flee the country after fighting erupted on April 15 between Sudanese forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).4
  • According to Griffith, massive looting of humanitarian offices and warehouses has depleted most UN supplies. He added that he is traveling to the region to explore ways to provide emergency aid to "the millions of people" affected by the fighting.5
  • The UN World Food Program warned that if the unrest continues, millions more could face starvation in Sudan, a country where 15M people already depend on aid to survive famine.6

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2TRT World, 3Arab News, 4India Today, 5France 24, and 6The Times of India.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by UN News. The humanitarian situation in Sudan has reached a breaking point. Essential goods are becoming scarce, and families struggle to access water, food, fuel, and other critical supplies. Vulnerable people are unable to leave worst-hit areas as transportation costs have risen exponentially, and those injured in the violence find it difficult to access urgent healthcare. The violence must cease immediately.
  • Narrative B, as provided by CNBC. Sudan's geographic location at the juncture of the Indian Ocean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, and the Arab world makes it central to regional stability. If the conflict continues, it could spread to neighboring countries, with Russia and the US potentially becoming involved. The violence must end, but this is a tinderbox with now easy off-ramps.