On Thursday, the United States issued a warning stating that it would urge the U.N. Security Council to take action in order to provide aid to starving individuals in Sudan. This action could involve permitting cross-border deliveries from Chad if the Sudanese armed forces fail to restore full access.
Prior to the one year mark since the conflict in Sudan began, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield noted that both warring parties had hindered aid operations and ignored a Security Council call for an immediate halt to hostilities.
“The situation in Sudan continues to be dire and it is only deteriorating,” Thomas-Greenfield emphasized. “People are experiencing starvation.”
The war in Sudan erupted on April 15, 2023, involving the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to the U.N., nearly 25 million individuals – half of Sudan’s population – are in need of assistance, approximately 8 million have been displaced, and close to 5 million are at risk of severe hunger in the upcoming months.
Thomas-Greenfield accused the SAF of obstructing aid from reaching Sudan’s Darfur region from Chad, which is under the control of the RSF, describing the situation as “literally a matter of life and death.”
“In the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, a child loses their life every two hours. Experts are warning that over 200,000 more children could face starvation in the following weeks and months,” she explained, urging the SAF to promptly reopen the border entirely.
“If they fail to do so, the Security Council must act swiftly to ensure that life-saving aid is transported and distributed, even if it means using a cross-border mechanism,” Thomas-Greenfield asserted.
The Security Council has previously authorized similar operations – for nine years, it allowed humanitarian aid deliveries from neighboring countries to reach millions of individuals mostly in opposition-held areas of Syria.
The United States has accused the conflicting parties in Sudan of committing war crimes. U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello mentioned on Tuesday that April 18 is being considered for a potential resumption of peace negotiations on Sudan in Saudi Arabia.
According to a report by U.N. sanctions monitors seen by Reuters in January, between 10,000 and 15,000 individuals were killed in a single city in Sudan’s West Darfur region last year due to ethnic violence by the RSF and allied Arab militia.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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