United Nations estimates indicate that about 2.7 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries due to the war (Getty)
Today, Wednesday, the United Nations launched an appeal to donor countries to donate to relief Sudanese civilians suffering under the burden of war, and called on the international community not to forget Sudan.
The organization said that there is an urgent need to raise $4.1 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of those affected by the war, including displaced people who fled to neighboring countries.
The United Nations estimates that half of Sudan's population - about 25 million people - need humanitarian aid and protection. Its estimates also indicate that more than 1.5 million have fled the country as a result of the war to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
In a joint appeal with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Wednesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called for funding worth $2.7 billion to provide humanitarian aid to 14.7 million people inside Sudan.
He also called for providing $1.4 billion to support about 2.7 million displaced people who fled to countries neighboring Sudan as part of this appeal.
“The international community is still forgetting Sudan,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told diplomats at the international organization’s headquarters in Geneva.
He stressed the importance of the international community moving to provide relief to Sudan based on the urgent need for this, adding, "We must not forget Sudan. This is the simple message I am sending today."
Griffiths recalled the human suffering of the Sudanese, and said, "10 months of conflict have deprived the population in Sudan of almost everything: security, shelter, and livelihoods."
He stressed, "Donors' generosity helps us provide food, shelter, drinking water and education to children, in addition to combating rampant violence against ethnic groups and caring for survivors."
Griffiths pointed out that funding last year's needs did not exceed half of the needs, and stressed the urgent need to provide more support to meet the humanitarian needs of the Sudanese this year.
In the same context, the United Nations announced today that the two parties to the conflict in Sudan have agreed to hold a meeting, likely to be in Switzerland, to discuss the issue of delivering humanitarian aid.
Griffiths said in statements he made during a press conference that he had made contact with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army commander, head of the Sovereignty Council, and his opponent, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), about holding a meeting between representatives of the two warring parties in Sudan to discuss the delivery of aid.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs confirmed that both parties agreed to the matter and expressed their happiness with the step.
Since last April 15, there has been fighting in Sudan between the army forces led by Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Hemedti, which has so far resulted in the deaths of thousands, about 10,000 of whom fell in Darfur, according to a report by United Nations experts.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies