The Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director for Sudan, Will Carter, on one year of war, has said that one year since the start of the war in Sudan, the civilians here are enduring starvation, mass sexual violence, large-scale ethnic killing, and executions.
According to the NRC boos, millions more are displaced, and yet the world continues to look the other way.
“Today marks a milestone of shame for the warring parties in Sudan, as much as for the international community that has allowed this catastrophe to worsen. The looming famine should have forced warring parties to allow aid to flow, but the reality is that aid remains obstructed and global powers remain indifferent,” he said. “One year on, we now have the world’s worst displacement risking becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis on our watch, with paltry levels of funding for the humanitarian response. We need world leaders to step in and provide essential funding to save the lives of millions from imminent famine and ongoing bombardment.”
Carter added: “We need all the diplomatic influence possible on the warring parties to avert further catastrophe and protect civilians.”
According to NRC, 24.8 million people need humanitarian aid in 2024 and 6.5 million people have been internally displaced since 15 April
2023 (IOM), in addition to 3.8 million already displaced before the start of the war, turning Sudan into the largest internal displacement
crisis (IOM).
Over 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad are trapped in a spiral of deteriorating food security, including at least 17 million in Sudan.
WFP has warned that the war risks creating the world’s largest hunger crisis.
1.76 million people crossed Sudan’s borders since 15 April, mainly to Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Central African Republic (UNHCR).
NRC says that a total of US$2.70bn is needed for this year’s Sudan humanitarian response plan, of which less than 6 percent has been funded so far.