New UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher has described the Sudan crisis as one of “staggering proportions and it demands the world’s attention”.
Fletcher made the remarks on Monday while on his first field visit in Sudan since he took charge as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) chief.
He met with Sudanese authorities, including Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council.
The UN official discussed ways to address constraints to the delivery of aid; the need to increase the presence of humanitarian personnel in areas worst affected by the crisis to scale up the response; and how to increase the delivery of aid across borders and across conflict lines.
He underlined the importance of bringing attention to the suffering of civilians across the country.
While in Kassala, Fletcher visited a centre for children without parental care who had to be evacuated due to the violence. He also visited a camp for the displaced people.
Fletcher also took part in an event in Port Sudan on Monday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
From Sudan, Fletcher will go to Chad to meet with Sudanese refugees and the host communities supporting them, as well as local Chadian authorities and other partners.