Sudan: Thousands of civilians trapped in fighting have nowhere safe to go

Thousands of civilians remain trapped by heavy fighting in Al Fasher, Sudan, where Al Saudi, the only remaining hospital, has suffered repeated attacks, and the hospital staff is running out of medical supplies.

Despite numerous efforts, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not managed to bring humanitarian relief into the city to this day. We call on the parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and facilitate access for lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

The main supply routes around Al Fasher remain inaccessible, and humanitarian and commercial trucks cannot bring necessities like food and medical supplies. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, who lost their livelihoods and access to farmland in places like Zam Zam camp, go hungry, as food shortages are becoming critical. Humanitarian organizations must be able to reach vulnerable communities in Zam Zam and other places with relief supplies before it is too late.

In the short term, we urge the parties to the conflict to open more supply routes to ensure the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and the movement of essential commercial goods to Al Fasher, Al Obeid, Sennar, Al Jaziera, and other areas affected by fighting.

We welcome the Sudanese authorities’ decision to reopen the Adré crossing between Chad and Sudan for three months to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Darfur region. Any initiative that can improve humanitarian access is an important and encouraging development.

It is a positive first step, however, we remind all parties that the three months coincide with the rainy season, which naturally complicates access because of heavy rains and flash floods. And we urge the parties to keep the Adré crossing open to ensure the flow of aid.

We also call on the authorities to rapidly communicate operational modalities for cross-border operations and reduce bureaucratic impediments so that humanitarian organizations can fully take advantage of this window of opportunity to deliver urgent humanitarian aid.

We call on all parties to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law to address the basic humanitarian needs of the civilian population, and to consider a more permanent solution for cross-border humanitarian operations to ensure sustainable and safe humanitarian access.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).