KHARTOUM – Amid the ongoing fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the suffering of civilians is increasing, as the Rapid Support Forces continue to impose their siege on several areas adjacent to the army’s corps of engineers in the city of Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum.
In this context, resistance committees in the neighborhoods of the old city of Omdurman issued a distress call, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe in the area.
Residents of the Bant, Al-Dhubat and Abu Kadok neighborhoods face hunger and thirst following the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces, in addition to shortages of food and medicine in light of power and water cuts, it said.
They stressed that they lack the most basic necessities of life with the rapid support and oppression of everyone who goes out, as it prevents citizens from going out even to save themselves from the famine, which is almost certain in this region.
pointing out in a statement on Thursday that these actions will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, reminding that civilians are never an arena for settling scores in wars, calling for an end to targeting them. The resistance committees appealed to local and international organizations to intervene in order to save the people of the area and allow the entry of medicine and foodstuffs, or open a corridor.
The statement pointed out also that the rapid support applies the same siege on the people of the neighborhoods of Al-Fatihab and other parts of the capital Khartoum and other cities. The committees made an urgent appeal to the command of the military region in Omdurman in general, and the Corps of Engineers and the Medical Corps in particular, to rescue the residents of Omdurman who are present in the neighborhood of Bant east and west of Al-Morada, Abbasiya, Okduk, Hay Al-Dhubat.
They are besieged from all directions, while facing severe shortages of food and drinking water, electricity and communications cuts, lack of medicines and all the necessities of a normal life, it said.
As part of the international response to the humanitarian situation in Sudan, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khader, said that “19 million children are out of school in Sudan.”
This was the catastrophe of a whole generation that could be lost, she said, stressing that ending the fighting and resolving peacefully were the only options for getting children back to school, and that the world should not forget the children of Sudan.
As the conflict in Sudan enters its eighth month, disease, displacement and hunger are on the rise, putting millions more at risk, with the United Nations Development Programme saying there is an urgent need to step up human efforts.
The conflict has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan, resulting in massive loss of human lives, livelihoods, public infrastructure and basic services.
Sudan’s economy is expected to contract by 12 percent in 2023 due to production stoppages and the loss of human capital and state capacity. Between April and November, nearly 5 million people were internally displaced, and some 1.3 million crossed borders in search of safety, putting enormous pressure on host communities.
In addition, 20 million people face hunger, with more than six million people just one step away from famine. Cholera outbreaks have been declared across the country, including in states hosting large numbers of people displaced by the conflict.
It is estimated that 3.1 million people are at risk of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera by December, while malaria cases have exceeded 800,000.
UNDP Resident Representative Yuri Afanasiev said urgent action was needed now to stop the escalating humanitarian catastrophe, protect people’s dignity and lay the foundation for a recovery path.
Noting the need to focus on providing access to energy and clean water, restoring health care facilities, providing essential medicines and supporting farmers to preserve their crops, UNDP’s Sudan Crisis Presentation is designed to complement life-saving humanitarian efforts with sustainable support for life.
The military conflict does not only affect the humanitarian aspects but has spread to vital facilities that are threatened with destruction, such as the Jabal Awlia reservoir, where the Sudanese government accused the Rapid Support Forces of damaging water facilities, which led to water shortages in a wide range of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources in charge, Daw Al-Bayt Abdul Rahman Mansour, said during his Addressing the meetings of the fifteenth session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources in charge, Daw Al-Bayt Abdul Rahman Mansour, said that water facilities in the country were severely damaged by the “Rapid Support Forces rebellion,” pointing to their negative impact on the operation of these facilities and on the lives of citizens, especially the Bahri and Omdurman water stations.
Politically, after the Forces of Freedom and Change issued their final statement following the visit of a delegation to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and a meeting with President Salva Kiir, the Democratic Bloc opposed to it announced that they had begun their arrangements to visit South Sudan.
Democratic bloc leader Mubarak Erdol said they had begun logistical arrangements to meet President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s invitation to travel to Juba for political consultations on the crisis in Sudan and to seek ways to resolve it.
He added that “the role of neighboring countries is important and pivotal in ending the war and achieving comprehensive and real peace in Sudan as an affected party on the one hand, and on the other hand they are authentic partners in the present and future of our country as well as its past. He said they would contribute positively in everything that achieves the aspirations of the Sudanese people for peace and stability inside and outside the country.”
In its final statement on the visit of its delegation to Juba, the capital of the Republic of South Sudan, at the invitation of President Kiir, Freedom and Change stressed the need to preserve Sudan’s unity and sovereignty over its land and resources, expressing its rejection of everything that leads to the dismemberment of Sudan, prolonging the war or turning it into a societal war.
The delegation of freedom and change had met with the Mediation Committee of the Republic of South Sudan for peace in Sudan, where they discussed the vision of the Republic of South Sudan to resolve the current crisis in Sudan, and a report was heard by the delegation of freedom and change on the current situation in Sudan. She also held discussions with President Kiir, noting that there was a deep and extensive discussion on the need to immediately stop the war in Sudan and end it by addressing the roots of the crisis and the causes that led to its outbreak.
The statement quoted Kiir as saying that what is happening in Sudan and Khartoum “prevents us from sleeping and resting in Juba,” noting that his country and its people are the most knowledgeable about Sudan and its people because we are originally one people, appealing to the Sudanese not to allow this war to tear Sudan into many parts.
The statement of freedom and change stated that it was agreed to adhere to the call of national duty and pay attention to the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the war on millions of Sudanese women and men and the need to address it and provide them with humanitarian aid throughout the country.
President Kiir affirmed his readiness to continue receiving humanitarian aid through South Sudan in coordination with national agencies, United Nations organizations and other organizations.
It also announced the agreement on joint action to unify the multiple platforms and initiatives in integration between the Jeddah platform, IGAD, the African Union and the initiative of neighboring countries, which was launched from Cairo in a regional and international partnership that does not only end the war in Sudan, but extends to reconstruction and the creation of a regional and international climate for peace and stability.
With regard to the political process, the statement stated that it was stressed on a political process that ends the war and establishes a democratic civil system, provided that its parties, agenda and date are agreed upon, in addition to seeking to develop joint relations and reach a comprehensive vision to stop and end the war in Sudan.
«Al-Quds Al-Arabi»/Al-Yurae
