UN Officials Warn Against Continued Deterioration In Sudan

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, Aug 6 (KUNA) -- UN officials cautioned Tuesday against humanitarian situation in Sudan that still constitutes an "absolute crisis".
During a UN Security Council session on Sudan, Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said 26 million in Sudan are in acute hunger.
"When famine happens, it means we are too late we, the international community, have failed," Wosornu said during a briefing in the session.
"This is an entirely man-made crisis - and a shameful stain on our collective conscience," she added.
She noted that more than 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence, hunger and deprivation.
Sudan's health care system has collapsed. An entire generation of children is missing out on a second straight year of their education, she stated.
Khartoum - the capital of Sudan, once the beating heart of the country - is in ruins. The World Food Programme (WFP) Famine Review Committee concluded that famine conditions are present in the Zamzam camp near El Fasher in North Darfur and also found that they are likely present in other displacement camps in and around the city, she elaborated.
The 480-day conflict pushed millions of civilians into a quagmire of violence, death, injury and inhumane treatment, he highlighted.
The UN official called for the halt of conflict, the parties' commitments, and the provision of more assistance to Sudan.
Meanwhile, Stephen Omollo, Assistant Executive Director for Workplace and Management of the World Food Programme (WFP), said that WFP's Famine Review Committee has concluded that there is famine in Zamzam camp near El Fasher in North Darfur and that other areas in Darfur and elsewhere are at high risk, with more than half of the country's population facing crisis levels of hunger.
He said the Council must ensure that "this forgotten crisis" receives the "political and diplomatic attention it desperately needs".
He referred to the failure of both the Government and rebel forces to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law by routinely blocking requests for cross-line clearances and imposing restrictions on cross-border routes.
He stressed the need for increased and flexible funding to support the rapid scale-up of the relief operations "if we are to save lives".
The WFP will prioritize those who are facing disastrous and urgent levels of hunger, in addition to internally displaced persons, he said.
He called for effective diplomacy to ensure cross-border supply routes and other border entry points from Chad, South Sudan, Libya and Egypt.
"Halting famine in Sudan requires political will and leadership. A ceasefire remains the only sustainable solution that will prevent the further spread of famine," he stated. (end)
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