Sir, – Two years of conflict have left Sudan in ruins. Its infrastructure, economy and healthcare system are devastated, and a staggering 30 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. As global leaders meet in London on Tuesday for a ministerial conference to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, international pressure is mounting on political leaders to address this inexcusable humanitarian crisis.
Twenty-four months of fighting have led to historic levels of food insecurity, with famine conditions confirmed in some areas of the country, and millions of people are now at risk of starvation.
Behind these statistics, malnourished mothers give birth to malnourished babies, passing hunger from one generation to the next. Conflict prevents food production and blocks access to vital markets. In the areas where Concern is working, almost 90 per cent of households are unable to afford food.
Millions have been forced to flee their homes, and their country, in search of shelter and food.
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This is a massive and brutal conflict, with more than half of the health clinics across the county damaged or destroyed. Medicines and nutrition supplies, already dangerously low, have been further reduced by recent donor cuts that threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of children. With famine already declared in Darfur and looming in many other parts of the county, this is unacceptable.
Six months ago, during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, a ministerial meeting was convened to raise attention and international awareness on the crisis in Sudan. The words were powerful, the appeals were compelling. However, since then there has been little evidence of action.
If anything, the funding gap is growing at a time when humanitarian needs are at their highest, and diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled, with little effort evident to bolster negotiations. The London conference cannot be another series of empty promises. Urgent action is needed to re-energise diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, with Europe applying increased pressure on all parties to resume talks, cease the fighting and ensure the protection of civilians.
Efforts must be redoubled to facilitate unimpeded and safe access for humanitarian actors and supplies across conflict lines and cross-border through all entry points, including the removal of bureaucratic and administrative impediments.
The funding gap must also be closed. The Sudan humanitarian response plan needs a minimum of $4.16 billion and yet is only 10 per cent funded. This is a shocking failure.
The international community must not turn away from the living hell that is unfolding for millions of Sudanese people. There are solutions to the horrors of this war, and they must be taken. – Yours, etc,
DOMINIC MacSORLEY,
Humanitarian ambassador,
Concern Worldwide,
Dublin 2.
