Strasbourg / El Fasher / Zamzam Camp — The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Emergency Coordinator Claire San Filippo delivered a powerful address to the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on Monday, urging immediate action to address the catastrophic situation in Sudan.
The crisis has spiralled into staggering proportions, with one in five people displaced and half the population facing acute hunger. San Filippo described the unfolding tragedy as one of the most devastating crises in decades, yet disappointingly overlooked by the international community.
During her speech, she recounted a poignant meeting with Nadia at the Chad-Sudan border, a mother of three from the capital of North Darfur, El Fasher. “Everywhere there is war, killings, bombings, shooting. Eight of my family were killed. Everyone is starving. There is no food. There is no water,” Nadia shared with San Filippo.
In a series of posts on the MSF Sudan X account (formerly Twitter), the organisation highlights that violence against civilians and healthcare facilities continues unabated, resulting in numerous health crises. People are dying from injuries sustained in the fighting, while conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, alarming rates of malnutrition, and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases further exacerbate the situation.
According to MSF, they have deployed over 1,000 staff across Sudan, supporting 15 hospitals, nine primary health centres, and mobile clinics. Despite their efforts, San Filippo emphasised that it is not enough, calling for an urgent scale-up of resources from all organisations.
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MSF has urged the EU Parliament to prioritise Sudan in their discussions, pressing warring parties to end attacks on civilians and healthcare facilities and to facilitate the delivery of aid across borders and frontlines. They are also advocating for immediate action from the UN and other organisations to confront the escalating crisis head-on.
‘Blockade’
Radio Dabanga reported last week, humanitarian and relief NGOs operating in North Darfur lamented that security issues and an ongoing supply blockade by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) caused relief food supplies to run dry, forcing the suspension of some live-saving service to thousands of malnourished children.
MSF stated that it has been forced to stop outpatient treatment for 5,000 children with acute malnutrition in Zamzam camp for displaced people near El Fasher, “because the warring parties have blocked deliveries of food, medicines, and other essential supplies for months”.
“There is an urgent need for a massive supply of nutritional products and food to help people, it is currently a catastrophic situation,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF’s head of emergency operations in a statement last week. “MSF is calling on the various stakeholders, the governments, the allies of the parties to the conflict, the RSF, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the Joint Forces, to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to the camp.”
