This statement is attributed to Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan situation and UNHCR’s Regional Director for the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region.
The warning signs were there for months. Now we have the tragic confirmation that there is famine in Sudan’s North Darfur region. Displaced women, children and men are dying of hunger, malnutrition and disease. This is a clear indication of the fragility of people forced to flee, many of them multiple times over.
With appalling human rights atrocities, the forced displacement of over 10 million people since the start of the war last year, and the lack of the most basic services for a large percentage of the population, the world’s most pressing humanitarian catastrophe is growing and deepening every day, threatening to engulf the whole region.
The arrival of millions of refugees and internally displaced people is stretching host communities to a breaking point. As famine and hunger increase amidst the violence in Sudan, those crossing borders to find safety will arrive in more and more precarious conditions. Urgent action is vital to avert even more death and suffering. This brutal war must end. Humanitarians must have access to deliver lifesaving aid. International donors need to step up their support to address the persistent underfunding of this and other humanitarian crises. It is crucial to stand in solidarity with individuals and communities in need. The people of Sudan have suffered enough!
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