MSF briefs UN Security Council on Sudan: A catastrophic "war on people"
Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF), briefed the United Nations Security Council today on the humanitarian catastrophe caused by war in Sudan, calling for an end to violence against civilians and a new commitment to deliver life-saving aid.
The war in Sudan is above all a "war on people," Lockyear said. The Sudanese Armed Forces have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely populated areas.
The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, marked by systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, the looting of humanitarian aid, and the occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital civilian infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.
MSF provides medical care in 11 of Sudan's states, on both sides of the conflict, according to humanitarian principles.
MSF teams in Sudan have warned of alarming levels of malnutrition in many areas, while infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases are rising.
The coming rainy season underlines the urgency of ensuring that people in war-torn areas receive food and medical supplies.
“While statements are made in this chamber, civilians remain unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, deprived of food, of medical care, of dignity”
MSF's message to the Council is that the war in Sudan cannot continue to be waged with shameless disregard for civilian lives. After nearly two years, the international response has been far too limited due to obstructions by the warring parties and a lack of accountability, resources and leadership.
"While statements are made in this chamber, civilians remain unseen, unprotected, bombed, besieged, raped, displaced, deprived of food, of medical care, of dignity," Lockyear said.
"The humanitarian response falters, crippled by bureaucracy, by insecurity, by hesitation, and by what threatens to become the largest divestment in the history of humanitarian aid."
Lockyear called instead for a new commitment to protect civilians and meet humanitarian needs.
"The crisis in Sudan demands a fundamental shift away from the failed approaches of the past," he said. "Millions of lives depend on it."
MSF and the crisis in Sudan
The violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has trapped millions of people in the middle of an unexpected conflict. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes while access to essential services such as healthcare has become increasingly difficult.
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams already working in Sudan have been responding to the crisis since its first moments.