The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on nations, international community to wake up and help Sudan out of its nightmare as conflict left some 25 million people, more than half of the population in dire need of humanitarian aid.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedro Ghebreyesus who disclosed this at his opening remarks in a joint press conference held on Sunday in Port Sudan adding that of these, 14.7 million require urgent assistance for a range of life-saving support.
He revealed that the humanitarian sector has requested 2.7 billion US dollars, which is less than half funded while stating that the focus must be made on all the 25 million people in need and “this means additional resources are required to meet their needs”.
He was sadden to see the Sudan crisis is not getting the attention it deserves from the international community, while narrating his visit to a WHO-supported pediatric facility in Port Sudan, which provides life-saving care for infants suffering from acute malnutrition.
According to him, “I was shaken by the state of many of the tiny, wasted children, and stunned by the harrowing accounts of their mothers who have been displaced multiple times due to the insecurity, thankful at least to find refuge at this clinic”.
He added, “25.6 million people, over half of Sudan’s population – are expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity; disasters including flooding leading to dams bursting; disease outbreaks, includes cholera, malaria, dengue and measles, with the risk of mpox;
“Also, multiple reported incidents of conflict- related sexual violence; and the near collapse of much of the country’s health system – an estimated 70-80% of the health facilities not fully functioning across the country”, the DG stated.
“I am here, with my sister Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director, to meet with wide range of partners involved in response, and to call for urgent scaled up action to provide more resources, more access to humanitarian aid, and more security to health workers and the patients they serve.
“According to available data, Sudan’s conflict has so far killed more than 20 000 people, which is an underestimate, displaced over 10 million people inside the country, and forced another two million to flee to neighbouring countries, making it the largest internal displacement of people in the world today”.
He pressed further that the scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict, and respond to the suffering it is causing.
“This is manifesting itself in other ways, including insufficient levels of funding, far too many attacks on healthcare with count already past 100, and attacks on other humanitarians, the people they serve, and the inability to secure unfettered cross border and cross line access for humanitarian relief”.
Speaking of what the Sudanese people need, the DG said there’s need for an immediate ceasefire, leading to lasting political solution, adding that the best medicine is peace. “We need to protect health facilities, workers and patients, health should not be targeted.
“We need sustained access to deliver supplies and aid. We need to scale up disease surveillance; in some states, we are blind to what is happening due to the insecurity on the ground.
“We need to scale up vaccination coverage against cholera, polio, measles and other diseases spreading in affected areas. And we need a massive increase in finances from the international community to scale up the response”, he said.
Ghebreyesus noted that by doing these the world saving millions of lives, predominantly children and women, who are today living on the edge of survival;and will provide much- needed calm that people desperately need and deserve; and deliver hope for this proud country. “We must not fail the people of Sudan”.