WHO calls for urgent intervention to save Sudans catastrophic situation

Moatinoon
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, urging action to immediately reach out to avoid a catastrophic health situation.

Shibel Sahbani, WHOs representative in the Sudan, told a United Nations briefing in Geneva via video link that "urgent action and ceasefire are needed to contain the humanitarian disaster", warning that without urgent action "the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Sudan could be out of control allowing disease, malnutrition and trauma to be ruled unchecked. intergenerational impact on the people of the Sudan ".

Recalling that he was in Chad last week as part of a high-level WHO mission from the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, he said: "The needs I saw in Chad reflect what I witnessed among the displaced in the Sudan - it was disturbing; even heartbreaking ".

"Women and children spoke of hunger, disease, violence and loss." "Their suffering was etched on their faces," he said.

Nearly 13 million people in the Sudan were now displaced, more than 10 million were deployed within the Sudan and more than 2 million were seeking asylum in neighbouring countries.

The States of Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazeera were isolated from humanitarian and health assistance because of ongoing fighting.

According to the representative, the situation in Darfur was "particularly worrying", as in places such as El Fasher, "more than 800 thousand people are trapped - they have no access to food, health care and medical supplies - and the wounded have no access to the urgent care they need; children and pregnant and lactating women are vulnerable due to acute hunger ".

He also drew attention to the huge funding gap, saying the Sudans humanitarian response plan was only 26% funded, and the health response plan was 36% funded.

"We need urgent action to fill" that gap, he said.