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Urgent action needed to avert humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan
by OCHA, IASC, UNICEF, UNHCR, agencies
 
Mar. 2024
 
Twelve months into the armed conflict in Sudan, 24 million children are at risk of a generational catastrophe, and their rights to life, survival, protection, education, health, and development have all been gravely violated, a UN committee said.
 
To mark a year of brutality against Sudanese children, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) issued the following media statement, urging Sudan to immediately put an end to these grave violations and stop recruiting children to the armed forces.
 
“Since the conflict began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Committee on the Rights of the Child has observed repeated attacks on civilians and civilian objects, widespread killings, including ethnically motivated, and the death of thousands of civilians, many of them are children.
 
There were worrying reports of rape of civilians, including children, denial of humanitarian access affecting children’s access to basic necessities, and other violations of international law, including violations of children’s economic and social rights.
 
These violations resulted in 24 million children in Sudan being at risk of generational catastrophe. Among these children, 14 million are in dire need of humanitarian support, 19 million are out of school, and 4 million are displaced, according to UNICEF, making Sudan now the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
 
Their conditions are appalling, with acute shortages of food and clean drinking water; UNICEF found that 3.7 million children are acutely malnourished, including 730,000 with severe acute malnutrition.
 
Exacerbating the situation, two-thirds of Sudanese lack access to health care services after 70-80% of hospitals ceased operation following a severe shortage of medical supplies, including lifesaving medicines.
 
UNICEF has warned that tens of thousands of children will likely die without improved access and additional support, including increased international funding.
 
There has been a sharp increase in the number of children killed or victimised by sexual violence as a weapon of war compared to a year ago. Children are at higher risk given the widespread armed recruitment of children, particularly in Darfur and other areas, including eastern Sudan.
 
Schools across the country have either been destroyed or at least 170 campuses turned into emergency shelters for internally displaced people, thus jeopardising children’s right to education for many years to come and exposing them to the risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
 
The Committee is deeply concerned by these clear violations of children’s rights to life, survival, education and development under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
 
The Committee urges Sudan to immediately take all urgent and necessary measures to end these severe violations and fulfil its commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
 
Khartoum, Sudan, March 25, 2024
 
International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns unfettered humanitarian access and scale-up of funding needed to avert catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan
 
The ongoing conflict in Sudan, coupled with disrupted supply chains, economic decline, and hindrances to humanitarian aid, has plunged approximately 37% of the population (18 million people) into severe levels of acute food insecurity. Every day, millions of mothers and fathers are having to make impossible choices to feed their families, often going days without any food. A hunger crisis of unimaginable proportions is not a future concern, but a present reality in certain parts of the country.
 
The latest assessment of people’s access to adequate food--published in December 2023--revealed that 18 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, 10 million more than before the war started. This includes five million people at risk of facing catastrophic hunger, and more than 730,000 Sudanese children who are suffering from severe malnutrition.
 
This week, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) warned of a risk of famine in parts of Sudan, namely in parts of West Darfur, Khartoum, and areas in Greater Darfur. In its own clinics, the IRC has witnessed a 175% increase in daily screening of malnourished children under five years old since the conflict started, partially owing to lack of adequate nutrition consumption due to the conflict.
 
Shashwat Saraf, East Africa Regional Emergency Director, IRC:
 
“The food security situation in Sudan is dire, and as the country prepares to enter the lean season, the worst is yet to come. Conflict has severely disrupted people’s ability to cultivate crops, disrupted markets, led to massive displacement, impacted people’s earnings, and has restricted people’s access to aid, all of which has left millions of people without access to enough food.
 
To avert further catastrophe, action is needed today: we cannot wait for people to starve to death before scaling-up our response. From our experience in conflict zones and crisis settings, we are certain people must already be starving to death.
 
An immediate cessation in hostilities, unfettered humanitarian access, and increased funding are urgently needed to provide healthcare and clean supplies of water, to reduce the risk of preventable diseases like diarrhoea, malaria, and measles spreading and killing even more people.
 
Families must be supported to produce food, access food and afford food. Delaying action until a famine is officially declared is morally unacceptable and will only lead to further suffering and loss of life.”
 
Most experts agree that the reality on the ground is likely to be much more severe than what the data tells us, since populations in greatest need (including in Darfur, Khartoum, and the Kordofans) are the hardest to reach. This not only makes it difficult to get accurate data, but also to deliver aid.
 
Experts warn that in the coming weeks and months, somewhere in the region of around 222,000 children could die from malnutrition. Acute malnutrition is a life-threatening condition that occurs when children are not taking in enough food to grow, develop or maintain a healthy immune system and illness results in sudden weight loss.
 
A child who is severely malnourished is twelve times more likely to die from common diseases like diarrhoea and cholera. Such loss of nutrition can result in dire health conditions, including severe weight loss, infertility, disability and – eventually – death. Children are particularly at risk and often die at double the rate of adults. Those who survive risk a lifelong struggle with poor health.
 
These children’s lives can be saved with a simple solution. Using a fortified peanut paste for treatment, more than 90% of affected children can recover within weeks. But without an immediate cessation of hostilities as called for by the Security Council in resolution 2724 and unfettered aid access, more children will starve.
 
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is also woefully underfunded. The funding pledged by donors pales in comparison to the scale of the needs. Just 5% of the UN’s humanitarian appeal for Sudan is currently funded, leaving a $2.56 billion funding gap.
 
The IRC calls upon international policymakers and parties to the conflict to take immediate action to address the hunger crisis. The guns must be silenced, humanitarian access must be improved, and funding must be urgently increased. Every day of delay will lead to further suffering and loss of life.”
 
http://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-warns-unfettered-humanitarian-access-and-scale-funding-needed-avert-catastrophic http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/03/sudan-conflict-24-million-children-exposed-year-brutality-and-rights http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-nearly-230000-children-and-new-mothers-likely-die-hunger-without-critical-action-save http://www.wfp.org/news/sudans-war-risks-creating-worlds-largest-hunger-crisis-warns-wfp-chief http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2024/02/19/sudan-collapse-international-community-we-are-failing-it http://www.care-international.org/news/ten-months-turmoil-sudan-children-battling-malnutrition-conflict-rages http://www.wfp.org/stories/sudans-war-rages-fallout-spreads-nearby-countries http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/03/high-commissioner-outlines-insidious-disregard-human-life-sudan http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/march/nrc-statement-following-un-security-council-session-on-conflict-induced-hunger-in-sudan/
 
12 Dec. 2023
 
Ongoing conflict and violence in Sudan creates humanitarian crisis with over 17 million people experiencing acute food insecurity
 
The World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sound the alarm about the escalating food security crisis in the Sudan, urging immediate and collective action to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
 
According to the newly released Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC) projections, 17.7 million people across the Sudan, which accounts for 37 percent of the analysed population, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse) between October 2023 and February 2024. The most acutely food insecure populations are located in states affected by high levels of organized violence, including Greater Darfur, Greater Kordofan and Khartoum.
 
The ongoing conflict and the escalating violence are deepening the humanitarian crisis and worsening the food security of people in several urban, semi-urban and rural areas. Further compounding this is the low agricultural production, high food prices, climate shocks and displacement.
 
Widespread violence has resulted in the displacement of 6.3 million people, including around 5.1 million who have been internally displaced and 1.2 million who sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
 
The displaced population is scattered across all 18 states of the Sudan and extends beyond the country's borders, particularly to Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt.
 
The conflict has caused the destruction of critical infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, schools, roads, power and water sources as well as telecommunications facilities.
 
Regular and safe humanitarian access to civilians in areas worst hit by violence has been inadequate. Close to 5 million people are in emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC4) with over three-quarters of these people cornered in areas where humanitarian access has been intermittent and, in some areas, impossible due to ongoing fighting.
 
“We urgently call on all parties to the conflict for a humanitarian pause and unfettered access to avert a hunger catastrophe in the upcoming lean season. Lives depend on it, there are far too many people trapped in areas with active fighting who we can only reach sporadically, if at all,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Country Director and Representative in Sudan.
 
“The speed at which hunger has risen over the past year is alarming. More and more people are struggling to eat a basic meal a day, and unless things change there is a very real risk they won’t even be able to do that,” concluded Rowe.
 
http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-major-setback-aid-efforts-fighting-spreads-sudan http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/almost-3-million-children-sudans-al-jazirah-state-risk-violence-escalates http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-response-crippled-wad-madani-aid-hub-and-home-700000-people-overtaken http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-hunger-catastrophe-looms-conflict-hit-sudan-without-urgent-food-assistance http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-92/en/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-5-million-children-brink-darfur-unchecked-conflict-worsens http://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/over-200-days-war-leaves-generation-children-sudan-brink http://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-about-7600-children-fleeing-homes-daily-world-s-largest-child-displacement-crisis
 
2 Nov. 2023
 
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami on the protection of civilians in Darfur:
 
"I am deeply concerned by the military escalation in Darfur and its impact on civilians. “I am alarmed by reports that civilians are being caught in the ongoing fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur, in a context of heightened intercommunal tensions, recalling the events in El Geneina in Darfur last June”, Ms.Nkweta-Salami said.
 
Following the resumption of clashes between SAF and RSF since last Thursday in Nyala (South Darfur), Zalingei (Central Darfur), El Fasher (North Darfur), and El Geneina (West Darfur), civilians have been heavily impacted, with thousands of people displaced, many killed or wounded, and the destruction of civilian property.
 
“I reiterate my call on all parties to Sudan’s conflict to uphold their obligations under International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law to protect civilians in the course of hostilities. Darfurians have suffered enough” she emphasized. She further added that “civilians must be allowed to leave conflict-affected areas safely and unhindered.”
 
“I call on all parties to refrain from escalating and expanding the conflict. The toll this conflict is taking on civilians is unimaginable. Fighting needs to stop and parties to the conflict need to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian assistance to the millions of people in Sudan who desperately need it”.
 
Since fighting broke out in Sudan in April 2023, thousands have been killed, more than 5.7 million people have had to leave their homes and 25 million, more than half of the population needs humanitarian assistance.
 
http://unitams.unmissions.org/en/statement-deputy-special-representative-secretary-general-sudan-officer-charge-unitams-resident http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/11/sudan-killings-ardamata http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/UN_Special_Adviser_statement_Sudan_14_Nov_2023.pdf http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/13/darfur-civilians-jeopardy http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/27/sudan-new-mass-ethnic-killings-pillage-darfur http://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/reporters/20231201-stories-of-horror-investigating-a-massacre-in-sudan-s-darfur-region http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unimaginable-humanitarian-crisis-unfolding-sudan
 
12 Oct. 2023
 
Sudan´s brutal war continues to inflict immeasurable suffering: endangering lives, displacing millions from their homes, and causing deaths even in areas far from frontlines. (MSF)
 
Six months into the war in Sudan, people’s lives are still in danger from bombings, shelling and the shootings, both directly and indirectly. Sudanese health staff and volunteers are struggling to respond to people’s medical needs, and the country’s health system is on the edge of collapse, says Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
 
Our teams note a shameful absence of humanitarian organisations working in the country. In those areas where assistance is being provided, the response is insufficient for people’s immense needs. MSF is calling for an immediate increase in humanitarian efforts.
 
“Sudan’s crisis epitomises a catastrophic failure of humanity, marked by the warring parties’ failing to protect civilians or facilitate essential humanitarian access, and by the dire neglect and shortcomings of international organisations in delivering an adequate response,” says Dr Christos Christou, International President of MSF.
 
“Without an immediate, substantial escalation of the humanitarian response, what we are witnessing now will be the beginning of an even larger tragedy yet to unfold – meaning more people will continue to needlessly die.”
 
Across Sudan, the fragile health system is struggling; emergency rooms are congested, and many hospitals have closed completely. In the capital, Khartoum, MSF medical teams are witnessing one of the most intense urban conflicts currently taking place worldwide. Large numbers of injured people are arriving at the hospitals with life-threatening wounds, often leaving medical staff with no choice but to amputate.
 
“In both Khartoum and Darfur, many patients are critically injured to the extent that they need to have multiple rounds of surgery,” says Shazeer Majeed, an MSF surgeon. “On more than seven occasions in September alone, the hospitals where MSF operates received significant influxes of injured people following shelling, airstrikes, and explosions.”
 
Millions of displaced people are living in overwhelmed camps and makeshift sites like schools, after being displaced from their homes by the violence. People, including children, in these sites are dying of preventable diseases, such as malaria and measles, as there is a shameful lack of humanitarian response.
 
In Khartoum, as well as in many displacement camps, the water systems have been destroyed or are inadequate for people’s needs.
 
With no end to the war in sight, MSF is calling for a substantial increase in efforts to provide humanitarian aid; for the safeguarding of medical, humanitarian workers, and civilians; for the removal of administrative blockages on medical and humanitarian staff and supplies; and for people to be allowed unhindered access to aid.
 
“Sudan´s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse,” says Ossig. “Without urgent action, the most vulnerable people will continue to bear the brunt of the violence, resulting in more avoidable deaths.”
 
http://www.msf.org/six-months-war-and-neglect-sudan-catastrophic-failure-humanity http://www.msf.org/conflict-sudan http://www.icrc.org/en/document/sudan-six-months-conflict-vast-humanitarian-needs-remain-unmet http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-six-months-conflict-key-facts-and-figures-19-october-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-reeling-after-six-months-war-statement-martin-griffiths-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-enar http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1f/k1fl60camt http://www.iom.int/news/sudan-faces-worlds-largest-internal-displacement-crisis
 
19 Sep. 2023
 
As the Sudan crisis deepens, INGOs warn of the cost of inaction, and call for immediate funding, access, and protection for civilians and aid workers.
 
The Inter-Agency Working Group for the East and Central Africa region is deeply concerned about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the region, and the slow pace of global response. We call on the international community to respond urgently and comprehensively by providing much needed flexible funding and by urging all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, aid workers, and health facilities, and to remove barriers to the provision of life-saving humanitarian aid. The Sudanese people are facing unimaginable suffering, and the cost of not taking decisive action is simply too high.
 
The situation in Sudan is deteriorating in front of our eyes, with airstrikes and fighting increasing in the capital, Khartoum, and in Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur, resulting in multiple civilian casualties; in Darfur this is compounded by horrific reports of escalating inter-ethnic violence. Thousands of cases of conflict-related sexual violence and other human rights violations have been reported from across the country.
 
The health system is on the verge of collapse, resulting in further increased mortality. All this, together with unprecedented food insecurity, malnutrition and displacement, has left half of the population (nearly 25 million people) in urgent need of assistance.
 
More than twenty million people, over 42% of the population, are now estimated to be facing crisis- or emergency-levels of food insecurity. With the 2023 planting season having been disrupted due to the conflict and the price of staple foods increasing by up to 200%, it is anticipated that from October the number of food-insecure will be the highest ever recorded for a post-harvest season in Sudan. No other country in the world currently faces this level of emergency food insecurity.
 
The conflict has driven enormous displacement: since the outbreak of the violence, over 1 million people have been displaced to neighbouring countries, adding to the pre-existing caseloads. Over 4 million people have been newly displaced within Sudan, adding to the 3 million individuals that were already displaced before the start of the current conflict.
 
In recent weeks, organisations working on the ground have witnessed a sharp surge in cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition, a major killer of children under the age of five. Children have also lost access to education and are at heightened risk of forced recruitment and other protection issues. Children are bearing the brunt of this crisis, with 3.4 million acutely malnourished children between six months and five years of age.
 
Millions of people – especially in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan – lack access to food, water, shelter, electricity, education and health care. Children need urgent assistance. Without increased support, 1.7 million babies risk missing out on life-saving vaccinations, and 700,000 children with severe acute malnutrition are at high risk of not surviving.
 
The cost of inaction in the face of ever-growing needs cannot be understated. Innocent lives are being lost daily because of hunger, lack of access to essential healthcare, and violence. Yet five months into the conflict, humanitarian organisations still face immense difficulties reaching populations with much needed supplies and services. Efforts to move essential food and medicine inside the country are being impeded by slow approvals and threatened by attacks and looting. Aid workers themselves remain the target of attacks, with 19 aid workers killed this year.
 
Despite all these challenges, NGOs have, since the start of the conflict, been working across all 18 states in Sudan to address the needs of around two million people, including by providing essential health and nutrition services, clean drinking water, and distributing food, as well as seeds for farmers.
 
Volunteer-led community neighbourhood groups (commonly known as Emergency Response Rooms) are also providing critical frontline assistance - including by ensuring hospitals and health centres remain operational and distributing essential food supplies. These community groups have been able to access areas international organisations are currently unable to get to. But more support is urgently needed.
 
Inaction on this humanitarian crisis not only means prolonged suffering for the Sudanese people but also has far-reaching consequences for regional stability and security. The one million people displaced into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic are putting additional pressure on these neighbouring countries, straining limited resources and triggering potential social and political tensions. Several of these countries face their own humanitarian crises, which were already severely under-funded.
 
We call on the international community, including governments and international organisations to urgently prioritise the crisis in Sudan, and fund a comprehensive response, allowing the recently announced scale-up to be properly implemented.
 
The revised Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan, which aims to provide life-saving assistance and protection services to 18.1 million people, remains grossly underfunded, with only US$685.9 million received out of the US$2.6 billion required (or 26.7%).
 
It is critical that we urgently release additional funding to humanitarian organisations working on the ground. That funding should be bold and flexible, to allow organisations to find innovative ways to reach populations in need, including by providing funds to frontline community-led groups and to cover the increased cost of operating in such a dangerous and volatile environment.
 
Funding from a diverse range of sources is needed in order to support the rehabilitation of health and education facilities, and their on-going functioning.
 
We also urge governments to actively engage in diplomatic efforts to not only bring an end to the conflict, but to also ensure that humanitarian aid can reach those who need it the most. This includes removing barriers to the movement of aid staff and supplies both within the country and across borders, and ensuring the safety and security of aid workers, and of health facilities.
 
We cannot afford to fail the people of Sudan as they face one shock after another. The time to act is now, and we must come together to ensure their protection, well-being, and dignity. Let us show our solidarity and commitment to humanity by standing alongside those most in need and working to build a brighter and more secure future for Sudan and the entire region.
 
* CARE International; Concern Worldwide; COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale; Danish Refugee Council; GOAL; International Rescue Committee; Islamic Relief; Mercy Corps; Norwegian Refugee Council; Oxfam; Plan International; Save the Children; World Vision
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-crisis-deepens-ingos-warn-cost-inaction-and-call-immediate-funding-access-and-protection-civilians-and-aid-workers http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/tens-thousands-sudanese-children-brink-death-year-ends
 
15 August 2023
 
Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee: End the Tragedy in Sudan
 
For four gruesome months, the people of Sudan have been engulfed in a war that is destroying their lives and their homeland, and violating their basic human rights.
 
People have witnessed their loved ones gunned down. Women and girls have been sexually assaulted. Families have seen their possessions looted and their homes burnt to the ground.
 
People are dying because they cannot access health care services and medicine. And now, because of the war, Sudan’s children are wasting away for lack of food and nutrition.
 
Each day the fighting continues, the Sudanese are being robbed of the peace they cherish, the lives they are entitled to, and the future they deserve.
 
Enough. After four months of terror, global leaders of humanitarian organizations working in Sudan call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The people of Sudan need peace and access to humanitarian relief.
 
The international community must step up today with funding support, and engage at all levels, and act to put Sudan back on track and end the war.
 
In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that the “disastrous, senseless war in Sudan, born out of a wanton drive for power, has resulted in thousands of deaths, the destruction of family homes, schools, hospitals and other essential services, massive displacement, as well as sexual violence, in acts which may amount to war crimes”.
 
William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said that over 4.3 million people have been forced to flee since conflict erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
 
Latest UN data indicates that more than 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers have fled to neighbouring countries and 195,000 South Sudanese have been forced to leave Sudan. Mr. Spindler added that within Sudan, over 3.2 million people have been internally displaced, including more than 187,000 refugees already living in the country at the start of the crisis.
 
UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris warned that some 67 per cent of hospitals in the affected areas were out of service, denying access to care for “tens of thousands of people”. Noting WHO had verified 53 attacks on healthcare.
 
Dr. Harris sounded the alarm about the difficulty of controlling ongoing outbreaks of measles, malaria and dengue. Conditions are even more dangerous for children, she said, with about one-third of under five-year-olds now chronically malnourished. “Measles and malnourishment equals a death sentence for children under five,” she said.
 
The situation is also particularly dangerous for women and adolescent girls, stressed Laila Baker, Regional Director for The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with 2.6 million women and girls of reproductive age requiring humanitarian assistance.
 
At least 260,000 women are now pregnant and almost 100,000 are expected to give birth in the next three months. But without critical services, including hospitals and safe delivery, “their lives and those of their children and the babies that are going to be the future generation are severely at risk”, Ms. Baker said.
 
The threat of sexual violence is an additional danger for women and girls, warned the UN human rights office. Spokesperson Liz Throssell said OHCHR had received credible reports of numerous incidents of sexual violence including incidents of rape. Men in Rapid Support Forces (RSF) uniforms were implicated in at least 19 incidents as perpetrators, but “the actual number of cases is likely much higher,” she said.
 
Ms. Throssell reiterated that the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, had repeatedly reminded senior officials in Sudan that there is “zero tolerance” for sexual violence. “Perpetrators must be held accountable and such violence must be clearly and unequivocally condemned,” she said.
 
Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the war is “destroying people's lives and their homeland and violating their basic human rights”.
 
He called on all parties to the conflict to “end the fighting, protect civilians, and give humanitarian organizations unfettered access” to all areas of Sudan. The attacking of civilians, looting of humanitarian supplies, and targeting of aid workers and hospitals throughout the past four months “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity”, he said.
 
http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/about-principals/statement-principals-inter-agency-standing-committee-sudan-after-4-months-war-humanitarian-leaders http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139752 http://www.concern.net/press-releases/sudan-close-famine-warns-concern http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/08/sudan-human-rights-situation http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-emergency-regional-refugee-response-plan-may-december-2023-revised-august-2023 http://www.iom.int/news/internal-displacement-sudan-nearly-doubles-onset-conflict http://www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency http://dtm.iom.int/sudan
 
http://www.unfpa.org/sudan-conflict-tragedy-women-and-girls’-rights http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/11/sudan-alarming-reports-women-and-girls-abducted-and-forced-marry-held http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/08/un-experts-alarmed-reported-widespread-use-rape-and-sexual-violence-against http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2023/07/press-release-sudan-top-un-officials-sound-alarm-at-spoke-in-violence-against-women-and-girls http://www.passblue.com/2023/08/14/mass-killings-in-darfur-raise-the-demon-of-genocide-again/ http://odihpn.org/publication/call-for-action-to-the-international-community-support-for-civil-society-in-sudan-is-urgent-and-crucial/
 
Aug. 2023
 
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban’s remarks on the situation of children in Sudan:
 
“It is no exaggeration to say that the situation facing children in Sudan today is unprecedented. Before the war erupted on 15 April, Sudan was already grappling with a humanitarian crisis. Now, more than 110 days of brutal fighting have turned the crisis into a catastrophe, threatening the lives and futures of a generation of children and young people- who make up over 70 per cent of the population.
 
“The numbers are staggering. Almost 14 million children are in dire need of humanitarian support. 1 out of every 2 children in Sudan are now facing unimaginable challenges to their safety and well-being. Every single day.
 
“1.7 million children have been driven from their homes – parents are making the impossible choice to uproot their children and leave behind everything they have ever known - and are now on the move within Sudan or crossing its borders, vulnerable to hunger, disease, violence, and separation from their families. This number is in addition to the 1.9 million children who were displaced within Sudan prior to this latest crisis.
 
“Many hundreds of children have been killed in the conflict, and thousands injured.. I saw the consequences of the atrocities committed against children and women during the darkest days of the Darfur conflict, 18 years ago. I am deeply concerned that we are witnessing a repetition of these terrible days.
 
“The ramifications of this crisis also extend beyond Sudan's borders, directly impacting countries like Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, and the regional and global implications are significant.
 
“The impact of this crisis is shown in the faces and stories of the children, parents and grandparents I met whilst in Sudan and Adre, a village on the Chad-Sudan border, which is now hosting hundreds of thousands of women and children who have fled West Darfur in search of safety.
 
“I spoke to a woman named Fatma in Adre. She had come across from Geneina into Chad with her three children and spoke of going through 11 checkpoints to get there, each requiring a bribe to get through with the constant fear of gender-based violence. Children coming dehydrated, malnourished, arriving in a weakened state, many on the verge of death.
 
“Each and every day, children are being killed, injured, abducted, and seeing the schools they depend on damaged, destroyed or looted. We have received reports of abductions, recruitment of children into armed groups, ethnically targeted violence, and gender-based violence against women and girls.
 
Three million children under five are malnourished with 700,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition and mortality. 1.7 million children under the age of one are at risk of missing critical vaccinations, raising the risk of disease outbreaks. In White Nile State, we have a lethal combination of acute watery diarrhoea, measles and malnutrition. Unless this is contained the consequences could be severe.
 
While fighting continues, needs will only increase, with many vulnerable communities remaining out of reach of humanitarian support.
 
“We cannot accept the toll this war is taking on Sudan’s children, their families. We remember the outrage when the Darfur crisis was at its utmost horror. We cannot go back to that situation. So, our message to the parties to the conflict is clear. Stop the fighting and commit to a durable cessation of hostilities. All parties must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians – including preventing and ending grave violations against children. All parties should ensure the humanitarian community can safely reach all children and families in need".
 
http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-deputy-executive-director-ted-chaibans-remarks-situation-children-sudan-daily http://www.unicef.org/topics/sudan http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/health-conditions-worsen-displacement-sudan-conflict-exceeds-4-million http://www.savethechildren.net/news/khartoum-doctors-warn-disease-catastrophe-due-mounting-dead-bodies http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-situation-report-9-august-2023-enar http://reliefweb.int/country/sdn http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-84/en/ http://www.wfp.org/stories/chad-sudan-tragic-stories-and-soaring-needs http://www.msf.org/msf-calls-urgent-international-support-refugees-chad-major-crisis-looms http://www.wfp.org/countries/sudan
 
* Continued Military Hostilities, Sexual Violence, Attacks against Citizens pushing Sudan into ‘Catastrophic’ Humanitarian Crisis, speakers warn UN Security Council (9 Aug.):
 
Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations and Advocacy, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that since the last briefing on 23 June, Sudan’s descent into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe has only deepened. In these six weeks alone, more than 1.4 million additional people have fled their homes. When she visited the country two weeks ago, she heard stories of sexual violence, harassment and physical assaults, of husbands disappearing never to be seen again, and of education interrupted, careers ruined and livelihoods lost.
 
“Everyone had a story of parents, children, colleagues and friends who had perished in this devastating conflict, with fears of many more to come as the warring factions push on, regardless of the consequences,” she said, warning: “From the lack of coverage of Sudan in the global media, one could be mistaken in believing that the situation was improving. This could not be further from the truth.”
 
Nearly four months into this conflict, more than 4 million people have now fled the violence — 3.2 million displaced internally and close to 900,000 who have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries, she continued. About 80 per cent of hospitals across the country are not functioning, and more than 20 million people, or over 40 per cent of the population, are facing acute food insecurity.
 
The banking system has been heavily disrupted, as have public and civil institutions, including many Government functions. Electricity blackouts are extensive and schools are closed.
 
“It is the story of a country and its people being driven to the point of collapse,” she reported, underscoring that the situation is particularly alarming where the conflict is at its most intense — notably in Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan.
 
Nationwide, since this conflict started, more than 2.9 million people have received some form of humanitarian assistance, including cash or in-kind food assistance, health services, or access to basic water services. But this, unfortunately, represents only a fraction of the 18 million people in need, she added.
 
Until a political resolution is reached, all parties must respect international humanitarian law and minimize human suffering, she emphasized.
 
http://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15381.doc.htm http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/they-gave-us-two-options-leave-chad-or-be-killed http://www.msf.org/conflict-sudan http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/04/sudan-new-attacks-darfur http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/statement-atrocities-darfur-sudan-04-august-2023 http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2023/08/15/every-checkpoint-could-be-your-last-perilous-road-safety-darfuri-refugees http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-protection-analysis-update-unabated-violations-against-civilians-increase-impact-protection-risks-population-july-2023
 
24 July 2023
 
Sudan: one hundred days of war. (Norwegian Refugee Council)
 
A hundred days of war in Sudan have exacted a devastating toll on civilian lives and infrastructure, but the worst is yet to come. The country is on the brink of collapse, grappling with a series of crises that together are unprecedented.
 
Sudan was already facing an overwhelming and vastly neglected humanitarian crisis before the war broke out. The first 100 days fighting have brought it to catastrophic levels. Despite various ceasefires the conflict has persisted, bringing clashes and killings across the country. Thousands of lives have been lost, and countless homes and displacement camps have been reduced to ashes. At least 3.1 million people have fled within the country or across its borders. On top of the violence, Sudan also face the threat of rainy season floods and a looming hunger crisis.
 
Humanitarian organisations have worked tirelessly to provide assistance and protection. From the earliest days of the war, local responders have stepped in, bringing lifesaving aid to those displaced and those trapped. But access to people in need has been severely impeded. Today, the response requires a complete reset and restructuring to make it more relevant, effective and coherent with the needs on the ground.
 
A blend of first-hand observations from the ground, survivors’ testimonies and a literature review, this report reflects on the first 100 days of the war in Sudan. It is an urgent call for change and unwavering dedication to rebuilding the country's shattered hope. The international community has an essential role to play, especially demanding the protection of civilians and principled humanitarian action to reach those in need with the most timely and appropriate interventions possible.
 
http://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/sudan-one-hundred-days-of-war/ http://www.concern.net/press-releases/urgent-action-needed-avert-humanitarian-catastrophe-sudan
 
15 July 2023
 
Misery deepens for Sudanese civilians, as conflict hits three-month mark, by Martin Griffiths - UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
 
For three months now, the people of Sudan have endured unspeakable suffering amid violence that is tearing their country apart. As the conflict enters its fourth month, the battle lines are hardening, making it ever more difficult to reach the millions of people who need urgent humanitarian assistance.
 
Sudan is now one of the world’s most difficult places for humanitarian workers to operate. Hand-in-hand with local organizations, we are doing all we can to deliver life-saving supplies. But we cannot work under the barrel of a gun. We cannot replenish stores of food, water and medicine if brazen looting of these stocks continues. We cannot deliver if our staff are prevented from reaching people in need.
 
Ultimately, Sudan’s suffering will end only when the fighting ends. In the meantime, we need predictable commitments from the parties to the conflict that allow us to safely deliver humanitarian assistance to people in need, wherever they are. Both sides must abide by the Declaration of Commitments they signed in Jeddah to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.
 
Since the conflict began, more than 3 million people in Sudan – half of them children – have fled the violence, both inside and outside the country. Half of the children remaining in Sudan, numbering some 13.6 million, urgently need humanitarian assistance.
 
Each day the fighting continues, the misery deepens for Sudanese civilians. The recent discovery of a mass grave outside West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, is only the latest evidence pointing to a resurgence in ethnic killings in the region. The international community cannot ignore this harsh echo of history in Darfur.
 
We must all redouble our efforts to ensure that the conflict in Sudan does not spiral into a brutal and interminable civil war with grave consequences for the region. The people of Sudan cannot afford to wait.
 
http://reliefweb.int/country/sdn
 
27 June 2023
 
Sudan: Displacement soars amid shrinking humanitarian access
 
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed over growing humanitarian needs among those affected by the crisis in Sudan, as displacement numbers continue to surge while delivery of assistance remains heavily constricted by insecurity, lack of access and funding shortfalls.
 
Millions of people have been displaced by the conflict since 15 April, with hundreds of thousands of people seeking safety in neighbouring countries – with Egypt receiving the highest number, followed by Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic -– and at least two million people displaced inside the country.
 
In Sudan, ongoing fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, has left many stranded and cut off from basic humanitarian assistance. UNHCR has received worrying reports of displaced civilians including refugees experiencing life-threatening obstacles while attempting to seek safety within the country and across borders. Due to the intensity of the conflict, vulnerable people on the move have been left with little choice than to flee in extremely dangerous and difficult conditions, risking physical abuse, theft and banditry, and in some cases, denied movement out of conflict areas and forced back into harm’s way.
 
We are particularly concerned about the worsening situation in West Darfur, where according to reports from colleagues on the ground, the conflict has reached alarming levels, making it virtually impossible to deliver life-saving aid to the affected populations. Increasing numbers of injured civilians are among the newly arrived refugees in Chad.
 
http://www.unhcr.org/emergencies/sudan-emergency http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-urges-end-sudan-conflict-100-days-amid-growing-displacement http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-update-22-june-2023 http://www.unocha.org/story/situation-darfur-spiraling-humanitarian-calamity-sudan-conflict-hits-two-month-mark-un-relief http://unocha.exposure.co/i-was-selling-tea-when-the-fighting-erupted http://www.icrc.org/en/document/sudan-essential-services-breaking-point-after-two-months-fighting http://www.unocha.org/sudan
 
June 2023
 
Sudan conflict leaves 13.6 million children in desperate need of humanitarian aid. (UNICEF)
 
As the conflict in Sudan passes the six-week mark, over 13.6 million children are in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support, the highest number ever recorded in the country. The impact of ongoing violence continues to threaten the lives and futures of families and children, leaving basic services cut off and many health facilities closed, damaged, or destroyed.
 
The need for humanitarian assistance has never been more critical for children in Sudan, as the most vulnerable populations struggle to survive and be protected. Access to basic necessities is becoming increasingly difficult to secure. Prior to the conflict, nearly nine million children were already in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
 
"As the conflict in Sudan rages on, the toll on children continues to grow more devastating by the day,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
 
“These children are not just numbers, they are individuals with families, dreams and aspirations. They are the future of Sudan, and we cannot stand by while their lives are torn apart by violence. The children of Sudan deserve a chance to survive and thrive. No efforts should be spared by all actors to protect the children and their rights".
 
A situation that was already dire for children before the conflict is now at catastrophic levels, with access to food, safe water, electricity, and telecommunications unreliable, inaccessible and unaffordable. People have fled their homes and are internally displaced in Sudan, including many hundreds of thousands who have crossed into neighbouring countries so far, half of whom are believed to be children.
 
Without an immediate and extensive humanitarian response, the consequences of displacement, lack of basic social services, and protection will have devastating - and long-term - effects on children.
 
UNICEF is appealing for funding to meet the urgent needs of children, including to treat over 620,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, half of whom may die if not helped in time.
 
http://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/sudan-conflict-leaves-13-million-children-desperate-need-of-humanitarian-aid http://www.savethechildren.net/news/nearly-half-children-sudan-set-go-hungry-conflict-stops-farming http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/window-closing-humanitarian-actors-provide-timely-response-sudan-and-across-region http://www.ifrc.org/press-release/sudan-critical-funding-needed-urgently-continue-aid-people-affected-conflict http://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-heightened-risks-violations-and-sexual-violence-reported-civilians http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/06/high-commissioner-calls-end-sea-suffering http://www.msf.org/conflict-sudan
 
* Protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law, statement by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on the conflict in Sudan: http://tinyurl.com/mrwscz87 http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/urgent-alert-on-rising-atrocity-risks-in-darfur-sudan/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jun/30/calls-for-sanctions-against-sudan-amid-genocide-warnings-in-darfur http://www.wfp.org/news/hunger-set-hit-record-high-sudan-fighting-continues http://www.msf.org/vital-humanitarian-activities-parts-sudan-may-grind-halt
 
May. 2023
 
Plight of civilians amid hostilities. (OHCHR)
 
Two weeks after the fighting erupted between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) – imposing fear, deprivation, trauma and suffering on the civilian population – the human rights situation in Sudan continues to dramatically deteriorate.
 
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to find places of greater safety, at any cost, and have been facing abuses en route.
 
Thousands remain trapped in residential areas where fighting has been taking place, facing air strikes, shelling and the use of heavy weapons, trying to use any period of calm to reach places of relative safety.
 
People also continue to be forced from their homes by the RSF and suffer looting, extortion, acute shortages of food, water, electricity, fuel, limited access to healthcare, limited communication and limited cash due to the closure of banks.
 
Clashes continue to be reported in densely populated areas of Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman and towns in Darfur and North Kordofan. We are concerned at the serious risk of violence escalating in West Darfur as the hostilities between the RSF and SAF have triggered intercommunal violence. In El Geneina, West Darfur, deadly ethnic clashes have been reported, with hundreds of people killed.
 
It is deeply alarming that inmates have been released from, or escaped from, a number of prisons. We are very worried about the prospect of further violence, amid a generalized climate of impunity.
 
We call on the parties to immediately end hostilities, and in particular to halt hostilities in residential areas and to cease targeting the civilian population and infrastructure. The protection of civilians must be paramount. International humanitarian law demands it.
 
Following decades of repression, armed conflict and deprivation, the people of Sudan must not be subjected to further violations of their fundamental human rights. We call on all those with influence to use every possible means to de-escalate the situation and to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese people in their demands for a peaceful and democratic future.
 
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk underscores the deep yearning and determination for freedom of the Sudanese people – who overthrew a military dictatorship of 30 years and resisted the subsequent military takeover with great courage. It is unfathomable that once again force is being used against them. The guns must be silenced and reason must prevail.
 
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the violence wracking Sudan had “taken a terrible toll on health”.
 
“On top of the number of deaths and injuries caused by the conflict itself, WHO expects there will be many more deaths due to disease outbreaks, lack of access to food and water, and disruptions to essential health services, including immunization”, he said.
 
WHO estimates that one in four of the lives lost so far could have been saved with access to basic emergency medical treatment for the wounded.
 
“But paramedics, nurses and doctors are unable to access injured civilians, and civilians are unable to access services. In the capital Khartoum, 61 per cent of health facilities are closed, and only 16 per cent are operating as normal.”
 
As the fighting continues, the UN is preparing for a mass influx of refugees into countries across the region bordering Sudan, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. UNHCR is calling on all countries neighbouring Sudan to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence, in fear of their lives, and called for funding support to deal with the new displacements.
 
In a joint statement, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, said they were alarmed at the reported numbers of civilian deaths, including children.
 
“The lives, protection and well-being of children must take precedence over combat operations, and we call on all parties to halt hostilities and to ensure full protection of all children.
 
“Parties should further refrain from attacking civilian infrastructures in accordance with international humanitarian law, especially those impacting children – this includes schools and medical facilities as well as water and sanitation systems”.
 
(Since fighting began in Sudan, cease-fires have been repeatedly negotiated only to be repeatedly broken).
 
http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2023/seven-things-you-should-know-about-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-sudan/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2023/04/sudan-plight-civilians-amid-hostilities http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/humanitarian-crisis-sudan-reaching-breaking-point http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan/ http://www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/fighting-sudan-rapidly-worsening-already-dire-humanitarian-situation-children-warn http://www.unicef.org/topics/sudan http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/aid-organizations-call-humanitarian-corridor-and-protection-civilians-west-darfur http://reliefweb.int/topic/sudan-regional-displacement-crisis http://www.unhcr.org/news/unhcr-s-grandi-avoid-further-suffering-and-major-refugee-crisis-sudan-needs-urgent-peace http://www.wfp.org/stories/we-lost-everything-sudanese-refugees-arrive-chad-difficult-times-loom http://www.msf.org/msf-responds-medical-needs-prepares-scale-activities-sudan http://www.globalr2p.org/countries/sudan/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1135917 http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/regional-director-opening-remarks-at-regional-press-briefing-on-sudan.html
 
16 Apr. 2023
 
Sudan: Fighting in densely populated areas endangers civilian lives; Humanitarian organizations must be able to reach those in need. (ICRC)
 
As clashes continue in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities, heavy gunfire and blasts are happening in the proximity of densely populated residential areas and civilian infrastructure with civilian casualties being reported in various locations.
 
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calls on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. This includes facilitating the work of humanitarian organizations, taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injuries and loss of life, ensuring quick access and safety for ambulances and medical personnel, and treating all detainees humanely.
 
"We are extremely worried that the fighting is affecting densely populated areas. People are seeking cover in their houses," said Alfonso Verdu Perez, the head of the ICRC delegation in Sudan. "We call on all parties to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations so that we can help those in need."
 
People living in large cities like Khartoum are heavily dependent on public infrastructure. Any damage to these facilities can disrupt essential services like healthcare, water and power. The ICRC, together with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS), is closely monitoring the humanitarian situation in Khartoum and other parts of the country and is ready to respond to urgent humanitarian needs once the situation allows.
 
The Islamic Relief aid agency said it was extremely concerned at the new escalation of violence in Sudan, which risks exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis. More than 15 million across Sudan people are already suffering from food shortages and rampant inflation.
 
Sudan has one of the world’s highest rates of child malnutrition, with more than 3 million children malnourished and the number is increasing. Many families cannot afford regular food as the depreciation of the Sudanese currency, as well as the impact of the war in Ukraine and Sudan’s political crisis, has caused the price of food to skyrocket. Staple food such as sorghum and millet have risen by 700 percent in the last few years and are 60 percent higher than a year ago.
 
Save the Children’s Country Director in Sudan, Arshad Malik, said:
 
“While fighting is ongoing, there are international legal obligations to take all necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects, including schools and hospitals, which are protected under International Humanitarian Law. The use of explosive weapons in populated areas should also be avoided as it risks severe harm to civilians, in particular children. We call on all parties to the violence to halt the fighting immediately, before more lives are lost.”
 
Much of the fighting is currently reportedly taking place in the capital area, where roughly 12 million of the country's 46 million people live.
 
The violence has left many civilians trapped indoors and desperately seeking essential supplies. Many are running out of food and water. It has become dangerous to venture out of the homes to restock on supplies. News agencies reported the streets of Khartoum are littered with dead bodies.
 
"Thousands upon thousands of civilians are trapped in their homes, shielding from the fighting, with no electricity, unable to venture out and worried about running out of food, drinking water and medicine," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk.
 
http://www.icrc.org/en/document/sudan-icrc-calls-urgent-access-fighting-takes-disastrous-human-toll http://www.icrc.org/en/document/sudan-fighting-densely-populated-areas-endangers-civilian-lives-humanitarian-organisations http://www.savethechildren.net/news/calls-protect-children-khartoum-fighting-spreads http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/04/sudan-turk-urges-immediate-end-hostilities-return-talks http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-sudan-fighting-could-plunge-millions-more-hunger http://www.msf.org/msf-urges-safety-medical-teams-fighting-escalates-sudan
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-ingo-forum-calls-conflict-parties-ensure-protection-civilians-including-aid-workers-and-assets-and-allow-immediate-scale-life-saving-humanitarian-assistance http://response.reliefweb.int/sudan http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-clashes-between-saf-and-rsf-flash-update-no-8-28-april-2023-enar http://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/civilians-darfur-region-sudan-fighting-escalates http://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2023/sudan-a-testimony-from-the-ground/ http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-explosive-weapons-harming-civilians http://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2023/05/human-rights-council-asks-designated-expert-high-commissioner-human-rights-sudan http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/25/questions-and-answers-sudan-and-laws-war http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/sudan-urgently-convene-a-special-session-and-establish-an-investigative-mechanism/ http://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-explainer-what-does-international-law-say-about-universal-jurisdiction-war-crimes


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More than 140 countries call for an immediate end to war in Ukraine
by United Nations news, agencies
 
22 March 2024 (UN News)
 
Top UN officials and agencies on the ground in Ukraine on Friday condemned overnight large-scale coordinated Russian strikes on energy plants across the country that killed at least five people and left 1.5 million without electricity.
 
The UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned in the strongest terms the large-scale missile and drone attacks, his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said on Friday.
 
“The Secretary-General is appalled by the continued killing and destruction and once again underlines that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law; they are unacceptable and must end immediately,” Mr. Haq said.
 
Multiple types of missiles and drones were launched throughout the early morning hours, disrupting water supplies in some areas and leaving more than 1.5 million Ukrainians without electricity across Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Odesa, Donetsk, Sumy and Kirovohrad.
 
“The targeting of energy infrastructure providing essential public services is a black-and-white issue – it is simply unacceptable,” UN High Representative of Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu told the Security Council on Friday morning. “The scale and scope of this devastation are appalling.”
 
Multiple types of missiles and drones were launched throughout the early morning hours, disrupting water supplies in some areas and leaving more than 1.5 million Ukrainians without electricity across Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Odesa, Donetsk, Sumy and Kirovohrad.
 
UN agencies on the ground roundly decried the targeted attacks, with UN Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown saying that rescue efforts have been deployed to help those in affected areas.
 
“I am outraged by the magnitude of today’s attacks by the Russian Armed Forces on energy infrastructure across Ukraine,” she said in a statement, adding that UN agencies continue to work with partners to deliver aid to those in need across Ukraine.
 
The wider impact of today’s attacks on critical civilian infrastructure is deepening the already dire humanitarian situation for millions of people in Ukraine, she warned, stressing that international humanitarian law explicitly safeguards civilians and civilian infrastructure and “must be respected”.
 
Echoing those concerns, Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said “this morning’s attack is the largest single-day attack in more than one year directly targeting Ukraine’s vital power and water infrastructure, with potentially devastating effects for the country’s civilian population.”
 
Ukraine’s largest dam, located in the city of Zaporizhzhia was damaged, but stable, according to UN agencies.
 
Nearby, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost electricity to its last remaining main power line for about five hours today, according to the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA), which issued a statement on Friday morning including a time line of the incident.
 
“The world’s attention is rightly focused on the continued danger of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant being hit or losing its off-site power,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
 
The latest attacks starkly highlight ever-present dangers to nuclear safety and security during the conflict, he warned, also noting that the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant also temporarily lost the connection to one of its power lines following the overnight strikes.
 
http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147886 http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-42-civilian-casualties-every-day-two-years-war-enuk http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/02/un-experts-urge-international-community-step-efforts-forge-peace-between-russia http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146887 http://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/02/1146752 http://www.nrc.no/news/2024/february/ukraine-two-years-on-destruction-and-displacement-the-devastating-impacts-of-the-escalation-of-war-revealed-in-new-nrc-report/ http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/full-scale-ukraine-war-enters-third-year-prolonging-uncertainty-and-exile http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/escalation-attacks-infrastructure-leaves-ukraines-children-without-sustained-access http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/ukraine-frontline-children-battling-mental-trauma-underground http://www.unocha.org/news/remember-ukraine-un-relief-chief-urges-attention-country-faces-3rd-year-war-and-occupation http://reliefweb.int/topics/ukraine-humanitarian-crisis
 
15 Jan. 2024
 
"Remember Ukraine" - UN relief chief Martin Griffiths urges attention as country faces 3rd year of war and occupation. Remarks to the press at the joint OCHA-UNHCR launch of the 2024 Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine (Extract):
 
Next month, we will enter a third year and an unexpected, in my view, a third year of full-blown war and occupation. It started, of course, ten years ago in the east of the country. But the escalation in 2022 rushed in a whole new level of death, destruction and despair and, of course, of outflow of refugees.
 
Forty per cent of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year. That is 14.6 million people, 40 per cent of the population in Ukraine will need humanitarian aid. Four million people are internally displaced. That is in addition to those who are externally displaced; 3.3 million live in frontline communities in the east and south where the war goes on, under relentless bombardment – 3.3 million people living in the middle of war zones, of bombardment, of uncertainty about where the day will end. And that is really a shockingly high number, even these days.
 
No place in Ukraine is untouched by the war and the wave of attacks that began just before the new year, to the devastating civilian cost of the war. Add to that the harsh winter, which is sweeping across Ukraine and ratcheting up people's need for lifesaving support, heating, proper shelter, warm clothes and a sufficient calorie intake because of the winter.
 
In the small towns and villages on the front lines, people have exhausted their own meager resources and rely on aid coming in through the convoys of our partners to survive. In the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, families live in damaged houses with no piped water, gas or electricity in the freezing cold.
 
Constant bombardments force older people to spend their days in basements. Children – terrified, traumatized, still – have lived for the last [two] years under these circumstances, trapped indoors and many of them with no schooling.
 
Across Ukraine, homes, schools and hospitals are repeatedly hit. Basic services are not spared. Water, gas and power systems. Indeed, the very fabric of society, how we live – employment, schools, care centers, shopping, safety of access to those places daily – is under threat.
 
But it is worth taking a moment to remember that Ukrainians refuse to buckle under this extraordinary onslaught. And they refuse to resign. People step up for each other. Community spirit remains high. They volunteer to help deliver relief to those who cannot move, some warm shelter, care for children.
 
No less than 60 per cent of our 500 humanitarian partners are Ukrainian organizations. So, 500 humanitarian organizations operating inside Ukraine, delivering aid inside Ukraine, more than half of them are Ukrainian organizations. A testament really to the community spirit of so many people in that country.
 
We aim to reach more than 8.5 million people this year with water and hygiene services, materials to repair homes, winter clothes, supplies and things that I have already referred to. The plan for 8.5 million focuses, as you know from the math, on the most vulnerable. Those who are close to the frontline are the top priority. And every day, convoys are sent out to reach those in danger, as are the convoys in danger. Aid will be delivered across the country to areas we can reach by these comprehensive programmes on these convoys, in partnership with local NGOs, local partners I referred to and complementing the Ukrainian Government's own efforts.
 
And our relationship with the Ukrainian Government remains steady, strong, supportive, and we act under their guidance, under their leadership and often under their direction. We are asking donors for more funding for 2024.
 
No one wants to depend on assistance from outsiders to cover life's basic needs. This is true across the world, whether in Gaza, Sudan or Syria or elsewhere. No one wants to depend on such assistance. But there is no choice for those 14 .6 million who need assistance, 8.5 million of whom we are targeting. They need help. They need this funding because humanitarian aid remains the lifeline without which they will perish.
 
As the war continues unabated, without signs that I am aware of, of coming to some conclusion, and amid everything else happening across the globe, we must stay the course for the people of Ukraine.
 
http://www.unocha.org/news/remember-ukraine-un-relief-chief-urges-attention-country-faces-3rd-year-war-and-occupation http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-humanitarian-response-2023-winter-attacks-humanitarian-impact-intensified-strikes-and-hostilities-flash-update-4-2-jan-2024-enuk http://tinyurl.com/494npftk http://reliefweb.int/country/ukr http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/least-two-children-reportedly-killed-and-15-injured-latest-wave-deadly-attacks http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/secretary-general-condemns-strongest-terms-overnight-large-scale-attacks-russian-federation-ukrainian-cities-civilians-critical-infrastructure http://dppa.un.org/en/mtg-sc-9523-asg-khiari-ukraine-29-dec-2023 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/12/comment-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-attacks-ukraine http://news.un.org/en/tags/ukraine
 
14 Nov. 2023
 
Millions of civilians in Ukraine are living with the effects of over 600 days of brutal conflict. As winter conditions develop and needs multiply, once-thriving communities are at risk of disintegrating under an increasingly protracted conflict, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
 
Across eastern and southern Ukraine, millions of civilians are facing an increasingly uncertain and dangerous future as winter conditions set in. For over 600 days, an unyielding barrage of shelling has left an estimated 1.4 million homes in ruin or disrepair. Thousands of families have been forced to flee, or have been left to shelter in damaged buildings lacking basic services. Millions remain out of reach of aid in Russian controlled areas. As temperatures drop and public services come under increasing pressure, at least 2.5 million people need vital humanitarian assistance to support them through winter.
 
"Millions of families are facing a growing winter nightmare here," explained Jan Egeland, NRC Secretary General, on a visit to Ukraine this week. "The physical impact of aerial bombardment can be seen right across the towns and cities I have visited. And the mental impact on those who remain under this ever-present threat is just as striking. People have told me about the horror of watching their communities transformed into sites of destruction or battlegrounds.
 
"While glimpses of stability emerge in pockets of the country, the humanitarian landscape in the east and south remains bleak and is defined by relentless hostilities and fighting along the frontlines. We are deeply concerned for the future of those millions who are already dependent on support, given that winter has barely begun."
 
In the 20 months since the escalation of the conflict, Russia has fired thousands of drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities and settlements. Hundreds have been used to destroy civilian infrastructure relating to transport, heating, and electricity. Port facilities in the south have continued to be targeted since the end of the Black Sea Grain Deal, with over 30 attacks since July. Today, more than 17 million people are affected as a result of these attacks, at a point in the year at which needs greatly increase.
 
Despite a significant humanitarian effort, large swaths of Ukraine are under the control of the Russian Federation and remain largely out of reach of international aid. Ongoing hostilities also continue to hamper the delivery of assistance. Security concerns impede the delivery of urgent assistance to more than 4 million people who live in the areas beyond the control of the Government of Ukraine. "The information we receive through partners and colleagues paints a picture of appalling conditions facing those beyond the reach of humanitarian workers. It is more urgent than ever that all parties ensure that civilian populations can be reached by humanitarian aid," said Egeland.
 
"I call upon all parties involved to ensure the unimpeded and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to all affected areas, regardless of their control. It is our moral duty to extend a lifeline to those in dire need and to work resolutely toward sustainable solutions that can bring an end to the suffering endured by the Ukrainian citizens residing in conflict-affected communities.
 
"Swift and decisive action is imperative to prevent this crisis from deepening, in the name of these communities and the future of those who have already endured so much."
 
http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/november/ukraine-millions-face-winter-in-damaged-homes-under-threat-of-air-raids-beyond-the-reach-of-aid/ http://ukraine.un.org/en/252627-brutal-attacks-ukrainian-civilians-and-health-care-are-utterly-unacceptable-and-must-cease
 
Oct. 2023
 
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that civilians in Ukraine are facing daily attacks along frontline areas in the east and south of the country. In recent days, homes, schools, health facilities, port infrastructure and aid distribution points have all been hit.
 
Senior UN officials have strongly condemned recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and civilian infrastructure, emphasizing the need for accountability for those harming civilians during hostilities.
 
On Thursday, 5 October, an attack in the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people, including one child. This incident marked one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since Russia’s invasion in February last year.
 
Less than 24 hours later, the region faced another strike, as missiles hit buildings in Kharkiv’s city centre, reportedly killing two, including one child.
 
“The recent attacks in Kharkiv add to an already unbearable toll of civilian casualties resulting from Russia’s invasion – a war launched in violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for political affairs, told ambassadors at the UN Security Council.
 
As of Sunday (8 October), the UN human rights office, OHCHR, has verified 9,806 civilian deaths, including 560 children, and 17,962 injuries due to the war. “The actual figures are very likely considerably higher and, tragically, will continue to rise if current patterns continue,” Ms. DiCarlo added.
 
In recent weeks, civilians and civilian infrastructure, including grain storage facilities, across Ukraine have been under nearly constant attacks.
 
“Residents of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, Sumy, Donetsk, Odesa, Kyiv and other regions continued to face unrelenting and often indiscriminate attacks.”
 
These, combined with Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative, not only endanger the livelihoods of Ukrainian farmers, but also risk exacerbating hunger worldwide, she said.
 
Ms. DiCarlo informed the Security Council of the findings of a UN human rights office report that “paints a grim picture of serious human rights violations across the country, most of them attributed to the Russian armed forces.”
 
These violations include conflict-related sexual violence reportedly committed by Russian armed forces and penitentiary service members, as well as arbitrary and incommunicado detention of civilians in Russian-occupied territory. The Office also documented cases of arbitrary detention by Ukrainian forces, primarily of law enforcement authorities.
 
OHCHR expressed concern over recent legislation in Russia that could effectively grant amnesty to its service members for a wide range of crimes, potentially including serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, Ms. DiCarlo noted.
 
She reiterated Russia’s obligation under international law to investigate and prosecute potential war crimes and gross human rights violations committed by its forces in Ukraine.
 
Joyce Msuya, Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, also briefed the 15-member Security Council, urging the international community to help advocate for humanitarian access to all those in need across Ukraine, including four million people living in areas under the military control of Russia.
 
“More than anything, the people of Ukraine need concerted action to make this devastating war – with its unceasing death, destruction and suffering – come to an end,” she said.
 
http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142072 http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/mr-ramesh-rajasingham-ocha-director-coordination-behalf-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-mr-martin-griffiths-briefing-security-council-humanitarian-situation-ukraine-31-october
 
6 Sep. 2023
 
New deadly attacks today hit Donetsk and Zaporzhzhia Region. (OCHA)
 
A few hours ago, an attack in Kostiantynivka Town, Donetsk Region, hit an open market area where many local residents do their daily shopping, reportedly causing dozens of civilian casualties, including children.
 
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, issued a statement saying that this tragic and unacceptable event is another example of the suffering that Russia’s invasion inflicts on civilians across the country. She recalled that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected under international humanitarian law.
 
Earlier today, an education facility and houses were damaged in the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia Region, and port facilities were again hit in Odesa Region in the south.
 
Humanitarian partners on the ground are delivering emergency shelter materials and assisting the affected families. Furthermore, the repetitive attacks on Ukrainian ports are depriving farmers of their livelihoods and the world of affordable food when millions are facing hunger in the poorest countries.
 
David Miliband, the head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) told reporters during a visit to Kyiv this week that , “the abnormal is becoming normalised” in Ukraine, as Russia’s war on the country continues.
 
Mr. Miliband said: “The reason for coming here is I can see the abnormal becoming normalised. The abnormal is war crimes, attacks on civilian infrastructure, the abnormal is 18 million people in humanitarian need, the abnormal is 6 million refugees, and it’s becoming background music in global affairs, rather than something that is a poster child for the age of impunity”.
 
The IRC supports projects operating in Ukraine, offering healthcare, cash support and other services as well as support for Ukrainian refugees living in neighbouring countries.
 
http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-ukraine-10 http://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/ http://ukraine.un.org/en/press-centre/press-releases http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1140702 http://www.unocha.org/protection-civilians http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/time-and-time-again-childrens-lives-being-cut-short-attacks-ukraine http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/statement-unhcr-representative-19-august-2023 http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/august/new-displacement-fears-as-southern-ukraine-suffers-more-missile-attacks/ http://www.rescue.org/article/ukraine-war-what-are-impacts-world-today http://www.hi-us.org/en/civilians-in-ukraine-must-be-protected http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/iicihr-ukraine/index http://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule1 http://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1 http://guide-humanitarian-law.org/content/article/3/civilians/
 
June 2023
 
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, remarks to the UN Security Council on Ukraine, 6 June 2023.
 
We have all seen the terrifying pictures of the catastrophe unfolding in Kherson in Ukraine as we speak. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam is possibly the most significant incident of damage to civilian infrastructure since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
 
The sheer magnitude of the catastrophe will only become fully realised in the coming days, but it is already clear that it will have grave and far-reaching consequences for many thousands of people in southern Ukraine – on both sides of the front line – through the loss of homes, food, safe water and livelihoods.
 
The Kakhovka Reservoir, which is formed by the Dam, is a lifeline in the region and a critical water source for millions of people, not only in Kherson but also Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro oblasts.
 
Ukrainian authorities report that at least 40 settlements are already flooded or partially flooded in Kherson oblast. This number is expected to rise in the coming days. Severe impact is also expected in areas controlled by the Russian Federation where humanitarians, my colleagues, are still struggling to gain access.
 
An emergency response is under way to provide urgent assistance to over 16,000 affected people. These efforts are in addition to the Ukrainian Government’s response.
 
When I last briefed this Council on the situation in Ukraine just three weeks ago, I highlighted the civilian death and suffering being caused by the conflict on both sides of the front line. I mentioned then the loss of healthcare, water, electricity and heating for thousands of people. And the massive numbers of those forcibly displacement.
 
Today’s news means the plight of people in Ukraine is set to get even worse than the pictures that we saw then. Immediate humanitarian needs are expected to grow as floodwaters move over the coming days, and as assessments of the situation and the response continue.
 
The dam is a key source of agricultural irrigation in southern Kherson and the Crimean peninsula. The sustained flooding displayed on our screens today will disrupt farming activities, damage livestock and fisheries, and bring widespread longer-term consequences. This is a massive blow to a food production sector which is already significantly damaged.
 
We are particularly concerned about the risks of mine and explosive ordnance contamination, as fast-moving water shifts projectiles to areas previously assessed as safe, thus putting people in further and unpredictable danger. At least 30 per cent of Ukraine’s territory is mine-contaminated, according to the Ukrainian authorities, with Khersonska oblast being the most affected.
 
The destruction of the dam may also negatively affect electricity generation. Additionally, any uncontrolled decrease in the water level of the Reservoir may negatively affect the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Our colleagues at the IAEA are closely monitoring the situation. And as of this time no immediate threat has been reported.
 
The United Nations has no access to independent information on the circumstances that led to the destruction in the hydroelectric power plant dam. Yet, international humanitarian law is very clear: Installations containing dangerous forces, such as dams, must receive special protection precisely because their destruction can cause severe loss for the civilian population. Constant care must be taken thus to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure throughout all types of military operations.
 
The damage caused by the dam’s destruction means that life will become intolerably harder for those already suffering from the conflict.
 
The consequences of not being able to deliver assistance to the millions of people affected by the flooding in these areas are potentially catastrophic.
 
The people of Ukraine have shown incredible resilience. Our urgent humanitarian task is to continue to help them to survive and to be safe and then to get a future. We will do so to the best of our ability.
 
Kakhovka Reservoir, which was formed by the Kakhovka Dam and stretches 240 kilometres through Zaporizka, Dnipropetrovska and Khersonska oblasts, is one of the largest water sources in the south of the country. It provides water supply, including drinking water, to major industrial cities, home to nearly 700,000 people.
 
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has also reportedly destroyed the irrigation system and the water supply across southern Ukraine, including Crimea, according to Ukrainian authorities. It impacted areas largely consist of agricultural lands, which has led to the disruption of agricultural activities in the midst of the season and will bear longer-term consequences.
 
The destruction of the dam on Tuesday has put thousands of lives at risk, said IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino, causing “severe environmental damage and led to further serious strain on response services in a country already dealing with the humanitarian fallout of more than a year of war”.
 
He said public infrastructure “should never be a target. Yet now, innocent civilians are not only living in a deadly flood zone but are set to face major shortages of clean water and critical energy supplies over the coming weeks, as the humanitarian situation worsens”.
 
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told reporters the tragedy “was yet another example of the horrific price of war on people. The floodgates of suffering have been overflowing for more than a year, and that must stop”, along with all attacks on civilians and infrastructure. “Above all, I appeal for a just peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and the resolutions of the General Assembly”.
 
http://www.nrc.no/news/2023/september/ukraine-dam-explosion/ http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-martin-griffiths-remarks-un-security-council-ukraine-6-june-2023 http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1137372 http://dppa.un.org/en/msg-sc-9357-ukraine-23-jun-23 http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1137172
 
15 May 2023
 
Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths’ remarks to the UN Security Council on Ukraine.
 
When I last spoke to the Council about the situation in Ukraine in March, I highlighted the humanitarian impact of the full-scale war not only on the people of Ukraine, but on the wider world already struggling with myriad shocks. In that context, I emphasized the overwhelming need for a political solution to the war on Ukraine, and peace.
 
I note with regret, therefore, that hostilities, including missile strikes, currently appear to be escalating on both sides of the front line. Air raid sirens continue to ring out in cities and towns across Ukraine. Civilians continue to seek protection in bunkers, some for days on end. And as Ukraine emerges from a hard winter, civilian casualties are rising to their highest levels in months.
 
OHCHR has now verified a staggering 23,600 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022; we all know the actual toll is likely to be much higher.
 
The humanitarian impacts are extensive. Many communities along the north-eastern border with the Russian Federation and near the front line are encircled, cut off from water, food and medical care by heavy ground fighting and blocked roads.
 
Only last week in Kherson, residential buildings, a school, an outpatient hospital, and an elderly care facility were reportedly damaged, leaving scores of civilians needing shelter and healthcare. And missile strikes in Odesa hit a humanitarian storage warehouse.
 
A Ukrainian Red Cross mobile hospital in Mykolaiv was also hit. Humanitarian supplies and vital medical equipment were destroyed.
 
Fortunately, no humanitarian staff or volunteers were injured. But the threat to humanitarians and civilians represented by the latest wave of attacks is persistent.
 
I am compelled, once again, to recall here to this Council, that under international humanitarian law parties must take constant care to protect all civilians and civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals, and other essential infrastructure, as well as humanitarian facilities and assets.
 
As you can understand, the humanitarian operating environment remains complex and dangerous. Nonetheless, thanks to the sheer bravery of humanitarian workers, particularly local workers, we continue to deliver life-saving assistance to front line areas and elsewhere across Ukraine. But there are still numerous limitations on our ability to deliver aid to all those in need.
 
The biggest challenge remains the impediments to reaching all areas in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia currently under the military control of the Russian Federation. The humanitarian notification system – together with direct engagement with key interlocutors in Moscow and Kyiv – was set up to maximize the opportunity for safe and unimpeded passage of inter-agency convoys to these areas.
 
However, despite 14 months of notifying the parties of our intentions through this system, we have not been able to deliver assistance to communities along the front line in areas under the military control of the Russian Federation.
 
Access options to these areas, including response modalities, continue to be explored through engagement with both parties. It is imperative that we explore all options to reach civilians, wherever they are.
 
As I have said before, under international humanitarian law, all parties must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need and must ensure that personnel have the freedom of movement required for their work. I urge the parties to strengthen facilitation efforts so we can reach all civilians in need.
 
It is clear that the people of Ukraine and millions around the world can ill afford a continuation of this war.
 
More than ever, they need an end to hostilities and a political solution to end the conflict. I call on this Council and all Member States to support all efforts to bring an end to the carnage and destruction.
 
23 Feb. 2023
 
The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for ending the war in Ukraine and demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from the country, in line with the UN Charter.
 
At its eleventh emergency special session, the world body adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the war, only hours before the conflict enters its second year on Friday.
 
The results were 141 Member States in favour and seven against - Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. Among the 32 abstentions were China, India and Pakistan.
 
By the terms of the resolution, the Assembly reiterated its demand that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities”.
 
The Assembly, through the resolution, urged Member States to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity to address the global impacts of the war on food security, energy, finance, the environment and nuclear security and safety.
 
Underscoring that arrangements for a lasting peace should consider these factors, the Assembly also called upon all nations to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to address these impacts.
 
The resumed session had met on Wednesday to begin debating the resolution, with the General Assembly President, Csaba Korosi, saying that for a full year, the 193-member Assembly, the Secretary-General, and the international community “have been consistent and vocal in our calls to end this war, and to adhere to the UN Charter and international law”.
 
The Assembly also reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.
 
The resolution also emphasized the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Ukraine through independent national or international investigations and prosecutions to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
 
http://news.un.org/en/story/2023/02/1133847 http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-02-22/secretary-generals-remarks-the-general-assembly-emergency-special-session-ukraine-bilingual-delivered-scroll-down-for-all-english-and-all-french http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-18-million-need-support-war-enters-second-year http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/who-records-1000th-attack-health-care-ukraine-over-past-15-months-full-scale-war-enuk http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-156-iaea-director-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine
 
15 Feb. 2023 (OCHA, UNHCR)
 
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by Russian forces, the lives of countless women, men, and children have been torn apart and so many have needlessly died.
 
The common thread running throughout the year has tragically been one of destruction, displacement, and suffering from continuous shelling and air strikes.
 
Millions were forced to leave Ukraine and become refugees, and millions more have been displaced within the country.
 
Almost a year since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the UN issued a renewed humanitarian appeal to help millions of people affected inside the war-torn country and beyond.
 
The situation for many in Ukraine remains desperate, amid “relentless” shelling of civilian targets and infrastructure, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, told journalists in Geneva.
 
Humanitarian funding is needed to continue supporting lifesaving aid convoy deliveries to communities on the front line, “into areas of great danger and difficulty and priority needs”.
 
In parallel with the OCHA appeal, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is also seeking $1.7 billion to help 4.2 Ukrainian refugees in 10 host countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Women and children represent approximately 86 per cent of the overall refugee population.
 
UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi warned against complacency about what is happening in Ukraine. “I think we’re becoming a little bit used to this; we shouldn’t, because it’s quite appalling what the Russian invasion is doing to the country,” he said.
 
Describing a recent official visit to Ukraine, the UNHCR chief said that in the year since Russian battlegroups crossed the border 24 February 2022, civilian infrastructure in Ukraine had continued to come under constant attack, leaving nurseries “flattened and old people living in cellars because of the danger of bombing”.
 
Inside Ukraine, the UN migration agency, IOM, said that the scale of destruction in the south and east has been massive - so much so, that one senior UN humanitarian worker with the agency told UN News in an interview, that some towns “don’t even exist anymore”.
 
IOM Area Manager Johannes Fromholt said in frontline locations the conflict is actually getting worse, with increased fighting on a day-to-day basis”. “So, people simply have to stay down in basements, in shelters with no electricity in freezing conditions.”
 
The devastation and destruction as result of the conflict has been staggering, with some 40 per cent of Ukraine’s population in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.
 
“Almost a year on, the war continues to cause death, destruction and displacement daily, and on a staggering scale,” said Martin Griffiths.
 
“We continue to prioritize assistance to people who need it most and to support local authorities and civil-society organizations, whose dedication has been inspiring,” he added. “We must do all we can to reach communities, including those close to the front line. The suffering of the Ukrainian people is far from over – they continue to need our support.”
 
Systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure throughout the war has contributed to displacement and humanitarian needs. In October 2022, attacks targeting energy infrastructure intensified, often in and around urban areas, disrupting public services including water, electricity, health care, education, and social protection. Additionally, according to the Government of Ukraine, 2,917 education facilities have been bombed or shelled during the war, with damage or destruction to 580 such facilities documented by OHCHR.
 
Between 24 February and 19 December 2022, there were 745 verified attacks on health care, of which 659 impacted health-care facilities, constituting over 90 per cent of all such attacks recorded by WHO across 16 countries/territories during this period.
 
The war has profoundly affected access to livelihoods and disrupted market stability particularly in southern and eastern oblasts, further aggravating humanitarian suffering. A majority of Ukrainians have reportedly reduced food consumption and spent savings, with factors such as the elimination of 30 per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war employment, skyrocketing inflation, and inadequate social assistance largely to blame.
 
Food and necessary items are still available in most areas under the control of the Government of Ukraine but are difficult for many people to afford without cash, voucher, or livelihood assistance, and are much more difficult to obtain in areas experiencing constant bombardment.
 
http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-humanitarian-response-plan-february-2023-enuk http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-summary-humanitarian-response-plan-and-regional-refugee-response-plan-february-2023 http://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-situation-report-10-feb-2023-enruuk http://response.reliefweb.int/ukraine http://response.reliefweb.int/ukraine/reports http://news.un.org/en/tags/ukraine http://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/war-ukraine-pushes-generation-children-brink-warns-unicef http://www.savethechildren.net/news/ukraine-children-dire-need-war-plunges-nearly-half-families-extreme-poverty http://www.savethechildren.net/news/over-900-hours-underground-children-ukraine-endure-life-bunkers-war-enters-second-year
 
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