High-income countries have begun to feel pressure about the war in Sudan as the conflict reaches the 3-year mark. Donors must provide secure funding to ensure access to humanitarian aid.
International donors need to do more to help war-torn Sudan
International countries and donors will be attending the aid conference for Sudan and are under pressure to increase funding and coerce warring parties to end the conflict. The International Ministerial Conference on Sudan will happen in Berlin on April 15.
These efforts, if successful, will grant Sudanese citizens access to healthcare and other essential humanitarian services. Aid in Sudan has continued to decrease, and it is taking a toll on human lives.
The Regional Director of Amnesty International, ESARO, Tigere Chagutah, linked the decline in aid to the human losses suffered by the Sudanese.
“As aid has declined in Sudan, the needs have only increased. Behind these numbers are real lives, real people who have lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods, who are fighting to survive the war and the disease and hunger it brings,” he said.
Nevertheless, the conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) drives the ongoing war in Sudan. The conflict between these two groups is now three years old and has ravaged the whole country.
The conflict between these groups and their respective allies has created a humanitarian health crisis in Sudan. About 33 million citizens are now in need of assistance.
Despite the circumstances, cuts to international foreign aid threaten to undermine efforts to tackle the health crisis. There is a host of grave health risks in Sudan, which include malnutrition, cholera, trauma, and injury.
Inability to increase funding can lead to serious consequences
According to Amnesty International, nonprofits that provide services in Sudan said insufficient funding affected their operations. These operations range from fuel deliveries to hospitals to monitoring of human rights violations.
Insufficient funding has caused these non-profits to either shut down or reduce their workforce. Some medication-providing non-profits were also lacking basic drugs such as painkillers and antibiotics.
Moreover, Tigere Chagutah said that international donors must use the conference in Berlin as an opportunity to help Sudan.
“The Berlin meeting must not be another talking shop. International donors must seize this opportunity to commit more funding to frontline non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Sudan. They must recognize the terrible suffering of civilians and take meaningful action to alleviate it,” he said.