Sudan: senior Red Cross official reflects on devastating year-long war
Source: SWI swissinfo.ch
Author: Dorian Burkhalter
Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have been fighting each other for a year, devastating their country, re-igniting ethnically targeted killings in Darfur and displacing millions.
While the eyes of the world are fixed on Gaza and Ukraine, half of Sudan's population, around 24 million people, now depend on humanitarian aid.
Patrick Youssef is the regional director for Africa at the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He is one of the few top humanitarian officials to have recently travelled to the region. He calls for greater respect for international humanitarian law and more urgent aid for Sudan.
SWI swissinfo.ch: When you returned from Sudan last November, you sounded the alarm about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country. How have things evolved since then?
Patrick Youssef: The situation has got worse, and it is deteriorating even more. We are faced with several open fronts in a fight between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces around the capital Khartoum and in the Al-Jazirah district (central-east) and in Darfur (west).
A year since the start of this conflict, Sudan has become one of the largest humanitarian crises, not just in Africa, but globally. Unfortunately, this context does not receive the attention it deserves.
SWI: So it's one of the biggest crises in the world...
P.Y.: We are talking about six million internally displaced people out of a population of 48 million. In my opinion, this figure is below the real number as internally displaced people are not all listed by government or humanitarian agencies, which are not present everywhere in the country.
On top of this you have two million refugees who fled the country and tens of thousands of dead and injured. Other people have been arrested or have disappeared and been separated from their relatives.
Food is just not available, and the health system is on its knees. These are just a few examples of the terrible human cost of this conflict.
SWI: What images stick in your mind from your last visit to Sudan?
P.Y.: On our way to Khartoum we stopped in the town of Wad Madani for a break. Two children approached and I asked them what they were doing outside.
Their response confirmed what I feared: a large majority of children do not go to school. We are talking about an entire generation who will have difficulty joining the education system, whether in neighbouring countries or in Sudan. Most schools have been converted into reception centres for internally displaced people.
SWI: What do the Sudanese people need?
P.Y.: The human cost is very high and Sudanese civilians have urgent needs that cannot wait for talks and the cessation of hostilities: food aid, health assistance. Simple support. The presence of humanitarian organisations alongside vulnerable populations is reassuring. But unfortunately this is not possible today due to the complexities on the ground and the insecurity.
SWI: So access remains difficult?
P.Y.: The general humanitarian response is much lower than what I experienced during my career at the ICRC. In the 19 years I have spent between the Middle East and Africa, I have experienced only very rare cases where humanitarians are seriously unable to gain safe access.
+ More on Sudan's tragedy from the Inside Geneva podcast
Today, if a convoy leaves Port Sudan in the east of the country for Khartoum, it will certainly not reach its destination, even if the roads are getting more secure. Impassable road sections and insecurity make access to the capital and surrounding regions, as well as to Darfur, impossible.
SWI: Everyone is watching events in Gaza and Ukraine. Meanwhile, only 6% of the budget for the UN's humanitarian response for Sudan ($2.7 billion) is covered.
P.Y.: This is a fundamental point. Without funding, humanitarian organisations are unable to set up projects. We are not looking to give out assistance here and there. For a crisis of this scale, a system needs to be built with the local authorities to deliver aid efficiently and cheaply. Unfortunately, this still does not exist.
SWI: Looking at the ongoing conflicts around the world, one has the impression that international humanitarian law is increasingly being ignored. This also seems to be the case in Sudan.
P.Y.: It is clear in Sudan that the law has not been respected and that there is enormous suffering and destruction.
In Khartoum, millions of Sudanese still do not have access to essential infrastructure and services. Some 70% of the population depend on agriculture and livestock to survive, but conflict prevents access to land in many regions.
This is the heart of the law. Before even talking about the conduct of hostilities, the population needs water, electricity and other essential services.
SWI: What is the extent of your dialogue with the parties to the conflict?
P.Y.: The ICRC continues to point out that it is the responsibility of the authorities to ensure that people living in the territories they control can meet their basic needs. They must ensure sufficient supplies of food and water and allow access to vital aid.
SWI: How can they be convinced to respect the laws of war?
P.Y.: It's necessary to be present in Khartoum or Darfur and ensure that dialogue takes place with both parties and that they are aware of their legal responsibility under international humanitarian law. It's also necessary to listen to the populations.
It all starts with dialogue and not judging the parties. We must know the facts and report the actions of the troops to their commanders so they understand the scale of the violations on the ground. Change starts at the top. This means a command structure that inspires confidence and gives direction, but also displays its responsibility to win the war correctly and not over piles of corpses in the streets.
We must preserve humanity in war. There is only one way to do it: by respecting the people who have not decided to go to war, the civilian population.
SWI: France hosted a conference on Sudan in Paris on April 15, the first anniversary of the war, with participation by the ICRC. What are your expectations?
P.Y.: We have to keep up the pressure. This type of conference is necessary to highlight this conflict and enable a more generous humanitarian response, which the populations need. We must highlight financing and of course access in the country.
More than 1.5 million Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries. It is important to talk about the humanitarian situation in these countries, which is often very fragile. The influx of people has placed enormous pressure on their water infrastructure, health services and food supplies.
Today, we must no longer just talk about solidarity with the Sudanese. It is essential for the stability of the entire Horn of Africa that the country emerges from this crisis.