The world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Sudan - we must not look away (UK FM Cooper)

"Today we are announcing that the UK will jointly convene with Germany a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin in April, as we mark the third anniversary of this devastating conflict. And the UK will use its voice and Presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, to prevent Sudan again slipping down the international agenda." - Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary. Read more.

From The Independent.co.uk

Editorial by Yvette Cooper, UK Foreign Secretary

Published Friday 09 January 2026 10:00 GMT - full copy:

The world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Sudan - we must not look away

As the conflict in Sudan passes the grim milestone of 1,000 days, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper writes that the same diplomatic energy that helped end the war in Gaza is needed to end the crisis

South Sudan's worsening water crisis [VIDEO]

The world is catastrophically failing the people of Sudan. Today marks a grim milestone – 1,000 days of devastating violent conflict involving unimaginable atrocities, millions pushed into famine, and the most barbaric abuse of Sudan’s women.

The scale of the humanitarian crisis happening now is greater than any in the 21st century and the security consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Sudan for many years to come.

The world must not look away from the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces that is terrorising Sudan. I am determined we shine a searing spotlight on the unfolding atrocities and make 2026 the year the world comes together to drive urgent new momentum towards peace.

Last month, I listened as Sudanese civilians and community workers from their Emergency Response Rooms recounted the horrific human cost of the RSF’s October capture of the town of El Fasher after a grinding 18-month siege – including ethnically motivated mass killings and use of rape and starvation as weapons of war.

These stories on the ground corroborated the satellite images from space – images of blood-soaked earth and mass graves that all too briefly jolted the world’s attention.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper (Reuters)

Aid workers in Tawila gave me a virtual tour of the makeshift camps where hundreds of distressed children arrived having made a 46-mile journey from El Fasher on foot. Traumatised women and children are scraping an existence with scant rations under thornbush shelters.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) staff recounted their struggle to support unprecedented numbers of victims of sexual violence in what they described as a war on women’s bodies. As shocking as what I saw was what I did not see – boys or men. Fathers, husbands and brothers missing, likely killed, following forced separation from their families.

Over 30 million people still need lifesaving aid. Famine is spreading. Infrastructure has collapsed. Preventable diseases are rampant. The conflict is escalating and spreading in the Kordofan region. 

The RSF have been accused of war crimes (File picture). 

Rapid Support Forces

For the leaders of Sudan’s warring parties to refuse to halt the war or to prevent massacres and atrocities on this scale is horrendous. For so many soldiers to be systematically raping Sudanese women is barbaric.

The case for action is deeply moral. But it is also about our wider security. Wars that rage unresolved radiate instability. They undermine the security of neighbouring states, they become easy targets for extremist groups to exploit. And they lead migrants to embark on dangerous international journeys.

Sudan’s war goes far beyond Sudan. It is regionalised and globalised. It poses a global test of our ability to mobilise the agile alliances, partnerships and multilateral weight to get a breakthrough.

Words of international concern or outrage are not enough. We need a concerted diplomatic drive to arrest the spiralling violence and suffering.

Sudanese residents gather to receive free meals in Al Fasher 

(AFP via Getty Images)

The US have been working to get a truce and wider plan in place – drawing together the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (the ‘Quad’). That is why last month in Washington I held talks with Secretary Rubio and the President’s senior advisor on Africa and I have repeatedly engaged Quad members on ways forward.

But we need the same international focus and energy now from right across the world that we had around securing the Gaza ceasefire.

Today we are announcing that the UK will jointly convene with Germany a major international conference on Sudan in Berlin in April, as we mark the third anniversary of this devastating conflict. And the UK will use its voice and Presidency of the United Nations Security Council next month, to prevent Sudan again slipping down the international agenda.

At the heart of international efforts must be pursuing the humanitarian truce and a push for a permanent end to hostilities. This can only come through greater pressure on the warring parties – crucially from their regional backers.

Second, we have to prevent further atrocities by either side. This means working to raise the cost of committing or backing further massacres. On 12 December, the UK sanctioned senior RSF commanders, including the so-called “Butcher of El Fasher” who has openly boasted on social media of murdering Sudanese civilians.

Sudanese who fled el-Fasher city crowd to receive food at their camp in Tawila (AP)

And we are working to combat impunity and hold perpetrators to account. In November, UK leadership at the UN Human Rights Council secured international agreement to an urgent UN inquiry into crimes in El Fasher. We are supporting vital investigations by the International Criminal Court.

Third, unimpeded aid needs to reach populations in need. The UK has provided an additional £21 million for food, shelter, health services and protection of women and children in hardest to reach areas. This brings our total support to £146 million this financial year.

But for aid to save more lives, the belligerents must lift their deliberate and systematic barriers to humanitarian access.

Ultimately, no amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the guns fall silent. It must be the Sudanese people, not any warring group, that determine Sudan’s future.

The world must now come together around this cause – to stem the bloodshed and help set Sudan on a path to peace.

View original: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sudan-war-humanitarian-crisis-yvette-cooper-b2897125.html

Ends

Sudan is top of IRC's 2025 Emergency Watchlist: 30m people - over half of Sudan’s population - are in need

SUDAN: Statement by David Miliband
President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Press Release Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday 11 September 2025. Excerpts:

After visiting Sudan from 7-11th September, David Miliband said,

"Sudan is top of the IRC’s 2025 Emergency Watchlist for good reason. 30 million people - over half of Sudan’s population - are in humanitarian need and this week I got to meet some of them in River Nile state. ...

"Like many of our clients, many of our 400 national staff are part of the largest displacement crisis in the world. The war, now in its third year, is a catastrophe of staggering proportions: the world’s largest hunger crisis, largest humanitarian crisis, largest displacement crisis, and yet one too often put in the “too difficult” box by global politics. The scale of suffering should jolt the conscience of the international community. Instead, this crisis is one of the most underfunded worldwide, and has been met by diplomatic stasis. ...

"The international community cannot continue to look away. Last year, of the 16,000 words uttered by the permanent members of the UN Security Council at the opening plenary of the UN General Assembly, the word “Sudan” was only mentioned 8 times. As we approach this year’s UNGA, Sudan must move from the margins of diplomatic discussion to the center of the agenda. That means unified pressure behind a single peace track, meaningful action to protect civilians and humanitarian access, and—critically—new, flexible funding to meet the scale of need. Sudanese civilians are paying the price of international inaction. The time to stand with them is now.

View full statement: https://www.rescue.org/press-release/sudan-statement-david-miliband-president-and-ceo-international-rescue-committee
_______

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End

Sudan: Majority of humanitarian NGO have *not* been issued new sudan visas since conflict began

"The denial of humanitarian assistance as a crime under international law"

A TWEET by William Carter @WillCarter_NRC
Father. Country Director #Sudan @NRC_Norway
Dated Sunday 18 June 2023; 2:50 pm - full copy:

majority of #humanitarian ngo have *not* been issued new #sudan visas in the two months since the #conflict began

about 100 visa applications are still pending from over 30 orgs

we've had a team of 20 on standby for over a month - we could've helped 200k #displaced people by now.  instead its far less, and will take longer - time which nobody can afford

its clear that humanitarian #access is impeded but unclear if its indecision or intention.  its not a capacity bottleneck - visas are issued for non-humanitarian efforts

regardless, ministries and federal authorities can and should easily unblock this

these unnecessary delays have huge, real-life consequence for the humanitarian response, for delivering #aid and services to millions who are suffering

un ga resolution 46/182 outlines that 'states whose populations are in need of humanitarian assistance are called upon to facilitate the work of these organisations in implementing humanitarian assistance' (para. 6), and that the un has a 'central and unique role to play' to 'ensure the prompt and smooth delivery of relief assistance' (para. 13) -- so the un in all its councils, assemblies, members, and agencies all need to fulfil their role too

this hasn't happened yet

i often reflect on this icrc article, which argues that the denial of humanitarian assistance is a crime under international law (https://icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jq32.htm…), and wonder why global, continental, and regional powers so easily tolerate such arbitrary impediments from the icrc's commentary of the geneva conventions, which form the core of international humanitarian #law and regulate the conduct of armed conflict, they outline that its not really up to the discretion of warring parties: 

"if the survival of the population is threatened and a humanitarian organization fulfilling the required conditions of impartiality and non-discrimination is able to remedy this situation, relief actions must take place (...) [a] refusal would be equivalent to a violation of the rule prohibiting the use of starvation as a method of combat"

there are positive signs of support and permission with many state-level authorities, embassy consular staff, and even the federal-level humanitarian aid commission is supportive of ngo visa issuance, but:

-not all high-level decision-makers are facilitating

-few stakeholders are confronting/resolving this

-ngos are operating, but quickly scaling is v difficult

-all sudanese civilians are suffering for it

View original: 

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1670428651299405825

[Ends]

Sudan: N. Darfur 10,000 families displaced this week - Poor humanitarian conditions, lack of water & food

Far too much ethnically-targeted violence continues to define large parts of #Darfur, with no sign military forces will be deployed to protect the victims—overwhelmingly non-Arab populations. These people cannot be allowed to rendered invisible by developments elsewhere in #Sudan pic.twitter.com/3NIS04GjOy

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) February 20, 2020

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: UNHCR has spent well over a decade and billions of dollars in funding to help ease the humanitarian crises in Darfur and other regions of Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. Surely UNHCR and other aid agencies should be providing decent humanitarian assistance, safe drinking water and enough food and medical care for people in desperate need.

In China last month, within one week the Chinese built, from scratch, a fully equipped emergency hospital to accommodate at least 1,000 patients suffering from the contagious Coronavirus. 

Billions of dollars worth of aid have been donated to Sudan and South Sudan over the past 15 years or so. What are UNHCR and other aid agencies failing to meet basic needs? Are they corrupt or what? Why are poor Sudanese people still suffering? Why isn't mainstream media investigating the work humanitarian aid agencies? Lazy bums. Note, I have added a tag entitled 'UNHCR corruption' and will keep an eye on news regarding aid agencies in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad. 

Sudan: Clashes in Darfur force 57,000+ to flee to Chad - UNHCR says food and water urgently needed

Report from News24 by Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Published 28 January 2020 18:00

Title: Clashes in Darfur force at least 57 000 to flee: UN

Violence in Sudan's West Darfur region has forced 57 000 people to flee their homes over the past month, including 11 000 who have crossed into Chad, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday [Feb 18].

In Chad, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said the refugees were scattered in several villages along the border.

"The conditions are dire. Most are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, with little protection from the elements. Food and water are urgently needed," he said.

Baloch said that UNHCR and other organisations were providing some humanitarian assistance but added: "The rate of refugee arrivals risks outpacing our capacity".

UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees fleeing to Chad from West Darfur "could reach 30 000 in the coming weeks as tensions persist," he said.

The latest fighting in West Darfur was between an African tribe called Masalit and an Arab tribe called Rizeigat - two groups which have often fought over the years since the Darfur conflict first erupted in 2003.

The violence, which left dozens dead, is the latest example of fighting in Darfur between peasant farming tribes, which are mostly non-Arab, and nomadic pastoralists, who are mostly Arab.

"UNHCR teams on the ground are hearing accounts of people fleeing after their villages, houses and properties were attacked, many burnt to the ground," Baloch said.

He said UNHCR wanted "the international community's support for the transitional government of Sudan in addressing the root causes of the conflict in Darfur".

Darfur - made up of five states - spiralled into conflict in 2003. [...]

Although the unrest has reduced greatly in recent years, there are still regular outbreaks of violence.

View Original: https://m.news24.com/Africa/News/clashes-in-darfur-force-at-least-57-000-to-flee-un-20200128

- - -

Image from Voice of America News (VOA) report by LISA SCHLEIN dated 28 Jan 2020:

'Violence in Sudan’s Darfur State Sends Thousands Fleeing to Chad'

https://www.voanews.com/africa/violence-sudans-darfur-state-sends-thousands-fleeing-chad

Sudan's Darfur, in many cases, is no longer an emergency says UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes

At long last, a worthy news quote that confirms what I am thinking: Darfur is no longer an emergency.

Hey you stopgenocidesavedarfurcrowd! Stick this in your pipe and smoke it:

DARFUR, IN MANY CASES, IS NO LONGER AN EMERGENCY SAYS UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF JOHN HOLMES

November 25, 2008 7:14 AM EST, KALMA CAMP, Sudan AFP report via Morning Star/Dow Jones - UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT LONG-TERM DARFUR AID - copy in full:

The top U.N. humanitarian official Tuesday asked how long the world could fund relief efforts in Sudan's Darfur, where aid workers are attacked almost daily after nearly six years of war.

John Holmes, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, made the remarks on his third visit to Darfur while visiting Kalma Camp, which houses around 100,000 of the 2.7 million people displaced by the fighting in western Sudan.

The consequences of an uprising by ethnic rebels against the Sudanese government in February 2003 and the ensuing repression from the standing army and Arab militias sparked the world's biggest humanitarian relief effort.

"I think in some ways it has continued to deteriorate in the sense that there's still displacement going on, there's still violence. I think it's not, in many cases, an emergency," Holmes told reporters.

"People are reasonably well settled in these camps. Unfortunately that's a problem in itself but people are not dying of starvation.

"The problem is that people have been in camps four or five years now, how do you tackle that problem...how long can we go on like this?" asked the U.N. supremo on humanitarian aid.

On Thursday, the U.N. launched a formal appeal for $1.56 billion from donors to bankroll aid work in Sudan that is expected to cost a total of $2.2 billion in 2009.

"This is a billion-dollar operation to help two-thirds of the population of Darfur. We need to find some solutions quickly so that we don't have to go on doing this indefinitely," said Holmes.

Asked how long he felt the international community could continue to fund the operation, Holmes said: "You can't put a timescale on it. It depends on the generosity of the donors, which has been there so far. But that generosity has its limits."

Aid workers trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million people in Darfur, W. Sudan

The UN Mine Action Office, reports that it has successfully completed a series of workshops to jointly develop a transition framework and a plan to transfer the ownership of the Sudan Mine Action Programme to the National Mine Action Centre based in Khartoum, and the South Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC) based in Juba.

Meanwhile, aid workers face great security problems trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million conflict affected people.

So far this year, there have been 11 killed; 261 vehicles hijacked; 172 assaults on premises; 35 ambushes/lootings of convoys; 189 staff abducted; 28 wounded; and 25 relocations.

Source: UN HQ, New York, highlights of the noon briefing by Michele Montas, Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - excerpt:

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF STRESSES NEED FOR PROTECTION OF SUDANESE CIVILIANS 

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes has concluded his six-day visit to Sudan by reiterating the importance of the protection of civilians and urging improved cooperation with the Government of Sudan in facilitating humanitarian assistance in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan.
 
Holmes said: “What we need above all in Darfur is a comprehensive ceasefire, followed by a rapid peace settlement. But as long as we don’t have peace so that people can return home, the humanitarian response will be needed.
 
He added, “The key issue remains protection on all levels; protection of civilians, particularly women and children, safety and security for aid workers and respect for the fundamental principles of humanitarianism to enable us to continue assisting those affected by conflict and natural disaster.”

He also emphasized the challenging security environment which Darfur poses for aid workers trying to deliver vital assistance for 4.7 million conflict affected people.
 
So far this year, there have been 11 killed; 261 vehicles hijacked; 172 assaults on premises; 35 ambushes/lootings of convoys; 189 staff abducted; 28 wounded; and 25 relocations.
 
During his visit, Holmes was also updated on the enormous challenges facing the south.  He urged donors to continue their funding to confront critical humanitarian and recovery issues, particularly in the health sector, and encouraged the Government of Southern Sudan to step up efforts to provide basic services and develop key sectors such as `agriculture.
 
The UN Mine Action Office, meanwhile, reports that it has successfully completed a series of workshops to jointly develop a transition framework and a plan to transfer the ownership of the Sudan Mine Action Programme to the National Mine Action Centre based in Khartoum, and the South Sudan Demining Commission (SSDC) based in Juba.

U.N.: Aid to Darfur refugees not limitless - UNAMID police are now patrolling Kalma camp on a round the clock basis

U.N.: AID TO DARFUR REFUGEES NOT LIMITLESS
November 28, 2008 (AP) report from Kalma Camp, Sudan:

The United Nations'' humanitarian chief says a solution must be reached quickly for Darfur''s refugees, warning that international aid for their camps is not unlimited.

John Holmes has made the comments during a tour Tuesday of Kalma camp, home to around 100,000 of the 2.5 million people displaced by fighting in Darfur since 2003.

Earlier this month, he launched an appeal for 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in donations to fund U.N. aid to Darfur.

Holmes says refugees and displaced people are "reasonably well settled in these camps" but questions "how long we can go on like this."

He says solutions must be found quickly "so we don''t have to go on doing this indefinitely." He warns that the "generosity" of international donors "has its limits."

Source: alwatandaily.alwatan.com
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Photo: U.N. Humanitarian Chief John Holmes, 2nd left, listens to an aid worker, far left, in Kalma refugee camp in southern Darfur, Sudan Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008. Holmes warned Tuesday that international aid for millions of Darfur residents cannot go on indefinitely and said the Sudanese government and rebels must negotiate a solution that would allow the displaced to return home. (AP Photo/Sarah El Deeb)
- - -

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT LONG-TERM DARFUR AID
November 25, 2008 (AFP) report from Kalma Camp, Sudan:

The top U.N. humanitarian official Tuesday asked how long the world could fund relief efforts in Sudan's Darfur, where aid workers are attacked almost daily after nearly six years of war.

John Holmes, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, made the remarks on his third visit to Darfur while visiting Kalma Camp, which houses around 100,000 of the 2.7 million people displaced by the fighting in western Sudan.

The consequences of an uprising by ethnic rebels against the Sudanese government in February 2003 and the ensuing repression from the standing army and Arab militias sparked the world's biggest humanitarian relief effort.

"I think in some ways it has continued to deteriorate in the sense that there's still displacement going on, there's still violence. I think it's not, in many cases, an emergency," Holmes told reporters.

"People are reasonably well settled in these camps. Unfortunately that's a problem in itself but people are not dying of starvation.

"The problem is that people have been in camps four or five years now, how do you tackle that problem...how long can we go on like this?" asked the U.N. supremo on humanitarian aid.

On Thursday, the U.N. launched a formal appeal for $1.56 billion from donors to bankroll aid work in Sudan that is expected to cost a total of $2.2 billion in 2009.

"This is a billion-dollar operation to help two-thirds of the population of Darfur. We need to find some solutions quickly so that we don't have to go on doing this indefinitely," said Holmes.

Asked how long he felt the international community could continue to fund the operation, Holmes said: "You can't put a timescale on it. It depends on the generosity of the donors, which has been there so far. But that generosity has its limits."

Source: Morning Star/Dow Jones
- - -

UNITED NATIONS URGES MORE SECURITY FOR DISPLACED AT SUDAN CAMP
November 26, 2008 (Bloomberg) report by Heba Aly in Khartoum, Sudan:

A camp for Sudanese people displaced by fighting in the western Darfur region needs more protection, the United Nations’ humanitarian chief said.

At least 33 civilians died and 108 were wounded at the Kalma camp in August when government security forces opened fire on its occupants. Sudan’s government claimed police were responding to fire from inside the camp, which houses more than 80,000 people. The UN-led peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known as Unamid, has since increased its presence in the area.

“Unamid police are now patrolling the camp on a round the clock basis, which has helped people to feel safer,” John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement e-mailed after he visited the camp. “But we still need to do more, not least to ensure women can feel safe as they move in and out of the camp.”

Holmes is on a six-day tour of Sudan that began yesterday in Darfur. At least 300,000 people are estimated to have died and about 3 million forced to flee their homes in the region since 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government complaining of marginalization.

Unamid has long complained that it is short of the troops and equipment -- especially military helicopters -- required to carry out its duties. Almost a year after it began deploying, less than half the mandated 26,000 soldiers, police and staff are on the ground.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heba Aly in Khartoum via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Photo: Hamudi Abdullah Mohammed witnessed the death of his parents during an early morning militia attack on his village in Darfur. This photo was taken at the Kalma camp for displaced people, near Nyala, capital of South Darfur. (UNICEF/Shehzad Noorani)