Sudan: 3.9M people food insecure in Khartoum state. Khartoum's partly a ghost town, only 20-30% remain

IN some areas of Khartoum you can see ordinary scenes of life, such as children playing outside and parents going to the market. But the atmosphere remains very tense and extremely anxiety-provoking, even post-apocalyptic. Many buildings have been gutted and looted. There are large numbers of RSF fighters roaming the streets and regularly forming checkpoints. Read more.  

From MSF website 

(Médecins Sans Frontières aka Doctors Without Borders) 

Dated Tuesday, 12 March 2024 - here is a copy in full:

SUDAN: "THE SITUATION REMAINS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT"

The city of Khartoum has been the epicentre of the war in Sudan for many months. While part of the city is now experiencing some respite, the situation remains extremely difficult and precarious for the civilian population who continue to live there. 

We take a look at the situation with Jean-Guy Vataux, who recently returned from Sudan, where he was Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Khartoum.   

Patients at an MSF clinic in Zamzam camp, currently hosting more than 300,000 internally displaced people. A rapid nutrition and mortality assessment carried out by MSF in Zamzam camp in January 2024 reveals a deadly situation that has unfolded over the past nine months. 

© Mohamed Zakaria

AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE RAPID SUPPORT FORCES (RSF), WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE SUDANESE CAPITAL?  

Khartoum is partly a ghost town. Around 20 to 30 per cent of its population remains. The inhabitants fled en masse. However, some returned after the RSF took control of neighbouring Al Jazirah state in December. As a result, in some areas you can see ordinary scenes of life, such as children playing outside and parents going to the market. But the atmosphere remains very tense and extremely anxiety-provoking, even post-apocalyptic. Many buildings have been gutted and looted. There are large numbers of RSF fighters roaming the streets and regularly forming checkpoints.  

So Khartoum remains a city at war. The RSF attacks the government enclaves with artillery on a regular basis, while the Sudanese Armed Forces respond with aerial bombardments. There is still an atmosphere of active war and a very strong fear of both parties to the conflict among the population. For example, some of the staff working at the Turkish Hospital supported by MSF never go outside, not even to run an errand in front of the hospital.  

WHAT ARE THE LIVING CONDITIONS LIKE FOR THE CIVILIANS WHO HAVE REMAINED IN KHARTOUM? 

Since the RSF took control of neighbouring Al Jazirah state, the markets in Khartoum have become better supplied with food, particularly fruit and vegetables. But the situation remains extremely difficult for the inhabitants and will likely continue to deteriorate. There is a major economic crisis in Sudan. 

And not just since the start of the war. For the last five years, the economy has been shrinking and today it's very hard to earn a living in Khartoum. It's an economy that is heavily affected by looting, and eventually there will be nothing left to loot.   

The overall indicators calculated by the United Nations teams for Khartoum state are extremely worrying. Even though we have not been able to verify these through our work, they show that 3.9 million people face high levels of food insecurity in Khartoum state. 

There is also the risk of an epidemic, which could lead to high mortality rates among a population that is particularly vulnerable in terms of nutrition. For the time being, Khartoum has been relatively spared, probably because of the low population density due to the mass departure of inhabitants. The cholera epidemic, which developed mainly in the towns of eastern Sudan, has affected the capital, but at very low rates. Similarly, there have been a few cases of measles, but here too the outbreak has remained extremely limited. Khartoum has not seen any outbreaks of dengue fever either, although there have been major outbreaks in other Sudanese cities. But there is no guarantee that Khartoum will remain unaffected by future epidemic outbreaks. 

HOW DOES THE POPULATION ACCESS HEALTHCARE?  

There are a few hospitals financed and run by the RSF, which do a bit of medical work in the city, but these are mainly for their fighters. A highly specialised cardiac surgery programme, set up by an international NGO, also continues to operate, but it does not meet the needs of a population in a city at war. This leaves only the four hospitals and a primary health care centre supported by MSF.

Even if Khartoum has achieved a degree of stability in terms of security, going to a hospital still represents a major risk. So people delay coming for as long as possible and think twice before crossing the city. The only people who continue to come quickly are those who have suffered trauma, whether from acts of war or accidents.  

At the Turkish Hospital, we saw people taking great risks to come and get the treatment they needed, like crossing the Nile by boat when there were bombings and snipers everywhere.  

HOW DOES THE TURKISH HOSPITAL, WHERE YOU WERE BASED IN KHARTOUM, CONTINUE TO FUNCTION? 

The Turkish Hospital is one of the few hospitals where the staff stayed after the war broke out. Today, the teams from the Ministry of Health tell us that if MSF hadn't come to support the hospital, whether by supplying medicines or paying salaries, they would have left the city—and therefore their posts—very quickly. 

The hospital was in a government zone when MSF began its collaboration. It then came under the control of the RSF when they took over the whole of the south of the town, including the hospital area. Despite this, the hospital was relatively spared from the fighting and bombing.   

Since then, activity in the emergency room has been fairly constant, with around a hundred visits a day, mainly for non-war related surgeries, obstetrics and road accidents. From time to time, war surgery is also necessary. During offensives or bombardments, we can treat up to 60 war casualties a day. For the rest of the facility, it is standard hospital activity, with a paediatric ward, a maternity unit, an internal medicine ward and a small outpatient department.  

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE WAR ON HEALTH STAFF? 

The staff who work in the Turkish Hospital are under immense pressure. On the one hand, they are under pressure from the RSF, who are carrying out arbitrary arrests and brutal detentions of the civilian population, including Ministry of Health employees. As Ministry of Health staff are civil servants, the Rapid Support Forces consider that they may be spies in the pay of the Sudanese Armed Forces.  

On the government side, they also face growing suspicion. As the war goes on and civil servants carry out their work in RSF-controlled areas, the government's view of them is that they are now part of the RSF. There have been reports of incidents where civil servants have been arrested and ill-treated at Sudanese Armed Forces checkpoints on their way back to government zones, for example. So they're really between a rock and a hard place. But obviously, the fear is that the pressure will become too great and they will decide to flee abroad or to elsewhere in Sudan. 

HOW IS THE HOSPITAL SUPPLIED WITH EQUIPMENT AND MEDICINES?  

As with the other health structures supported by MSF, we have had problems at the Turkish Hospital since October when the government decided to blockade the city of Khartoum. At that point, it was no longer possible to transport medical equipment and medicines to RSF-controlled areas from Port Sudan, where the cargo ships arrive.   

So there was a serious shortage for a few weeks, until the RSF took control of Al Jazirah state and in particular the town of Wad Madani where our supplies were stored. From the moment it was taken over by the RSF, we were able to go there and bring most of the medical stocks to Khartoum.  

That said, in two months' time, the shortage problem will arise again.  We probably still won't be able to get the stocks and staff reinforcements through from Port Sudan, which remains under government control. We don't foresee that the government will change its policy. We are therefore in the process of trying to build a supply corridor from Chad.

3.9 million people face high levels of food insecurity in Khartoum state.
-Jean-Guy Vataux, MSF Head of Mission in Khartoum

...some of the staff working at the Turkish Hospital supported by MSF never go outside, not even to run an errand in front of the hospital. 

-Jean-Guy Vataux, MSF Head of Mission in Khartoum

View original: https://msf.org.au/article/project-news/sudan-situation-remains-extremely-difficult

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Related

Sudan Watch - March 08, 2024

UNSC adopts Resolution 2724 (2024) calling for cessation of hostilities in Sudan during Ramadan

THE UN Security Council on Friday (Mar 8) adopted a key resolution on Sudan, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the war torn country during the month of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday. There were 14 votes in favour, 0 against, one abstention (Russia).

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/unsc-adopts-resolution-2724-2024.html

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Sudan Watch - March 11, 2024

VIDEO news report from Khartoum, Sudan on the first day of Ramadan shows no cessation of hostilities

Mr AlMigdad Hassan, correspondent for AlArabiya News Channel has filed his video report direct from Khartoum, Sudan to his X account on the first day of Ramadan, March 11th. Sadly, the footage in his report copied below shows that the cessation of hostilities by the belligerents hasn't happened.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/sudan-video-news-report-from-khartoum.html

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Sudan Watch - March 12, 2024

Sudan: Khartoum is still in total blackout, desperate need for humanitarian aid, basic essentials, electricity

Here is a message I received from a reader in Khartoum, Sudan last Sunday (Mar 10). Sadly, in short it says, Khartoum is still in total blackout, some neighbourhoods have had no electricity and water for over ten months, there is a desperate need for humanitarian aid.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/sudan-khartoum-is-still-in-total.html

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Sudan Watch - March 02, 2024

Sudan: In Zamzam camp, North Darfur, the death rate is catastrophic. At least 1 child dies every 2 hours

Malnutrition and disease are rife at the ‘overwhelmed’ Zamzam camp, a host to 300,000 internally displaced people, one of hundreds in Sudan, where war has displaced nearly 8 million people. The scale is simply terrifying. Zamzam is just one camp. There are hundreds of others in Sudan. 

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2024/03/sudan-in-zamzam-camp-north-darfur-death.html

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END

Sudan: UNSC Vote on a Draft Resolution (Preamble)

"It seems that on 5 March, the Sudanese government sent a letter to the Security Council, conveying its decision to facilitate the entry and delivery of humanitarian aid through several routes, including from Chad through the Tina border crossing; from South Sudan through the Renk border crossing; and through humanitarian flights accessing airports in the cities of Al Fasher, Kadugli, and Al Obeid. The draft resolution in blue includes language welcoming the Sudanese government’s announcement as a positive step." Read more.

From UN Security Council
What's In Blue 
Dated Friday, 8 March 2024, 19:25 GMT - here is a copy in full:

Sudan: Vote on a Draft Resolution

This afternoon (8 March), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts on 10 March. The draft text was proposed by the UK, the penholder on Sudan. Following the vote on this draft resolution, the Council will vote on a draft resolution extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee.

The UK circulated a one-page zero draft to Council members on Monday (4 March), inviting comments on the text until the next day (5 March). The penholder subsequently circulated a revised draft text on Wednesday (6 March) and put it under silence procedure until yesterday (7 March). Russia broke silence, after which some members submitted additional comments. Russia apparently expressed reservations about the need for a Council resolution and proposed a draft presidential statement as an alternative. The penholder subsequently amended the draft resolution, taking into account additional comments and incorporating some elements from Russia’s proposed presidential statement, and put the revised draft text directly into blue yesterday evening.

The draft resolution in blue calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities during the month of Ramadan and for all warring parties to seek a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue. It also calls on all parties to ensure the removal of any obstructions to the delivery of aid and to enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access, including cross-border and cross-line, and to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and the “Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan”, which was signed by the warring parties in Jeddah on 11 May 2023 with the facilitation of Saudi Arabia and the US.

Over the last 11 months, Sudan has been grappling with the devastating political, security, and humanitarian consequences of fighting that erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader and chairperson of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti). 

As at 16 February, more than 14,600 people had reportedly been killed since the onset of the conflict, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that collects conflict-related data. 

OCHA’s 23 February Humanitarian Update noted that approximately 8.1 million people have been displaced since the start of the conflict, of whom 1.8 million have fled to neighbouring countries, including the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan. 

In addition, according to the World Food Programme, nearly 18 million people are facing acute food insecurity in Sudan, including almost five million at emergency hunger levels. (For background and more information, see the Sudan brief in our March 2024 Monthly Forecast and our 7 March What’s in Blue story.)

The fighting has continued unabated despite several calls for a ceasefire from regional stakeholders and the broader international community. In his remarks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan held yesterday, Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that the Sudanese conflict “could ignite regional instability of dramatic proportions, from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea”. 

He added that there have been renewed offensives in several states, including Khartoum and Al Jazirah, and that the hostilities could expand further east. Guterres expressed alarm about calls for arming civilians and popular mobilisation activities in various states and took note of the involvement of other armed groups, primarily in Darfur and South Kordofan states. All these developments “are pouring fuel on the fire for an even more serious fragmentation of the country, a deepening of intra- and inter-communal tensions, and more ethnic violence”, Guterres said.

In light of the upcoming occasion of Ramadan, Guterres called on the warring parties to observe a cessation of hostilities, a call which most Council members supported in their statements at yesterday’s meeting. Algeria, speaking on behalf of the members of the “A3 plus one” grouping (Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Guyana), called on the warring parties to declare an immediate ceasefire, to put aside their differences, and to use the opportunity of Ramadan to exercise restraint for ensuring a durable peace in Sudan.

Leaders of several regional and intergovernmental organisations have also called on the Sudanese warring parties to observe a ceasefire during Ramadan. In a 6 March statement, League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged all the parties to pursue efforts towards peace and dialogue.

He expressed the LAS’ commitment to support efforts to restore peace and stability in Sudan. In a communiqué released earlier today, African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called on the warring parties to observe a ceasefire across Sudan during Ramadan, saying that this could help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in need.

In his statement during yesterday’s Council meeting, Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, conveyed al-Burhan’s message commending Guterres’ appeal for a cessation of hostilities during Ramadan. However, while expressing scepticism about the implementation of a cessation of hostilities in light of continuing attacks by the RSF, he said that “[a]ll those who would like to see that appeal transformed into action are welcome if they would like to present a mechanism for implementation”.

While Council members share concerns about the devastating effects of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, they have diverging views on the tools that the Council should use to address the situation. 

Throughout the negotiations, some members, including China and Russia, apparently pushed back against the need for a Council resolution and instead suggested adopting a presidential statement or a press statement, products which require consensus among Council members. It seems that these members argued for the need to have Council consensus on this subject and to respect the views of the concerned country. 

Commenting on the UK’s proposed draft resolution, China said in its remarks at yesterday’s Council meeting that “the Council’s actions should be conducive to diplomacy and avoid exacerbating tensions”. Despite these objections, the UK decided to continue negotiating the resolution and to put it to a vote today.

The draft resolution in blue encourages Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra “to use his good offices with the parties and the neighbouring States, complementing and coordinating regional peace efforts”. Lamamra assumed his role in November 2023 and has since been conducting diplomatic efforts, including through engagement with both warring parties and relevant stakeholders. 

Following yesterday’s open session on Sudan, Lamamra briefed Council members in closed consultations on his efforts towards resolving the crisis. (For more information, see our 6 March What’s in Blue story.)

It seems that on 5 March, the Sudanese government sent a letter to the Security Council, conveying its decision to facilitate the entry and delivery of humanitarian aid through several routes, including from Chad through the Tina border crossing; from South Sudan through the Renk border crossing; and through humanitarian flights accessing airports in the cities of Al Fasher, Kadugli, and Al Obeid. The draft resolution in blue includes language welcoming the Sudanese government’s announcement as a positive step.

The penholder made some additions and amendments to the preambular section of the draft resolution to accommodate comments from some Council members. Among other things, the draft resolution in blue, in its preambular paragraphs:

• expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels or worse of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur;
• takes note of the need for unhindered cross-border and cross-line humanitarian assistance into Darfur and encourages the parties to the conflict to continue working in close partnership with OCHA and international NGOs to ensure the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance;
• expresses concern at ongoing reports of violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights law, including cases of sexual violence in conflict;
• urges continuation and strengthened coordination of regional and international efforts to facilitate an end to the conflict and to restore a lasting inclusive civilian-led democratic transition; and
• welcomes the appointment of an AU High-Level Panel for Sudan and the AU’s commitment to working with the people of Sudan to end the fighting and to put in place a process towards achieving a lasting and inclusive peace, democracy, and justice in Sudan.

Tags: Insights on Africa, Sudan

View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2024/03/sudan-vote-on-a-draft-resolution.php

END

Sudan: UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities ahead of Ramadan

"THE UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities in Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’. 

With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, probably on Friday. 

The latest draft on a Sudan ceasefire was circulated on the same day the head of the UN food agency warned that the Sudan conflict “risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis” as global attention is focused on the Israel-Hamas war. 

The proposed UN resolution calls on all parties to remove obstructions and allow “full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” including across Sudan’s borders and across conflict lines.

The draft also urges strengthened co-ordination of several regional and international efforts “to facilitate an end to the conflict and to restore a lasting inclusive civilian-led democratic transition.” 

The US is negotiating on its own proposed Gaza resolution with the latest draft calling for a “ceasefire of roughly six weeks in Gaza together with the release of all hostages” as soon as Israel and Hamas agree. The draft makes no mention of Ramadan."  Read more.

From The Irish News

By Edith M Lederer, Associated Press

Dated Thursday, March 07, 2024 at 3:36AM GMT

UN resolution calling for end to hostilities in Sudan ahead of Ramadan

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’.

Full story: https://www.irishnews.com/news/world/un-resolution-calling-for-end-to-hostilities-in-sudan-ahead-of-ramadan-4EQJ622VTNJ5ZHTECA4OWM3DF4/

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Related 

From Sudan Tribune - undated, here is a copy in full: 

Fikra for Studies and Development urges Security Council to endorse UK draft resolution for ceasefire in Sudan

Fikra for Studies and Development welcomes the UK draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. We hope that the Security Council will adopt this resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and that it will include clear and effective enforcement, implementation, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure its application on the ground.

The resolution should emphasize the need to adhere to the principles of the Jeddah Declaration for the Protection of Civilians, signed by the warring parties on May 11, 2023. It should also reaffirm the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) principle adopted by the UN in 2005, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the cessation of violations against Sudanese civilians, especially in Darfur, Khartoum, and Al Gezira states.

If adopted by the Security Council and successfully implemented, this resolution will pave the way for a permanent ceasefire, opening the door for a rational political process to end the civil war that has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, 2023.

Fikra for Studies and Development calls on the members of the Security Council to vote to pass this resolution. We also call on the African Union, the Arab League, and IGAD to support this resolution by urgently contacting all members of the Security Council and encourage them to vote in favor of this resolution. We further call on the five permanent members of the Security Council not to use their veto power to block the passage of this resolution.

We reiterate our call to the UN and its humanitarian agencies to declare a state of severe famine of phase 5 at the national level in Sudan and to address the humanitarian situation accordingly.

The current situation in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, in terms of the number of displaced and refugee people, the widespread famine, the severe food shortages, and the horrors faced by the Sudanese people due to the ongoing war. The international community must act now effectively to stop this ongoing suffering.

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282996/

END