Sudan truce holds on second day as donors set to meet in Geneva
Published: 05:06 PM,Jun 19,2023 | EDITED : 09:06 PM,Jun 19,2023
KHARTOUM: An international donors' conference is set to begin in Geneva for Sudan, where a ceasefire was holding but the UN says the humanitarian situation is worsening after two months of war.
The conference comes mid-way through a three-day ceasefire which appeared to have brought calm to the capital Khartoum, after the failure of earlier truces to ensure secure aid corridors.
Several Khartoum residents said that they heard no air strikes, artillery or other fighting on Monday, a rare respite for the war-weary suffering shortages of medical care, electricity, water and other essentials.
Across the country, the death toll has topped 2,000, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said.
Hundreds of kilometres west of Khartoum, up to 1,100 have been killed in the West Darfur state capital El Geneina alone, according to the US State Department, blaming 'primarily' the RSF.
A record 25 million people are in need of aid, according to the United Nations, which says it has received only a fraction of desperately needed funding.
Roughly 2.2 million people have been uprooted across Sudan by the fighting, which has forced more than 528,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration said.
The conference is to address the aid needs both in Sudan and in neighbouring countries, now bearing an increased burden.
The UN will be joined by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the African Union and the European Union in convening the event.
Donors are expected to 'announce financial commitments to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis and reiterate the need for the parties to the conflict in Sudan to adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law,' the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
It said less than 16 percent of the needed $2.6 billion for aid response has been funded, while the regional refugee response plan for $470 million is similarly underfunded.
Despite the lack of money, the looting of aid facilities and the killing of humanitarian workers, aid agencies have increased their response to the tragedy but, according to UN figures, only a fraction of those in need have been reached.
William Carter, Sudan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said bureaucratic delays are also hindering the aid response.
He said that about 100 visa applications are still pending from more than 30 organisations. — AFP
The conference comes mid-way through a three-day ceasefire which appeared to have brought calm to the capital Khartoum, after the failure of earlier truces to ensure secure aid corridors.
Several Khartoum residents said that they heard no air strikes, artillery or other fighting on Monday, a rare respite for the war-weary suffering shortages of medical care, electricity, water and other essentials.
Across the country, the death toll has topped 2,000, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project said.
Hundreds of kilometres west of Khartoum, up to 1,100 have been killed in the West Darfur state capital El Geneina alone, according to the US State Department, blaming 'primarily' the RSF.
A record 25 million people are in need of aid, according to the United Nations, which says it has received only a fraction of desperately needed funding.
Roughly 2.2 million people have been uprooted across Sudan by the fighting, which has forced more than 528,000 to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, the International Organization for Migration said.
The conference is to address the aid needs both in Sudan and in neighbouring countries, now bearing an increased burden.
The UN will be joined by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the African Union and the European Union in convening the event.
Donors are expected to 'announce financial commitments to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis and reiterate the need for the parties to the conflict in Sudan to adhere to their obligations under International Humanitarian Law,' the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
It said less than 16 percent of the needed $2.6 billion for aid response has been funded, while the regional refugee response plan for $470 million is similarly underfunded.
Despite the lack of money, the looting of aid facilities and the killing of humanitarian workers, aid agencies have increased their response to the tragedy but, according to UN figures, only a fraction of those in need have been reached.
William Carter, Sudan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said bureaucratic delays are also hindering the aid response.
He said that about 100 visa applications are still pending from more than 30 organisations. — AFP