Today's top news: Sudan
Sudan
UN relief chief’s travel
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres is sending Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to the region immediately.
Mr. Griffiths is in Nairobi today, where he met with Kenyan President William Ruto, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and others to discuss what he called the "catastrophic" situation in Sudan.
In a separate statement yesterday, Mr. Griffiths said that two weeks since the eruption of clashes, the humanitarian situation is reaching breaking point.
He said the UN and our partners are working to reboot the humanitarian response in the country after many of our supplies have been looted. We're urgently exploring ways to bring in and distribute additional supplies.
Mr. Griffiths underscored that the scale and speed of what is unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented.
His message to the parties to the conflict, he says, is unequivocal: Protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Ensure safe passage for civilians fleeing areas of hostilities. Respect humanitarian workers and assets. Facilitate relief operations. Respect medical personnel, transport and facilities.
Humanitarian coordinator briefs Member States
The acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Abdou Dieng, briefed Member States in Geneva today. He was speaking remotely from Port Sudan. Mr. Dieng warned that in several parts of the country, mainly in Khartoum and Darfur, we have seen a complete lack of respect by the warring parties for their obligations under international humanitarian law.
He said that despite the extreme challenges, humanitarian operations continue, where and when feasible, thanks to the dedication of aid workers and volunteers, including our local partners.
Humanitarian response efforts
Where the security situation allows it, including in Eastern Sudan, our partners are continuing their operations, mainly health and nutrition services.
The World Health Organization has distributed fuel to some hospitals in Sudan – and is also working to offload six containers of medical supplies that arrived by ship in Port Sudan. This includes supplies for treating traumatic injuries and severe acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, the UN Population Fund or UNFPA is supporting partners on the ground with life-saving health-care and supplies for safe births.
The UN Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR, in consultation with Governments and partners, are planning for up to 815,000 people who may flee fighting in Sudan to the seven neighbouring countries. Without a quick resolution of the crisis, we will continue to see more people forced to flee in search of safety and humanitarian assistance.
The latest figures from our teams on the ground confirm that 73,000 people have arrived in neighbouring countries, including Sudanese refugees and also returning refugees, notably South Sudanese refugees returning to South Sudan.