Ms. Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, on Behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths - Briefing to the Security Council on the Humanitarian Situation in Sudan

Madame President,

Thank you for this opportunity to brief the Council on the humanitarian situation in Sudan.

Since we last briefed the Council on 23 June, Sudan’s descent into a full- blown humanitarian catastrophe has only deepened. During these six weeks alone, more than 1.4 million people have fled their homes.

I visited Sudan two weeks ago. I was deeply alarmed by the level of suffering I saw, and the stories I heard.

Women and girls I spoke to shared accounts of being forced to flee far from their homes. They moved from place to place seeking a safety in a constantly shifting security environment. Many live in fear of the fighting catching up with them. They told me stories of sexual violence, harassment, and physical assaults. Of husbands disappearing never to be seen again. Of education interrupted, careers ruined, and livelihoods lost. Teachers and nurses who had fled their home with salaries not paid.

Everyone had a story of parents, children, colleagues and friends who had perished in this devastating conflict, with fears of more to come as the conflicting parties push on regardless of the consequences.

Madame President,

From the lack of coverage of Sudan in the global media, one cannot imagine what is happening in the country. 14 million children in Sudan need humanitarian support.

Nearly four months into this conflict, millions of people remain trapped in a humanitarian calamity that continues to grow.

More than 4 million people have now fled from their homes – 3.2 million people displaced internally, and close to 900,000 people who have crossed the border into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and other countries.

The alarming accounts of sexual violence that I heard from people who have fled to Port Sudan are just a fraction of those being repeated at a sickening scale from conflict hotspots across the country.

People are finding it more and more difficult to access urgent medical assistance, with 80 percent of hospitals across the country not functioning

14 million children in Sudan – half of all children in the country - need humanitarian support.

More than 20 million people - over 40 per cent of the population - are facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The conflict is disrupting livelihoods and physical access to markets. It is also fueling steep increases in the price of commodities.

The banking system has been heavily disrupted, as have public and civil institutions. This is leading to severe disruption of public services and less and less money circulating within the economy.

Electricity blackouts are extensive. Education services are interrupted, which once performed perfectly

It is the story of a country and its people being driven to the point of collapse.

Madame President,

The situation is particularly alarming in areas where the conflict is most intense – notably in Khartoum, as well as Darfur and Kordofan regions.

Reports of ethnic-based violence in West Darfur are extremely alarming, with numerous civilians killed or wounded.

The intense fighting and difficult operating environment are constraining our ability to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance, which is only deepening the suffering of people there.

Madame President,

Nevertheless, since we last briefed you, humanitarian organizations – civil societies, UN and NGOs - have spared no efforts to restore the flow of humanitarian supplies, particularly to the Darfur States where access was most limited. We have seen some but limited progress.

On 3 August, following intensive negotiations with the parties, a convoy of 10 trucks was able to deliver 500 metric tons of improved seeds to 70,000 families in Ed Daein in East Darfur – the first convoy we have been able to facilitate to Darfur from eastern Sudan – just in time for the planting season, vital for food security in the coming months. Darfur states have some of the highest levels of food insecurity in Sudan. Additional trucks are en route to North and South Darfur to respond to health, nutrition and food security needs, and we expect the parties to live up to their commitments and allow these trucks to reach their destinations.

Last week also saw the first delivery of food assistance into West Darfur from Chad. Additional assistance is expected to follow in the coming weeks.

As the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths has said “Cross-border access into the Darfur region represents a key milestone, as the UN seeks to access all hard-to-reach areas in Sudan and provide critical humanitarian assistance to people in need, wherever they are.”

We continue to depend on the generosity and the understanding of Sudanese authorities and Sudan’s neighbours to facilitate these critical efforts to reach those most need.

Meanwhile, assistance is also being provided in Adré (in Chad) to support the more than 350,000 people who have fled across the border, as well as the Chadian communities generously hosting them.

Madame President, distinguished Members of the Council,

Nationwide, since this conflict started, more than 2.9 million people have received some form of minimum humanitarian assistance, including cash or in-kind food assistance, health services, or access to basic water services. But unfortunately, this represents only a fraction of the 18 million people we are trying to reach.

However, we need unhindered and unfettered humanitarian access to the people who need us the most.

In Khartoum, where access to those in need remains enormously challenging, some assistance is being provided with the dwindling resources that are still available locally. But we have not been able to guarantee passage for a humanitarian convoy to the capital to replenish these supplies since late June.

Humanitarian organizations are ready and willing to do everything it takes to provide the assistance that the people of Sudan so desperately need. But they cannot do so without the regular facilitation of access by the parties, and the easing of bureaucratic and administrative impediments.

International humanitarian law is clear: All parties to the conflict must facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need.

So far, the limited deliveries of assistance we have been able to make have only been possible through intensive negotiations with the parties. Many of these movements were supported through the Jeddah process.

These negotiations are becoming increasingly complex.

It is urgent that we re-establish a forum for direct and regular contact on humanitarian issues with the parties at a senior level, to negotiate access and protect the space for humanitarian operations in Sudan.

We need the strong support of Member States to facilitate this.

Madame President,

We can only provide assistance at speed and at scale if we have the relevant permits to move within the country and the visas to enter the country.

While we have received some visas, we ask Sudanese authorities to continue to ease procedures and to expedite approvals.

Madame President,

Even with improved access, we will not be able to prevent sliding further into humanitarian catastrophe without the required resources. It is therefore deeply concerning that the $2.6 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for this year is still only 25 per cent funded.

I am grateful for the generosity of Member States and donors for contributions so far. We need more funding.

I am issuing a plea to all Member States to come forward and help us fund the plan as soon as possible.

Madame President, distinguished Members of the Council,

During my recent visit to Sudan, one message that I heard most clearly is that the People of Sudan want and need peace.

In this regards, the ongoing political mediation efforts aimed at achieving a resolution to this conflict is critical. These efforts must continue unabated if the people of Sudan are to have any chance of living in enduring peace and security.

But until then, we demand that all parties respect international humanitarian law and minimize human suffering.

The parties to the conflict in Sudan must ensure the safe passage of civilians fleeing violence in Khartoum, Darfur and other areas of active hostilities.

We also urge the international community to support the humanitarian effort on which so many people in Sudan increasingly depend.

I thank you.