Sudan War Created Largest Global Displacement Wave, ICRC Tells AWP
(AWP) - A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sudan said that the country’s war has created a humanitarian crisis for millions of people, in perhaps the largest wave of displacement worldwide.
Speaking in an interview with the Arab World Press (AWP), Adnan Hezam urged both sides of the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, so as to bring an end to the suffering of millions of Sudanese people who cannot access aid deliveries, particularly in combat zones like Darfur, Kordofan and Khartoum.
“Sudan has already been through decades of unrest and conflict. This latest conflict has unfortunately created a tragic humanitarian crisis in all senses of the word. It has brought about a displacement wave that is perhaps unprecedented globally, and a grim humanitarian condition for millions of Sudanese, to which they are not accustomed,” he said.
“We are now talking about appalling figures of eight million displaced people, within and outside of Sudan. Each one of them has their own needs, and their own story of suffering,” he added.
“Apart from the financial reverberations, there is also the psychological effect. Children have been denied their future by being kept out of school. Women and children have suffered from the psychological trauma of the war,” Hezam explained.
The ICRC spokesman appealed to the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to show “genuine respect for and adherence to humanitarian law. Pledges were made by the conflicting sides, in order to have access to information and food aid, and to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations.”
He pointed out that during the past year, the ICRC has played a humanitarian mediator role between the two sides of the conflict, particularly with regard to prisoner swaps and communication with locals, in the cases of forced disappearance of their relatives.
“We were able, through several operations, to secure the release of more than 550 detainees. The ICRC is poised to play this role,” he indicated.
He referred to an attack that targeted an ICRC convoy in Khartoum in December 2023, killing two and leaving seven others wounded, which hampered the work of the ICRC.
“We urge the international community not to render the Sudanese crisis a forgotten one. We wish for a genuine picture of the reality millions of Sudanese are going through, away from the politicization of the humanitarian dossier,” Hezam appealed.
He also demanded that international humanitarian organizations be given easy access to combat regions, in order to alleviate the Sudanese people’s suffering.