- by Bev Hall
- The Guardian
- Issue #2116
A refugee camp in Chad. Photo: Voice of America – (CC0)
Conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Response Forces (RSF), has led to a devastating humanitarian catastrophe. Escalating from April 2023, the conflict has lead to over nine million people being either internally or externally displaced, many fleeing to neighbouring countries, making this the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Access to food, water and medical supplies is severely restricted, with as many as 2.5 million facing starvation, according to a Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) report which also details human rights abuses including sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, along with attacks on civilian infrastructure. United Nations experts warn of signs of genocide.
The Sudan Tribune has reported Human Rights Watch (HRW) as declaring that the SAF and RSF are both responsible for widespread war crimes and other atrocities in Sudan’s current conflict. Over 20,000 innocent civilians have died so far in the conflict, the result of a dispute between two generals over the process of a return to a democratic Sudan.
Human rights groups have renewed calls for an expansion of the arms embargo in Sudan, amid concerns that weapons manufacturers are exploiting this dire situation. Amnesty International (AI) has detailed the involvement of arms manufacturers, for example, supplying blank guns and cartridges that are possibly being “converted into lethal weapons in Sudan on a large scale, indicating the need for closer scrutiny of this largely unregulated trade.”
The United Nations Security Council is expected to decide on 11 September whether to renew the Sudan sanctions regime, which prohibits the transfer of military equipment to the Darfur region, the stronghold of RSF under General Hemeti.
“A countrywide arms embargo would contribute to addressing these issues by facilitating the monitoring of transfers to Darfur, preventing the legal acquisition of weapons for use in other parts of Sudan,” according to HRW.
Meanwhile the Sudanese government, under General Burhan and the SAF, being forced from Khartoum to Port Sudan, has opposed an expansion of the arms embargo, and in recent months lobbied members of the Security Council to end the sanctions regime and remove the Darfur embargo altogether.
The United Nations says the war has triggered the “world’s worst hunger crisis”. Five million Sudanese people are dealing with “emergency levels of hunger.”
The organisation UN Women has been assisting Sudanese women, including those in exile with basic needs and argues that women should have a prominent role in any dispute resolution process.
Hadia Hasaballah, president of the Guardians Organization, speaking at a recent conference in Kampala, Uganda, stressed the urgent need to prioritise a ceasefire and safe corridors to address the humanitarian crisis.
“We must agree on an arms embargo across Sudan and make practical arrangements to protect civilians and deliver aid to those affected,” she said.
Even before the war started, Sudan was one of the poorest countries in the world. Its 46 million people in 2022 were living on an average annual income of AU$1,000 per head. The conflict has made the situation much worse. Last year, the economy shrank by 40 per cent, according to Sudan’s finance minister.
South Sudan has diplomatically remained a bystander during all the hostilities.
In Australia, the ABC has reported that the federal government has spent $33.45 million in aid to Sudan since April 2023. A grand total of 227 permanent visas have been granted to Sudanese nationals under Australia’s offshore Humanitarian Program.
To assist in this ‘forgotten’ conflict, Australians should consider lending support to international agencies carrying out humanitarian relief in Sudan.
