UN Humanitarian Chief: We are âfailingâ Sudan
Martin Griffiths says âone of the major impactsâ of war in Ukraine is less attention on other crises
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs has told HARDtalk that âSudan is the placeâŠthe humanitarian community is failing more than elsewhereâ. Martin Griffiths said that Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict for five months, is âobviously the top of the listâ of humanitarian priorities.
Speaking to Stephen Sackur, Griffiths lamented the âdevastating differenceâ between the 18 million people in the country who required aid and the 3.5 million who were actually receiving it. He said that humanitarians are having to make life-and-death decisions, such as âwhether it's still safe enough to keep a hospital going in Khartoumâ. Lack of funding is a major concern, with every 1% cut in food rations putting â400,000 more people at risk of starvationâ.
The senior UN official, who serves as Emergency Relief Chief, also noted that it was âvery difficult to get media attention to Sudanâ. He observed that âone of the major impacts of the Ukraine warâ is that there is less attention being given to other humanitarian crises around the world.
According to the UN, at least 5,000 people have been killed and 12,000 injured since the war in Sudan began in April. More than 5 million have been forced to flee their homes and 80% of health services are not functioning.