Last Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, again urged the two enemy generals, Hemetti and Al-Burhan, to let humanitarian aid pass.
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The Sudanese government again refused on Saturday March 2 the request from the United Nations agency, the World Food Program, to allow humanitarian convoys to pass. For the Sudanese government, based in Port Sudan, the security of the country is at stake. General Al-Burhan’s government accuses the paramilitaries of General Hemetti’s Rapid Support Forces of being supplied with weapons via this border with Chad.
According to the United Nations, 25 million Sudanese require food assistance. Last Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, again urged the two belligerents to allow humanitarian aid to flow.
“ For nearly eleven months, the Sudanese army and rapid support forces, supported by their allies, have been waging a merciless and senseless war. They killed thousands of people, without visible remorse, created a real climate of terror, forcing thousands to flee, and leaving those who cannot or will not leave to suffer. They destroyed the country’s medical structures and blocked humanitarian aid, with complete impunity, despite the multitude of violations committed.
Furthermore, they continue to slow down any discussions that could lead to the peace and security that the Sudanese so badly need. In eleven months, at least 14,600 people have been killed and 26,000 injured, figures that are certainly below reality. Many aid workers also lost their lives working under the bombs.
Sudan has become a real nightmare. The deliberate refusal to allow humanitarian agencies access to the country is in itself a violation of international law and could constitute a war crime.
I once again call on the belligerents to respect their obligations and to open humanitarian corridors without delay before more lives are lost. »