UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has called on the international community to act faster to scale up humanitarian support to Sudan.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Lowcock went on a two-day mission to the country last week for his first visit since the formation of a transitional government in August 2019.
While conflict is still a major driver of humanitarian needs in Sudan, incidents have significantly reduced in recent years. The deepening economic crisis, the climate crisis and pockets of violence also continue to drive humanitarian needs.
“There’s a real economic crisis, there’s a real malnutrition problem. There’s an outbreak of infectious diseases, killer diseases, like cholera and dengue, and measles and diphtheria,” Lowcock said.
According to Lowcock, the new government in Sudan has an agenda to reform and move the country forward but a lot of help is needed especially from the international community.
“We’re expecting to see a growing humanitarian problem here, even in peaceful parts of the country over the next few months,” he added.
In Kassala State, over 400,000 people are in crisis levels of food insecurity and only 13% of the rural communities have access to safe water. Communicable disease outbreaks are proliferating at the same time as the economic situation hampers the Government’s capacity to respond. There are acute shortages of basic medicines and health services across the country.
