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UNITED NATIONS, Nov 13 (IPS) - After 19 months of conflict, the ongoing Sudanese Civil War continues to deteriorate living conditions for millions of Sudanese people. Intensive conflicts between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have greatly exacerbated nationwide levels of famine. Numerous civilians have been caught in the crossfire, leading to a rising death toll. Sexual violence and rape have been used as weapons of war, with thousands of cases going unreported due to a pervasive state of fear. Sudan has seen record numbers in displacement, becoming one of the biggest displacement crises in the world.
According to estimates by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), civilian casualties from the civil war exceed 20,000. Approximately 25.6 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid, which is over 50 percent of Sudan's population.
On November 12, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) urged the United Nations (UN) Security Council to accelerate response efforts in Sudan amidst the escalation of violence. Humanitarian organizations have been impeded from accessing some of the most conflict-ridden hotspots in Sudan.
The Tine crossing in Chad has long been a critical path for humanitarian organizations to reach the critical Darfur region of Sudan. According to OCHA, intensified fighting along this region as well as the Port Sudan region has blocked the delivery of live-saving aid.
"We are deeply concerned by the alarming trajectory of this conflict. While it has already unleashed horrendous suffering, the conditions are there for it to claim exponentially more lives," says Ramesh Rajasingham, spokesperson for the Acting Chief of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed on October 29 that nationwide levels of displacement have reached a new peak, with over 11 million Sudanese civilians being displaced as of today. Over 400,000 people have been displaced in El Fasher in the past six months alone. More than half of the displaced population are women and over 25 percent are children.
The Zamzam Refugee Camp in northern Darfur currently houses approximately 500,000 Sudanese civilians. "The scale of this displacement – and the corresponding humanitarian needs – grows every day. Half the country's population needs help. They don't have access to shelter, to clean drinking water, to health care. Disease is spreading fast," explains IOM's Director-General, Amy Pope.
The civil war has caused significant damage to Sudan's agricultural sector. According to the World Bank, nearly 9 million people are expected to face catastrophic hunger in 2025 if conditions do not improve. The World Food Programme estimates that there are 13 areas in Sudan that are currently at risk of famine.
"People are selling off their assets to buy food for their families. Supplies to commercial markets have been disrupted by the fighting. Many people are now totally reliant on aid in order to have just one meal a day. People are having to eat leaves and mud for energy just to try to survive," says Concern Sudan country director, Dr. Farooq Khan.
"One in every two Sudanese is struggling to get even the minimal amount of food to survive. Famine conditions have taken hold in North Darfur, and millions struggle to feed themselves every day," adds Pope.
On November 5, the UN reported that the RSF had been using rape and sexual violence as weapons of war. "This large-scale campaign, predominantly targeting women and girls, has been found to include rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, and human trafficking under conditions of extreme violence that would amount to torture," one UN expert said.
According to an October 23 report by the UN, over 400 victims of sexual assault from RSF had been recorded and referred to healthcare and psychosocial support services. The majority of these victims lack access to medical care. Humanitarian organizations called out RSF personnel to take accountability for their crimes to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and suffering does not continue.
The UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said in a statement issued on October 26, that continued attacks on civilians and infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law and must come to an end. "I think considering the nature of the violence, the level of impunity enjoyed by the RSF and the near-total global silence on this, that the numbers of dead may end up being a gross underestimation," she said.
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