Edim Wesorno, Director of Operations and Advocacy at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday that 30 million people in Sudan are in need of assistance.
اضافة اعلان
She described the capital, Khartoum, as having become a "ghost city" due to the war.
Wesorno made the remarks in a press briefing from New York, via video call from the city of Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, according to the United Nations News website.
Wesorno has visited Sudan several times over the past years, but her recent visit to Khartoum was the first by OCHA since the office was forced to leave in April 2023 after the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
"What I saw in Khartoum was horrifying, it is a destroyed city. After being full of life, Khartoum has become a ghost city," she said.
She noted that she began working in Sudan 20 years ago when she started her career with OCHA.
"I have never seen anything like this in nearly a quarter of a century of working in Sudan and other conflict-affected areas with the UN and humanitarian work," she added.
Wesorno said Sudan represents the "world’s largest crisis, with 30 million people in need of aid."
She added, "What we ask for is 55 cents per day for every person in Sudan. That’s all. When humanitarian access is allowed, when security and safety guarantees exist, and when we have enough supplies and funding, we can help."
She spoke about the situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state (west), saying the city has been "besieged for a year, and the situation in Zamzam IDP camp is extremely difficult."
The camp hosts approximately 25,000 displaced persons, according to the United Nations.
On August 3, 2024, UNICEF announced that famine had spread in Zamzam camp.
Since May 10, 2024, El Fasher has witnessed clashes between army forces and the RSF despite international warnings about the consequences of the fighting in the city, which serves as the humanitarian hub for the five Darfur states.
In recent days, fighting has intensified, with the Sudanese army repelling all repeated RSF attacks on El Fasher.
Wesorno pointed to the call by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher for a "humanitarian ceasefire" in El Fasher, stressing its importance.
She also called for continued international attention to the situation in Sudan.
Wesorno emphasized "the need to allow unhindered humanitarian access to deliver aid to those in need."
She urged continued funding of humanitarian efforts in Sudan and an end to the war.
Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and RSF have been engaged in fighting that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced or caused the flight of about 15 million, according to the UN and local authorities. A study by U.S. universities estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
— Anadolu Agency
