Sudan: Humanitarian response crippled as aid hub is overtaken

Some 350,000 children are under direct risk of being killed, injured or displaced in the town of Wad Madani in Sudan, as fighting moved through the state of Gezira this week, Save the Children said.

The population of Wad Madani had already grown to 700,000 people, according to the UN, including 500,000 who had only recently arrived after being displaced by violence elsewhere in the country. The town had also served as a hub for humanitarian operations since fighting broke out in April, including warehousing of large stocks of supplies dedicated to response in the state.

While active combat settled overnight, the death toll in Wad Madani had already risen to 300, including the deaths of three health professionals, according to the Sudan Medical Syndicate, a doctor’s organisation. Doctors have described the health situation in Madani as catastrophic, with injured people unable to reach medical care due to hospital closures and ongoing violence.

“It’s chaos and carnage in Sudan. Some 350,00 children in Wad Madani – many of whom already fled bombs and bullets and came to the town with their families for safety – have found their refuge become a new centre of insecurity. Children are terrified of being abducted, raped, and recruited into armed groups. They are seeing things no child should ever see,” Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, Dr Arif Noor said.

“Eight months after the escalation of conflict, it is getting harder and harder to find a safe place in Sudan. It’s an international crisis and needs urgent international attention and support to find a peaceful resolution and provide aid to those who desperately need it,” Noor added.

READ: Humanitarian crisis in Sudan ‘worsening’ as it faces ‘world’s largest displacement crisis’