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Sudan's civil war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, African Union says

THE civil war in Sudan has created the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” the African Union warned on Tuesday.

The fighting between the Sudanese military government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is hampering the delivery of aid to a population suffering attacks and the threat of famine, officials have said.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chairperson of the union’s panel on Sudan, posted on X that the civil war “has hampered access to humanitarian relief, led to [a] shortage of food and aggravated hunger.

“Children and women are continually abused, and the elderly and sick lack medical assistance.” 

He added: “This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”

The Sudanese civil war broke out on April 15, 2023 and has since displaced an estimated 12 million people. 

Wilson Almeida Adao, a senior union official for child welfare, said in a separate statement that hospital admissions for malnutrition rose by 44 per cent in 2024, with more than 431,000 children receiving treatment.

The Sudanese army controls the east and north of the country, while most of the stricken Darfur region is held by the RSF, accused by the UN of blocking aid into the region.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator in Sudan, said: “The persistent restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles [imposed by the RSF’s humanitarian agency] are preventing life-saving assistance from reaching those in desperate need.”

Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the union’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said: “We are and will continue engaging all Sudanese parties, including civilians and political actors, in an all-inclusive solution of the crisis and a comprehensive political dialogue to restore constitutional democracy in Sudan.” 

On Sunday, Sudan’s military government, pressing the RSF back in recent weeks, unveiled a “road map for a peacetime transitional government.”

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