Committee calls for clarity on FCDO action on “forgotten conflict” in Sudan
30 April 2024
Conflict that has also been described as a “war on women” is fast becoming one of the worst humanitarian and hunger emergencies in recent history, with country on brink of famine.
Following “horrifying” evidence in Parliament from senior aid workers operating on the ground in Sudan, Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee, has written to Foreign Secretary David Cameron to press for answers on what the UK and FCDO are doing to help alleviate the situation.
The letter sets out the extremity of the escalating situation in Sudan. The evidence to IDC presented multiple stories of suffering, malnutrition, sexual violence and exploitation as the country descends into one of the worst humanitarian and hunger emergencies in recent history.
Sexual violence as a weapon of war has been widely reported, with over 5000 reports of grave violations against women and girls. As the Committee reported last week, thousands of children been killed and injured or have lost their parents. 14 million of Sudan’s 24 million children are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and 4.6 million have lost their homes, the largest displacement of children in the world. 18 million Sudanese children have been out of school for the past year—around double the number of primary and secondary school-aged children in the UK combined.
Healthcare systems in Sudan have collapsed, with more than 70% of hospitals in conflict areas unable to function. Vaccination rates have dropped and preventable or nearly eliminated diseases are taking hold. Attacks and killings of aid workers are making addressing the imminent famine in the country much more difficult.
This is now the largest displacement crisis in the world, with nearly 9 million people forced to leave their homes. Millions have fled to neighbouring countries that are ill-equipped to host them, some already suffering food and water shortages of their own.
Chad alone has received more than half a million Sudanese refugees and is expected to receive a million more by the end of this year, the majority of which will be women and children. There is a very real risk that if more is not done to end the hostilities in Sudan, the wider region will be destabilised.
The Committee is now seeking assurances from the FCDO on a number of issues, including:
- What further actions will the UK take to help bring about a lasting ceasefire and a return to a civilian-led Government in Sudan?
- What specific support is the Government providing to address the needs of children, women and girls in Sudan?
- How is the UK supporting human rights agencies in documenting and responding to war crimes and breaches of international law committed during this conflict?
- What steps is the UK taking to help mobilise more funding for Sudan from the wider international community?
You can read the full letter here, and the Committee will publish the response which is requested from the FCDO by the 8th May.
Further information
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