Attachments
Highlights
▪ Ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have continued since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023.
▪ UNHCR’s High Commissioner welcomed the resumption of cross-border operations following the announcement on 5 March by the UN Sudan Humanitarian Coordinator that the Sudanese Government would facilitate humanitarian access from Chad through the Tine border crossing into Darfur, from South Sudan through the Renk border crossing to Kosti in White Nile State, and through humanitarian flights accessing airports in El Fasher (North Darfur), Kadugli (South Kordofan), and El Obeid (North Kordofan). This news marks a positive step forward in the delivery of essential aid to those in need inside Sudan.
▪ The brutal war in Sudan is pushing the country toward famine and a catastrophic loss of life, especially among children. In what is now the world’s largest child displacement crisis, severe malnutrition among young children is intensifying beyond the worst projections, and there are outbreaks of cholera, measles and malaria. UNICEF Statement
▪ On 12 March, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that its lifesaving programmes in Chad will come to a halt in a matter of weeks. This will force assistance to be suspended in April for 1.2 million Sudanese refugees and crisis-affected people in Chad, due to funding shortfalls. This comes as thousands of Sudanese refugees continue to stream across the border from Darfur, and as the rainy season looms and threatens to cut off road access for humanitarian deliveries to the camps in the east of the country – where hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees have sought shelter.
▪ On 9 March, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) met with the African Union (AU) high-level delegation on Sudan, led by Mohammed Ibn Chambas. They discussed ways of advancing the Sudan peace process and enhancing the collaboration between IGAD and the AU.
▪ The UN Security Council on 8 March adopted a resolution on Sudan, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the war-torn country during the month of Ramadan.