Former president Thabo Mbeki and patron of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, has called on the speedy resolution of the tension in Sudan and the need for a speedy avoidance of prolonged humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
This comes a year after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exchanged heavy gunfire in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, later spreading to other parts of the country.
Since then, the media has put the number of displaced children at more than 2 million, with many leaders saying the war has done huge damage to Sudanese people while also contributing to a humanitarian crisis that has threatened to leave millions starving in Chad – and appears to be far from over.
The de facto head of state, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, leads the SAF, and the RSF is run by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
They were once allies when they orchestrated a coup to dislodge a civilian government in 2021, but since last year, their indiscriminate fighting has hit civilians heavily.
Mbeki says the current International Humanitarian Conference must resolve the crisis under way in Sudan.
South Africa through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the South African Red Cross Society (Sarcs), with support from the British Red Cross Society and the Commonwealth Secretariat, is hosting the Sixth Commonwealth Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference on International Humanitarian Law in Pretoria.
“It is of the greatest importance that this very timely conference must succeed in its efforts urgently to generate the humanitarian resources needed, particularly in Sudan.
“A year ago, armed conflict erupted in Khartoum between SAF and RSF. Since then, I have informally engaged Sudanese and other stakeholders including humanitarian actors, on how to best address the crisis that now imperils the future of Sudan and threatens stability of the region,” Mbeki said on Monday.
According to a CNN report, the situation in Sudan has resulted in more than 2 million children and 8.4 million adults being displaced.
Islamic Relief, a humanitarian and development agency, has also painted a grim picture of Sudan’s situation, warning that it is on the brink of mass famine, with young children facing the prospect of starving to death.
“Immense suffering is being inflicted on the Sudanese people, with over 14 000 fatalities. More than 8 million people people are displaced, and critical infrastructure has been destroyed and disrupted in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
“Attacks against civilians, including ethnic targeting in Darfur, acts of sexual and other GBV violence, looting of civilian houses, has continued in breach of International Humanitarian Law, and despite solemn commitments by the belligerents in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023,” the foundation said.
The Star