On August 15, local time, the armed conflict in Sudan, which broke out in April last year, entered its 17th month. There is still no sign of a ceasefire in the current conflict, the country is on the verge of collapse, the population has been displaced and the humanitarian crisis is becoming more and more serious.
"Innocent civilians pay the highest price"
Once the largest country in Africa, Sudan has been plagued by coups and civil wars since its independence in 1956. After then-President Omar al-Bashir was forced to step down in April 2019, Sudan's factions have been at odds and have never been able to establish a unified government and central authority.
The two sides in this round of conflict are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
△Data map: Sudanese Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Burhan (left) and Sudanese Rapid Support Forces Leader Dagalo (right)
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were originally part of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and their leader, Dagalo, had overthrown al-Bashir's regime in his early years with the Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, al-Burhan. Since then, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have worked to establish control over the entire army, while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have vigorously defended their independence.
In the absence of a political body capable of effectively reconciling their differences, large-scale clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, on 15 April last year, and the conflict then spread to other parts of the country, where it dragged on.
The ongoing conflict has led to the devastation of the Sudanese economy. The International Monetary Fund predicts that Sudan's economy will shrink by 18.3% in 2024. Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics recently released data saying that the country's recent inflation rate is as high as 159%.
△ Screenshot of the report of "Africa News Network".
Sudan's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, with about 65 per cent of the population engaged in this industry. The fighting that lasted for more than a year has severely damaged Sudan's agricultural infrastructure, disrupted food trade and agricultural supply chains, and soared the prices of agricultural machinery, fertilizers, seeds, etc., resulting in insufficient inputs for agricultural production, and ultimately leading to a significant reduction in agricultural production.
Sudan is in the midst of an unprecedented food security crisis and is facing the worst famine in the country's history, with more than 25 million people experiencing severe famine, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said a few days ago.
△ Screenshot of the news report on the official website of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Sudan is currently facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis as the fighting expands and intensifies. According to agency statistics, the armed conflict, which has lasted for more than a year, has killed some 19,000 people, injured more than 33,000 and displaced 13 million people.
The recent floods in Sudan have exacerbated the country's already dire humanitarian situation.
The International Organization for Migration recently released a report saying that the current situation in Sudan has reached a catastrophic tipping point, and if the international community does not immediately take large-scale and coordinated response measures, tens of thousands of Sudanese civilians may die in the coming months.
△ Screenshot of the report on the English website of Southern Television
In addition, Sudan's health-care system has been severely damaged by the ongoing conflict.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) recently released a report on the situation in Sudan saying that the armed conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on the country's health infrastructure, with most hospitals and health centres ceasing to function and two-thirds of the Sudanese population without access to basic health care.
△ Screenshot of the news on the official website of the International Committee of the Red Cross
UNICEF spokesman James · recently warned that tens of thousands of Sudanese children face death threats.
"If action is not taken, tens of thousands of Sudanese children could die in the coming months, tens of thousands. This is by no means the worst-case scenario. With any disease outbreak, we see a spike in mortality. Illness is the thing we worry about the most. ”
UNICEF spokesperson James · (left) visits injured Sudanese children. (Photo from the official website of the United Nations News)
It is noteworthy that the humanitarian catastrophe in the Sudan is particularly pronounced in the western Darfur region, including Northern, Western and Southern Darfur. This is because the area is one of the most intense clashes between the two sides, especially since the escalation of clashes between the two sides over the city of El Fasher, the capital of Northern Darfur State, in May this year, the local humanitarian situation has deteriorated.
Al Jazeera Qatar reported on its website: Senior UN humanitarian officials described the deteriorating situation in El Fasher as "hell on earth" in May.
In the face of the grave humanitarian crisis in Sudan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi lamented that "civilians are not responsible and are not at fault in this conflict. However, as conflicts often do, they paid the highest price. ”
△ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi (picture from the official website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
"A ceasefire is the fundamental way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis"
Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in Sudan, the United Nations, the African Union, regional organizations and regional countries have repeatedly mediated between the two sides of the conflict, calling for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting and a resolution of the crisis through dialogue.
Representatives of the two parties to the conflict in Sudan and the countries concerned have also held several rounds of negotiations in the Saudi city of Jeddah, but have not yielded effective results.
The Intergovernmental Organization on Development in East Africa and the Government of National Accord of Libya have tried to mediate between the two sides of the conflict, but to no avail.
On March 8 this year, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution urging both parties to the conflict in Sudan to cease hostilities during Ramadan, but both sides failed to implement the Security Council resolution.
On the 14th of this month, a new round of ceasefire negotiations on the armed conflict in Sudan began in Geneva, Switzerland. However, due to the absence of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the unclear participation of representatives of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the prospects for this round of negotiations are hardly optimistic.
△ Screenshot of the report on the Washington Post website
Although the road to peace in the Sudan is long and arduous, only peaceful negotiations can truly resolve the issue.
Just a month ago, 15 Asian and African countries issued a joint statement on the situation in Sudan, calling on the warring parties to the armed conflict in Sudan to immediately cease hostilities and abide by international humanitarian law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
At the UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Sudan on the 6th of this month, Dai Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, called for stepping up humanitarian assistance to ensure the smooth implementation of humanitarian assistance operations and promoting a political settlement of the Sudan issue.
On August 6, local time, Dai Bing, Deputy Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, delivered a speech at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. (Screenshot of UNTV news)
Dai Bing stressed that it is necessary to promote humanitarian issues and political settlements simultaneously, and to promote the parties to the conflict to return to dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible, and to achieve a ceasefire is the fundamental way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
"At present, many international mediators are actively carrying out mediation actions, and we support the United Nations side in continuing to maintain contacts with all parties, and urge all mediators to strengthen overall coordination and form a joint mediation force to promote an early political settlement of the Sudanese issue. China is ready to work with the international community to continue to make positive efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, calm the fighting and achieve lasting peace. ”