Joint Press Briefing UNICEF / UNHCR / WFP on the crisis in Sudan

Date/Time
Date(s) - 23/09/2024
16:30 - 18:00

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THE CRISIS IN SUDAN:

UN REPRESENTATIVES IN SUDAN VISIT BRUSSELS TO RAISE THE ALARM AND CALL FOR MORE SUPPORT

BRUSSELS – Regional/country representatives of UNHCR, UNICEF, and WFP will be in Brussels on Monday, 23 September to urge EU counterparts to do more to help those affected by one of world’s worst, but also neglected, humanitarian emergencies. They are calling for diplomatic efforts to be intensified so that aid agencies can deliver vital supplies and services at the scale that this massive catastrophe demands, as well as to secure the financial support needed to fund the response.

The humanitarian needs are staggering: 25.6 million people in Sudan are exposed to acute hunger with malnutrition stalking the most vulnerable. Over 10 million are forcibly displaced both inside and outside the country since the start of the conflict. A newly confirmed famine in the Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the Darfur region is the first to be documented globally since 2017, while 13 other areas of Sudan are at risk of famine.

Measles, cholera and other diseases are running rampant throughout the country and healthcare facilities are under immense pressure due to shortages of staff, lifesaving medicine and critical equipment. Children are being hardest hit – over 3 million are at heighted risk of cholera and other deadly diseases. Thousands of children have been killed or injured, and countless more exposed to grave protection risks including sexual violence and recruitment or use in the conflict.

More and more people are being forced to flee within Sudan, to neighboring countries, and beyond, as aid agencies struggle with access to vulnerable communities, insecurity, and the lack of vital resources and funding.

You are invited to the Press Club Brussels Europe from 16:30–17:30 this Monday 23 September to hear brief statements from, and ask questions in person to:

UNHCR Representative for Sudan Kristine Hambrouck
UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett
Deputy Country Director ad interim for WFP in Sudan Rainatou Baillet

For interviews, please contact: