FRI 9 AUG -- ONE HUNDRED civilians are dying from starvation each day, the UK revealed at the UN Security Council this week. This comes after famine was declared in Zamzam camp, Darfur's largest displacement camp where more than half a million people fleeing the violence are suffering dire conditions.
Famine is likely occurring in other parts of Darfur, according to the leading authorities on famine. Despite famine, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) bombed Zamzam and many other areas of North Darfur last weekend. At the UN Security Council this week, SAF's representative rejected the famine declaration, stressing it would continue its 6 months-long blockade of any aid access via the critical Adre border crossing between Chad and Darfur.
UNICEF and the World Food Program underscored the real meaning of the famine declaration:
Shayna Lewis, Avaaz’s Sudan Specialist, said: “16 months after the outbreak of war, the people of Sudan are forced to survive an impossible set of threats. If they do not die by the bullet, death is increasingly coming from starvation, lack of access to healthcare, or drowning. And they have been abandoned to that fate.”
Seasonal rains have returned to Sudan with deadly impacts. The UN reports 73,000 people have already been affected by flooding with over 21,000 people displaced. This includes over 10,000 of the 725,000 people who were displaced by violence in Sennar state in July as the RSF advanced east.
The risk of death due to violence is still great and even Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the de-facto President of Sudan is not immune, having survived an apparent assassination attempt. Violence also arrived in Blue Nile State along the South Sudan border which will likely trigger yet another mass displacement of civilians. We will likely see continued ethnic targeting of civilians by SAF and allied local authorities, and further looting and attacks on civilians by the RSF.
Voices from the Ground
*Interviews available on request*
Avaaz is in contact with human rights defenders, civilians, and Emergency Response Room (ERRs) volunteers across Sudan. If you would like to be connected with people on the ground, please reach out to: shayna@avaaz.org or media@avaaz.org. Translation available.
Names have been changed due to safety concerns and testimonies minimally edited for clarity.
Civilians stuck at the Sudan/Egypt border:
Hadeel was recently displaced from Sinja, Sennar state to Wadi Halfa. She told Avaaz: “I met many children here crying hysterically, even the quietest voices cry from the trauma they experienced and the sounds of shells and bombs.
“I found a girl with special needs, 14 years old, this girl is crying because she has been walking for a month to find personal hygiene for girls [menstrual products] - in a very sad tone she told me, what should I do, where to go? Even the displaced areas are not able to provide shelter. To receive water you need to walk a long way and most of this water is not good for drinking and so we must use cotton cloths to filter it. Supplies come from some organizations, but the number of people here is very large, especially since there are many Sudanese citizens who returned from Egypt to Wadi Halfa, this increased the pressure on the old displaced and the newly displaced from Sennar State.”
Testimony from North Darfur
Yacoub was recently displaced from El Fasher to Tawila in North Darfur but regularly travels back to the city for his tireless activism. Yacoub told Avaaz: “Everyday I get phone calls and messages from those who remain in Zamzam and I am even in touch with some military leaders in El Fasher. Last week Salam was hit by SAF airstrikes and more than 11 civilians died. Zamzam was also bombed and I can hear the planes and bombs from where I live now because it is not too far.
“The SAF bombing in Zamzam caused terror and injured civilians. The humanitarian situation is too dangerous because of overcrowding. Most of El Fasher’s population went to Zamzam and Khazan Jadid. This area is filled with civilians but unfortunately they are living outdoors. With the rainy season and natural disasters they are facing severe difficulties. People are in need, children are dying of diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, and malnutrition.”
Testimony from those displaced from Sennar state
Mahmoud is a lawyer and human rights defender with the Sennar Observatory for Human Rights. He told Avaaz that a crackdown on civilians and human rights defenders by SAF forces began when the war reached Al-Jazeera state, which borders Sennar state. "There were arbitrary arrests targeting activists, volunteers working in human rights and humanitarian aid, members of political emergency committees, and resistance groups. We also documented widespread incidents of looting, robbery, extrajudicial killings, torture, kidnapping, and enforced disappearances occurred, carried out by the Rapid Support Forces."
He added: "When the RSF reached the city of Singa, the capital of Sennar State, the scale and frequency of these violations were so overwhelming that it became impossible for us to monitor them all. In the city of Sanaa, the RSF carried out numerous assassinations, including children, women, and the elderly."
Hundreds of people in Singa are still missing, and their fate remains unknown to this day. The Observatory is actively seeking any information about these individuals, but encounters frequent internet outages, hampering their efforts.
International developments
Footage & Images
** Images of flooding from Abu Shouk IDP camp in El Fasher available upon request: please email shayna@avaaz.org **
This dispatch is the latest in an ongoing series designed to support the international media's coverage of the war in Sudan.
The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. Contact Shayna Lewis at +44 7935 296 004 / shayna@avaaz.org
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