The United Nations(UN) agencies have warned that unless immediate action is taken, famine and disease could lead to “countless” fatalities in Sudan, which has been ravaged by war.
The population is suffering from malnutrition, deteriorating healthcare facilities, and a rise in cholera cases, according to officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO), highlighting the daunting obstacles that aid workers are confronted with after 18 months of conflict in the nation.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been ongoing since April 2023. It has resulted in the death of 20,000 people and the displacement of over 10 million people, including 2.4 million who have sought refuge in other countries, according to UN estimates.
Efforts by the international community to put an end to this devastating conflict have been ineffective, with the focus being diverted to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
On Tuesday, the United States announced that it had included Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, the younger brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, on its sanctions list.
The US Department of Treasury accused Musa of overseeing RSF’s weapon procurement and prolonging the civil war in the country.
However, Washington has thus far declined to impose sanctions directly on Hemedti despite allegations of human rights abuses by the RSF, including in the Darfur region.
The conflict has left over 25 million people, which represents more than half of Sudan’s population, in dire need of food and healthcare.