German Red Cross – Conflict in Sudan: DRK supports relief efforts

2023-05-12 14:33:24

Even weeks after the start of the armed conflict in Sudan, the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are engaged in heavy fighting, which is now mainly concentrated in the capital Khartoum. Hundreds of civilians have already lost their lives and thousands of people have been injured. “The humanitarian situation in the affected areas is critical. The civilian population has little access to water or food. Health care is on the verge of collapse,” says Christian Reuter, Secretary General of the German Red Cross (DRK). “It is therefore important that we support the relief efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sudanese Red Crescent (SRCS) on the ground as best we can.”

In close coordination with the ICRC and its sister company SRCS, the DRK supports the Sudanese population with needs-based medical supplies and equipment from the DRK’s stocks. This includes medical equipment, medical technology and reusable personal protective equipment for hospital staff. The DRK will provide the ICRC with specially trained professionals, particularly in the health sector. The dispatch of a first DRK nurse to Sudan is in preparation. He will tend to the wounded in the hospital and train local health workers.

Trained volunteers from the SRCS have been available to provide support at local health facilities since the conflict began. Hundreds of them are providing first aid and supporting medical workers in Khartoum and other regions of the country. They also help transport the wounded. The DRK and the SRCS have been working together for over 30 years. Building on this, the DRK will support its sister company in caring for refugees along their escape routes. Among other things, the distribution of required relief supplies and concrete measures in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are planned. Support to the SRCS will also take place in the procurement of first aid kits and in volunteer work.

The clashes that have been going on since April 15 are particularly concentrated in the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region. Injured people need immediate medical attention, but supplies are running low in the country’s hospitals. Medical staff have difficulty accessing health facilities because of the fighting. “People urgently need support,” says Reuter. “We are planning further aid measures in the coming weeks and months and will continue to support our sister companies in Sudan and in affected neighboring countries as far as possible in the future.”

The DRK asks for donations for the affected population:
IBAN: DE49 3702 0500 0005 0234 62
BIC: BFSWDE33XXX Bank for Social Economy, BLZ 370 205 00
Key word: emergency aid Africa